In Manoppello this year the Feast of the Holy Face is Celebrated on the Feast of the Holy Trinity

This coming Sunday, May 18, will be the feast of the Holy Face in Manoppello, which is always celebrated on the third Sunday in May with great festivity, including a procession of the Image of the Holy Face to the parish church of San Nicola where it will remain overnight. This year it seems especially fortunate that this celebration will take place on Holy Trinity Sunday.

I am posting a few photographs provided to me by the courtesy of Paul Badde. The two photos which show the Holy Face in procession demonstrate the two distinct yet complementary sides of the image, which can be distinguished from one another by the dark, wound-like marks around the nose. On one side (the side considered the anterior which faces the church's convent choir) the upper wound is to the right of the nose, and on the other side (the side considered the posterior which is seen by the people during Mass) the upper wound is to the left of the nose. (Note: the majority of available photographs in general circulation are of the anterior side) In order to see these photographs which I have posted well, click on the photograph, you will be amazed.

Nevertheless many things regarding the beauty and mystery of the Holy Face are said to be revealed only during the procession of the Holy Face in the light of day.

Let us unite ourselves in prayer with the people of Manoppello this day of the Holy Trinity. Come Lord Jesus!

Votive Mass in Honor of the Holy Face of Jesus Christ

Father Carmine Cucinelli, O.F.M., Cap., Rector of the Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello provided me with this Votive Mass which is often celebrated in Italian by him and his fellow Capuchin friars at the Shrine. No doubt it will be celebrated in Manoppello this coming Sunday May 18, the third Sunday in May, which is the annual feast of the Holy Face celebrated with much joy and anticipation including a procession of the image of the Holy Face from the Shrine to the church of San Nicola in the historic town of Manoppello. I publish the Votive Mass here with the hope that, in addition to it being celebrated in the English language at the Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello, that it will be made use of in other times and places.

Opening Antiphon

Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I now seek. Do not hide your face from me. Be merciful to me and answer me.
(Ps. 27:7a,8,9a,7b)

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, Father of infinite goodness, who through the Holy Face of your Son, disfigured by his redemptive passion, make manifest your divinity to all in this holy temple; grant that aflame with love for you here on earth, we may come one day to contemplate you in the splendor of your glory. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading (Is. 52:13-15; 53:1-5)

A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah

See my servant will prosper, he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him, his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness, so will many nations marvel at him; and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

This is the word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm (Ps. 67:1-7)

Response: Let your face shine upon us, Lord.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us,
that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples justly
and guide the nations of the earth.

May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.
Then the land will yield its harvest,
and God, our God, will bless us.
God will bless us,
and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Second Reading (1Pt. 3:8-15)

A reading from the first letter of St. Peter the Apostle

Beloved, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with a blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righetous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

This is the Word of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation (Ps 89:16)

Alleluia! Alleluia!
Blessed the people who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.
Alleluia!

Gospel Reading (Jn 20:1-10)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father, look upon us who carry the imprint of your only begotten Son, sacrificed for our redemption. Accept the gifts we offer you and make of us living bread acceptable to you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Preface

It is our duty and salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Holy Father, Lord God omnipotent and eternal.
Above all, it gives us immense joy and delight
to offer unto you our praise in this holy temple,
wherein, through your wondrous providence,
you give us the grace of venerating the marvelous imprint
of your Son's face, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sustain the piety of your children
and shower upon your holy people
the gifts of your fatherly and infinite love,
fruit of the redemptive passion of your Son.
Through him the angels rejoice
and eternally adore the glory of your face.
May our humble voices join with theirs
in their hymn of praise.

Communion Antiphon (Ps 4:7b,8)

Look upon us, O Lord, let the light of your face shine upon us. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. Alleluia!

Prayer after Communion

Strengthened by this Sacrament, may the light of your face, that brings us peace and fills our spirit with joy, shine on us, Lord, so that we may overcome the vanity of this world and come one day to contemplate you in the light of your kingdom, you who are Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State Celebrates Mass and Delivers Homily at the Shrine of the Holy Face

After the visit of Pope Benedict XVI on September 1, 2006 there now comes the visit of his Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on Sunday April 27, 2008. Certainly this is an important event which can only lead to historic and significant actions on the part of the Holy See. Cardinal Bertone's visit is notable for many reasons, not the least because it comes just one week after Pope Benedict's apostolic visit to the United Nations and the United States of America. May the Holy Spirit enlighten minds and hearts to bring the Face of Christ to the sight of each and all the peoples of the world. What follows is my translation of the homily delivered by Cardinal Bertone at the Sanctuary of the Holy Face on Sunday April 27, 2008.

"The liturgy of this 6th Sunday of Easter gives us a foretaste of the feast of Pentecost, towards which we are heading with quickening steps. The readings which we have listened to are an invitation to live in joy because beside us and within us there lives the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth.

'Stupendous are the works of the Lord...Shout joyfully to God, all you on earth' (Ps 66, 1-3). The responsorial psalm causes us to exult because of the works of creation, but at the same time, with St. Augustine we exclaim: 'You are great, Lord, and very worthy of praise (...) You have made us for yourself and our heart will not rest until it rests in you.' Our eyes, through the visible world are brought towards that which is interior and invisible: into the dimension of the spirit in which is reflected the light of the Word which illuminates every person. It is in this light that the Spirit of God works.

