THE DEVOTION TO THE HOLY FACE,
as revealed to Sister Maria Pierina
Giuseppina De Micheli was clothed with the habit of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception on the 16th of May, 1916 and took the name of Sister Maria Pierina. A soul burning with the love for Christ, she gave herslf up unconditionally to her Divine Spouse, Who, in turn, made her the object of His particular complacency. From her childhood, she nourished a desire for reparation, which grew with her growth until it ended in a complete immolation of self. It is not surprising then that, at the age of 12, when she was in her Parochial Church (St. Peter in Sala, Milan) on Good Friday, she heard a voice saying quite distinctly: “Nobody gives Me a kiss of love in My Face to make amends for the Kiss of Judas.” In her childlike simplicity, she believed that the voice was heard by all and was pained to see that only the wounds wer kissed, but not the face. In her heart exclaiming, “Have patience, dear Jesus, I will give you a kiss of love”… she imprinted a kiss on the Face with full ardour.
As a novice, she was permitted to do night adoration and, on the night between Holy Thursday and Good Friday, while she was praying before the Crucifix, she heard it say “Kiss Me.” Sister Maria Pierina obeyed and her lips felt not the contact with the image of plaster, but the contact of the true face of Jesus. When her Mother Superior called her, it was morning and her heart was full of the sufferings of Jeus and of the desire to repair the outrages the Holy Face received and is daily receiving in the Most Holy Sacrament.
In 1919, Sister Maria Pierina was sent to the Mother House at Buenos Aires and, on the 12th of April, 1920, when she was complaining to Jesus of one of her sorrows, He appeared to her bathed in blood and with a sorrowfulk and affectionate expression (“which I shall never forget,” she writes) telling her “What have I done?” Sister Maria Pierina understood and from that time, the Holy Face of Jesus became to her a book for mediation and the entrance to His Heart. She returned to Milan in 1921 and Jesus continued to be her object of love. A little later, when she was elected Superior of the house of Milan and provinical for Italy, besides being the mother, she became the apostle of the Holy Face to the Sisters under her care and to all those with whom she came in contact. Mother Pierina knew how to hid everything and the Community is the only witness of certain facts. She asked Jesus the permission to conceal and it was granted her. As years passed, Jesus showed Himself to her often, sad and bleeding, asking her for reparation, thus incresing in her the desire to suffer and to immolate herself for the salvation of souls.
During the night adoration of the First Friday in Lent, in 1936, Jesus, after having made her participate in the mental sorrow of the agony in the Garden of Gethsemani, with His Face covered with blood and profoundly sad, told her: “I wish that my face, which reflects the deep pains of my soul, the sorrow and love of my heart, be better honoured: who contemplates me, consoles me.“
On the Tuesday following Passion Sunday, Jesus returned to her and said, “every time my face is contemplated, I will pour out my love into the heart of those persons and, by means of My Holy Face, the salvation of many souls will be obtained.”
On the First Tuesday of 1937, while she was at prayer, “after having instructed me on the devotion to His Holy Face – she writes – He told me: “Perhaps some souls fear that the devotion to my Holy Face will diminish that to my heart. On the contrary, it will be a completion and augmentation of that devotion. Souls contemplating My Face participate in my sorrow. They feel the necessity of love and reparation. Is not this the true devotion to my heart?“
These manifestations became more and more frequent and, in May, 1938, whilst at prayer on the step of the Altar, a beautiful Lady appeared to her carrying in her hand a Scapular, made of two pieces of flannel joined by a cord. One of these pieces bore the image of the Holy Face of Jesus with the words “Let Thy Face shin upon us, O Lord” and the other a Host surrounded by rays and words “Remain with us, Lord.” Gently, the Lady approached and said: “Listen carefully and report everything to the Father: This Scapular is an armour of defense, a shield of strength, a token of love and mercy, which Jesus wishes to give the world in these times of lust and hatred against God and His Church. Diobolical nets are thrown to wrench the Faith from hearts, evils abound, true apostles are few and the remedy is the Holy Face of Jesus. All, who wear a Scapular like this and make, if possible, every Tuesday, a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, in order to repair outrages, which the face of my son, Jesus, received during His Passion, and receives every day in the Holy Eucharist, will be strengthened in Faith, prompt to defend it and to overcome all difficulties interal and external. Further, they will have a peaceful death under the loving gaze of my Divine Son.“
The request of Our Lady was incresingly pressing – but, Mother Pierina replied that it was not in her power to put it into execution. The same year, Jesus appeared again, covered with blood and with much sadness, said: “See how I suffer. Nevertheless, I am understood by so few. What ingratitude on the part of those who say they love me. I have given my heart as a sensible object of my great love for man and I give My Face as a sensible object of my sorrow for the sins of man, I desire that it be honored by a special feast on Tuesday in Quinquagesima. The feast will be preceded by a novena in which the faithful make reparation with me uniting themselves with my sorrow.“
In 1939, Jesus said again: “I wish that My Holy Face be honored in a particular manner on Tuesdays.“ Mother Pierina felt the desire of Our Blessed Lady, manifested to her, very pressing. She obtained permission from her Spiritual Director. though means were wanting, she set about the task. She obtained the permission of the Photographer Bruner to to take copies of the Holy Shroud, as reproduced by him, and also the permission of the venerable Curia of Milan on the 9th of August, 1940. Financial means were still wanting, but the confidence of the Reverend Mother made up for it. One morning, she saw on a little table an envelope. She opened it to find L. 11,200 (my note…. 11,200 lire, which is about $5,000 U.S.). Our Blessed lady had seen to it.
The devil, maddened at this, fell upon this soul to frighten it and prevent the distribution of the medals. He threw her down in the corridor and down the steps. He tore the images and pictures of the Holy Face, but she bore up everything. She tolerated and sacrificed all in order that thus the Holy Face may be honored. She was worried because she got medals made instead of scapulars. She turned to Our Blessed lady to obtain peace of mind in the matter. On the 17th of April, 1943, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her and said: “My daughter, be calm, the Scapulars have been substituted by the medal with the same promises and favors…. it only remains to be distributed widely. Just now, my heart is set on the feast of the Face of My Divine Son. Tell the Pope that it preoccupies me.“ She blessed her and departed.
At present, the medal is spread with enthusiasm. What wonderful graces are being obtained, dangers averted, cures, conversions, the condemned liberated. How many, O, how many!
On the 26th day of July, 1945, Mother Pierina joined the One Whom she loved. Hers cannot be said to be death, but a transport of love. As she herself wrote in her diary on the 19th of July, 1941: “I feel a deep longing to live always united to Jesus, to love Him intensely because my death can only be a transport of love with my Spouse, Jesus.”
N.B. – The words in running writing here hve been faithfully copied from Mother Pierina’s own writings.
INVOCATION
My heart has said of you, “Seek His Face.” Yahweh, I do seek Your Face; do not hide Your Face from me.” (Psalm 26, 8-9)
O Holy Face of my Sweet Jesus, by that tenderness of love and unspeakable grief with which the Blessed Virgin Mary beheld Thee in Thy painful Passion, grant that our souls may share in that great love and great sorrow, and fulfill more perfectly the Holy Will of God. Amen.
