For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. James 1:23-24
I have been reading a book called The Secret of the Holy Face, The Devotion Destined to Save Society, by Father Lawrence Daniel Carney III. The author points out how this devotion is meant to combat communism. All these years the Lord drew me to this devotion, even using tragedy to bring goodness and a blog named Veil of Veronica. I thought, “of course”. This is the devotion to usher in the Divine Will and combat what’s being thrust upon the world. The movement of sexual perversion and identifying yourself that way, coupled with climate change, the nebulous blob that seems to ask that all humans just die for the sake of the planet, and we find ourselves on the brink of a new world without God.
This all too imminent danger, Venerable Brethren, as you have already surmised, is bolshevistic and atheistic Communism, which aims at upsetting the social order and at undermining the very foundations of Christian civilization – DIVINI REDEMPTORIS ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI
ON ATHEISTIC COMMUNISM – March 19, 1937
Without God and doing what he asks, we forget what we look like. His Holy Face brings us back to relationship, with Him and with one another.
To be clear, I do not condemn people who struggle with same sex attraction, or even those who don’t know their proper identity, after all, their struggles are real. Therein lies the brilliance of this God ordained devotion. When you look at the Holy Face of Jesus you can see that you are in relationship with a real person. When your loved one stands in front of you struggling, you can see you are in relationship with a real person. You can pray and guide a real person to their true identity. The demonic driven agenda, however, you must oppose on all fronts. Our true identity lies in the fact that we are children of God. Anything else is perversion. You can label yourself whatever you want, but truth is a person and that person is Jesus Christ, and until you know Him you actually know nothing, especially not yourself.
Additionally, I actually do believe our environment is poisoned, but not from the CO2 we breathe out, rather, it is from the sin of our hardened hearts that we breathe out. A pure heart that loves God has a God who can pour his power into weakness and make the environment their dominion. A sinful unrepentant hard heart reaps what it sows, and the environment around them becomes desolate. Again, a mere look at the Face of God and you will see back a true identity and a Kingdom of heaven; a Kingdom of Love where all of creation shouts for joy.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar and all that fills it;
let the field exult and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his truth. Psalm 96:11-13
It is time to look at His Holy Face. It is time to see that He is the one who calms and keeps the storm. Promulgate this devotion. Jesus Himself left us His face during the Passion with the Veil of Veronica, in His death on the Shroud of Turin, and in His resurrection on the Veil of Manopello.
By looking at His Face we can see his Sacred Heart, we can see the love in His heart for us. We can ask Him to help us love others as He loves us. It is this relational knowing of God that can crush communism. Place His Face where all can see.
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
Veil of Veronica 
Many may not know the meaning behind the name “Veronica”. Many know the story of a woman named Veronica wiping the face of Jesus and getting the image of Jesus’ face on the cloth. This name is closely related with this event. The name is composed of 2 root words, the Ver has the same root word as verify, and that is “Vera” it means “true”. The second part comes from the word “Icon” meaning image. The name Veronica (Vera Icon) literally means “True Image”. In a very real sense we are all called to be a True Image of Jesus. This blog is well named!
Thank you for the comment. I remember when my friend Veronica died all those years ago, focusing on how the name meant True Image and how what Saint Veronica did for Christ was beautiful and courageous considering what was happening.
Another fine piece, and thank you.
God Bless you.
I was struck by the “brevity” of this treatise, as it holds such power in Truth. Truth has no need for some sort of wordy explanation. Pilate was blind to the Truth when he opined: “what is Truth?”…as he was really looking for some “wordy” explanation. He (like many) think truth to be a mere “thing” to find. No, Truth is NOT a mere thing as you said…but a Person…Jesus!
Many years ago when I “tried” marijuana, I remember feeling “evil” all over almost immediately. I began to panic and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. What I saw in the mirror only escalated my panic into very great anxiety. I saw “evil” (itself) looking back at me (in the mirror) from my own eyes!
I was terrified, honestly. Why so? Because (though) I liked the feeling of being high, at the same time I was hating the evil that I physically perceived through the mirror in my very being…(ergo addiction).
I did not know what to do. I was extremely scared. I felt that I had died. Then I remembered the “power” of the crucifix that I’d known as a young child when I went through a (life threatening) major surgery in the hospital…and how the crucifix hanging on the wall of my room brought me such immense comfort over my fears at that time.
With that memory, I searched for and found my small crucifix and gazed at it with great sorrow for what I had done. Immediately that “feeling” of evil left me. It was like I even “felt” it leave. I then went back to the bathroom and looked in the mirror again. Yes, it was in fact gone! I saw no evil looking back at me!
I would “like” to report that I lived happily ever after beyond this incident but that is not the truth. I went on to struggle for quite some time with that “liking” of evil as I described. A spiritual director once told me that “evil tastes good” and that’s why we do it. He went on to say that we must lose our “taste” for evil in our spiritual journey. How true! It takes time (God’s time; not ours)…and His grace!
I take no pride in what I had done. I have experienced great shame in some of the choices that I have made in my life. However I share this experience as my way of verifying the absolute Truth of what you have said about the Holy Face…and its power to “restore” sanity.
I love the reading the Old Testament story of the bronze snake that was mounted on a pole to save the people: Numbers 21: 8-9. It ALWAYS reminds me of how Jesus rescued me by way of that crucifix many years ago. I could expound on the depth of meaning within that scripture quite a lot. It is “rich” with so many “human” conditions!
The whole point is that there must be many like me who are in desperate need to be “released” from the captivity of evil choices…but do not know the way.
Your treatise provides the “key” to that door. What I hope to add to your well written presentation is a very real personal “witness” to the effectiveness of (using) that key!
God bless!
Thank you for sharing. These writings usually start forming in my head while I am doing some ordinary task. Yesterday I was mowing the lawn when it all came over me. I too was struck by how short it was, but I knew it was enough. Gods Holy Face speaks quickly when someone is in need.
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I’ve been thinking of starting a devotion to the Holy Face at my church. I’m presenting this devotion at an upcoming CARMELITE meeting. To paraphrase from “The Golden Arrow” “St. Therese reached new heights of sanctity with her devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus.
Thank you for the confirmation.
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