In beginning to meditate upon the mysteries of the adorable Face of Jesus, let us take as our guide her who understood then better than anyone. Let us go to Jesus through Mary. Let us entreat our august Mother to enable us to derive from this meditation all possible fruit, and ask her to hide us in the secret of the Face of the Lord(1).

1st POINT

Mary was the first and most faithful worshipper of the Holy Face.

Ever since the origin of Christianity, the piety of the faithful has taken delight in saluting Mary under divers names expressive at once of her power and of their love. She has been called the Mother of God, the Queen of Virgins and of Saints, the Star of the morning, the Refuge of sinners, the Immaculate, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. As for us, faithful worshippers of the Holy Face, associates of the archconfraternity of reparation, we call her the Queen of Martyrs, Our Lady of the Seven Dolors, because, according to the prophecy of Simeon, in different circumstances of her life, and above all on Calvary, a sword of grief pierced her soul; but, without in any degree going further than holy Church, and only following the impulse of our filial heart, may we not also call her, who was its first and most faithful worshipper, Our Lady of the Holy Face? Oh adorable Face, who wast adored with such profound respect by Many and by Joseph when they saw thee for the first time, have pity on us, says Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre in one of the first invocations of the Litanies of the Holy Face.

Let us repeat with her this beautiful invocation.

2nd POINT

Mary was not only the first worshipper of the Holy Face, but during thirty-three years she was its consoling angel.

How many times did she not lovingly dry the tears of Jesus in the cradle? How many times did she not wipe away the dust and sweat which covered his brow in the workshop of Joseph? How many times did she not suddenly appear in the midst of the apostolical labors of the Savior to console his heart and rejoice his Holy Face? What glances of tenderness and love were there not exchanged between Jesus and Mary! With what sharp grief did she not behold the Holy Face wounded and disfigured during the Passion! With what bitter sorrow did she not behold the sufferings and agony of her divine Son upon Calvary! What was not the agony of her soul when she heard his last cry and received his last sigh!

With what happiness also and with what sweet consolation did she not contemplate the Face of Jesus resplendent with glory in the midst of the triumphs of the Resurrection! With what hope did she not see him rise to heaven? With what extasy does she not contemplate him now in the splendor of eternity.

We desire, like Mary, to consider the Holy Face during the sufferings of the earthly pilgrimage of our Savior and Master, that we may one day enjoy his ineffable vision.

May Mary be then our model and our guide.

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Let us go to Jesus, but let us go to Jesus by Mary.

SAINT VERONICA BEFORE THE PASSION

St Veronica; a noble lady of Jerusalem, is, according to a constant tradition, no other than the pious Israelite whose cure is thus related by St Luke— “A certain woman who had an issue of blood twelve years; who had bestowed all her substance on physicians and could not be healed by any, came behind Jesus and touched the hem of his garments; and immediately the loss of her blood stopped. And Jesus said— Who is it that touched me? And all denying, Peter and they that were with him said— Master, the multitudes throng and press thee, and dost thou say: Who touched me? And Jesus said— Somebody hath touched me, for I know that virtue is gone out from me. And the woman, seeing that she was not hid, came trembling, and fell down before his feet, and declared before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was immediately healed. But he said to her— Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole, go in peace(2).”

Baronius speaks of this pious woman by her own name of Berenice. The name Veronica, which signifies Victorious (φέρω, I bring; νίκη, victory), appears to him to have originated in the memorable action which she performed by wiping the Face of Jesus on the way to Calvary.

After her cure, the happy Israelite, filled with gratitude, devoted herself to the service of her benefactor. She attached herself to Jesus in the same manner as Mary Magdalen and the other holy women of Jerusalem, who waited upon him and gave him pecuniary aid, whilst he went about preaching the gospel from town to town and from village to village accompanied by his disciples.

She was with the Savior on Palm Sunday, when ho made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. She had even, it is said, the boldness to enter into the presence of Pilate during the Passion, that she might give her testimony in favor of Jesus together with the other witnesses of his miracles.

INVOCATION

Oh adorable Face, whose divine glance penetrated the soul of the pious Veronica in order to transform it into a compassionate and reparatory soul, penetrate our souls also, and grant us courage to walk generously in the way of reparation, following in her footsteps.

(1) Abscondes eos in abscondito faciei tuae. (Ps. xxx. 21)

(2) Luke, viii, 43-43.