The joy of this Sunday is concentrated on the reality of the new merciful presence of God among mankind, that follows upon the departure of Jesus resulting from his death and resurrection. 'I will pray to the Father and he will give you another Consoler so that I might remain with you forever', Jesus had assured his disciples who had been shaken by the sense of becoming orphans at the thought of the loss of their Teacher. No, the apostles will not be orphans. Nor will the generations of ever new followers of Christ be orphans. Jesus is with them constantly. He comes to them constantly in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the most profound truth which the Church is living: the time of the cenacle, of the companionship with Christ which remains forever in the Church. Which remains in us.

It is the Holy Spirit which makes Christ present to all people of all times, so that he is able to be the Savior of all. After the departure of the historic face of Christ, it is through the Spirit that his presence is restored. The veil of marine byssus preserved in this Sanctuary as a most precious relic shows us the features of the Messiah, but on this veil it is the Spirit which makes the Son of Man visible, just as the Son has made the Father visible. (cfr Badde, Paul, La seconda sindone, p. 216)

As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has written 'It is not therefore a problem of the color of the eyes or of the hair, nor a problem of physical features. It is a problem of vision, of our vision: how do we know how to see the face of Jesus? If there is lacking in us the vision of faith, we are like the disciples of Emmaus who did not recognize in the features of that pilgrim the face of the risen Lord (...) If in a person there does not exist an interior openness, which sees more than what is measurable and able to be understood at first glance, which perceives the splendor of the divine within creation, then God remains excluded from the field of vision' (Introduction to the Spirit of the Liturgy)

Along this same line, let us listen again to what the same Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, has pronounced in the homily given during his visit to this Sanctuary: 'To enter into communion with Christ and to contemplate his face, to recognize the face of the Lord in that of one's brothers and sisters and in the activities of every day, it is necessary to have "innocent hands and pure hearts". Innocent hands, that is lives illuminated by the truth of love which conquers indifference, doubt, falsehood and selfishness'.

'Your face is my fatherland!' wrote St. Therese of Lisieux. The much desired fatherland of every person where peace and harmony reigns. Observing the image of the Holy Face of Christ, visible and invisible at the same time; a face which is "disarmed" as someone has said, we are able to find the proper reference point for the expression of our own faces; 'A disarmed face is able to disarm one's neighbor' said the jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas.

There are two other elements which emerge from today's liturgy. The first is reflected in the condition posed by Jesus in order to have the light necessary to see and to enjoy the presence of the Consoler: 'If you love me, keep my commandments. I will pray to the Father...and you will know him.' The second element, indicated by the letter of the holy apostle Peter, is this: 'Adore the Lord, Christ, in your hearts, always ready to respond to whoever asks you the reason for the hope that is in you'.

Right away we see how love is the full accomplishment of the vocation of the person according to the design of God. He who loves God, obtains from God not only love, but also the capacity to love. Humanity has need of this, because only love is believable. The unshakable faith in this love inspires in the disciples of Jesus of every age thoughts of peace, throws open horizons of pardon and of harmony.'Whoever knows that he is loved, loves' said Don Bosco to young people to point them towards being 'good citizens and honest Christians'.

In the second place we see how the disciples of Christ must always be ready to respond to whoever asks the reason for the hope which is in them. (cfr Pt 3:15). Benedict XVI in the encyclical Spe Salvi clarifies that Christians must be able to give a reply regarding the logos - the meaning and the reason - for their hope; and hope is the equivalent of faith (cfr 2). The faith must be transmitted and accepted also in its beauty and intellectual power, in its intimate "reasonableness", as a reply to all the authentic instances of human reason. 'Nevertheless --admonishes Peter --let this be done with sweetness and respect, with an upright conscience...'

How much human wisdom and how much spiritual richness is contained in these two directives! It is necessary that we place ourselves decisively and with enthusiasm along this way, and the help of the Holy Spirit will not be lacking. For this we implore the gift of wisdom and we do this through the intercession of Mary, the Most Holy Mother of Christ. We ask this of her who best reflects the human features of the Son of God made flesh, and who best contemplated His Holy Face on earth and now contemplates it in eternity."

Amen!

Mary and Her Son

From the book Ecco tua Madre (Behold your Mother) by Stefano De Fiores, Citta' Nuova Editrice, Rome, 2007 p. 119 (translation mine) commenting on the Encyclical of Pope John Paul II on the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary Model of Contemplation of the Face of Christ
Unquestionably Mary's relationship to the face of Christ is intimate and unique. Without citing Dante, the pope agrees with him in recognizing in Mary "the face which is most like to that of Christ", Paradiso XXXII, 85) in as much as there exists a communion not only of physical characteristics because of the genetic patrimony communicated to Christ by her alone in as much as she is the virginal mother, but also an there is an affinity both of the spiritual order and also pertaining to the level of holiness given because of their common belonging to the poor ones of Yahweh.

The contemplation of Christ has in Mary its insuperable model. The face of the Son belongs to her by special title. It is in her womb that he was formed, taking from her also a human likeness that evokes a spiritual intimacy certainly even more great.
Pope John Paul II, The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 10

Easter

"But someone may say, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come back?" 1 Corinthians 15:35

"Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?' She thought it was the gardener and said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbouni' which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, 'Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord,' and what he told her."

"Come" says my heart "Seek God's face" - Psalm 27

photos courtesy of Paul Badde

Christ Our Hope

"May God be gracious to us and bless us; may God's face shine upon us"
Psalm 67

"After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them to a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light."
Matthew 17:1-2