Another day, March 30, 1848, she proposed to receive Holy Communion to honor the most Holy Face of Our Lord, to comfort Him in the sufferings caused by His ghastly wounds. She implored Him to imprint this adorable Face upon her heart so deeply that it would never be obliterated. “Before Communion,” said she, “a celestial light dawned on my soul and I beheld that the Face of the mystical body of Jesus Christ is the holy Church, which is now covered with wounds by the wicked!”
“Then, I was inspired to offer to Our Lord the virginal milk of His Holy Mother as a precious and fragrant balm wherewith to heal the wounds of His most Holy Face; my soul experienced great joy in performing this act of simplicity and love.”
“After communion, my Divine Saviour, in His infinite goodness, was pleased to show me that this exercise was most agreeable to Him and that I should continue it. He told me that in return He desired I would taste the milk of His Divine consolations in order to alleviate my sufferings. Then I beheld Our Lord resplendent with glory and all my senses were ravished with joy. Soon He caused me to hear these sweet and consoling words: ‘Your pilgrimage is drawing to a close! You will soon see my Divine Face in Heaven!’”
“At these words, I prostrated myself on the ground, saying: ‘Lord, I merit only hell-fire.’ But my good Master replied: ‘The virtue of my Holy Face has restored the Image of God in your soul. Those that contemplate the wounds of My Face on earth, will one day behold the glory and majesty with which It is surrounded in Heaven.’ I was then on Thabor, and like the apostle St. Peter, I would willingly have cried out: ‘Lord, it is good to be here; let us erect three temples for the three powers of my soul, that they may always enjoy this sweet repose which surpasses all the pleasures of earth.’ But our Divine Lord gave me to understand that His true spouse ought to prefer the heat of the combat to the repose of contemplation, that to defend His glory she need not fear casting herself in the midst of the battle. I told Him that I would combat the enemies of His Church with the instruments of His Passion, and I perceived that my design was agreeable to Him”.
“This is the substance of what passed during this last communication; I say the substance, because it would be impossible to find a literal conveyance for these interior words, still less to describe what my soul experienced. How unworthy and despicable it is to fix our heart on creatures! Eternal Father, I offer thee the most Holy Face of Jesus to appease Thy anger. Look upon His wounds, behold His humiliations! He is the only worthy reparation for our crimes; He is the glory of Thy Holy Name! Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Holy Face of Jesus to pay our debts! This is the coin of infinite value stamped with the effigy of the King of kings.”
Life of Sister Mary St. Peter Carmelite of Tours, by M Labbe Janvier p. 397-399
Reflection
How profoundly have we, God’s children been assailed in our five senses, within this and the last century! TOUCH – in actual fact, we have a lack of it, as fear of others invading our personal space, consoling us with a hand to the shoulder, or even better, a hug, or through fear of contracting a germ or two, has encouraged us to keep our distance. Our society has grown cold. HEARING – distasteful, blasphemous and immoral music (especially forced upon our children), and in conversation has become prolific. EYES – pornography has permeated the internet, including social media; and immodest dress (as prophesied by our Lady of Fatima) is seen pretty much as soon as we walk out the door, (depending upon the climate in which your live). SMELL – the air we breathe is tainted with pollutants and chemicals from a myriad of sources. TASTE – our foods have been poisoned with pesticides and unknown chemicals that we cannot even pronounce. The livestock, which eventually becomes our food, are fed growth hormones and injected with antibiotics.
Ah, but with the Lord, there is always good news! As with Sr. Marie, He desires to ravish, renew and repair our five senses, if it be His Holy Will in this life, or in the heavenly Jerusalem to come, by making reparation to His five senses in the powerful prayers of the Holy Face Chaplet. He that has promised to restore His Divine Image in our souls through this consolation that we give Him, is just as capable of healing our senses!
Our Lord made it very clear to Sr. Marie to battle on with zeal using spiritually the instruments of His Passion (His Cross, the nails, the Crown of Thorns, the pincers) to combat all enemies, within and without, of the mystical body of Jesus Christ – His Church. Let us follow suit with our daily prayers of reparation, particularly the Holy Face Chaplet, to restore both holy Mother Church and ourselves, within and without.
the littlest wren
