The liturgical distance between Christmas Day and the glory of the appearance of the Risen Christ on Easter are as short as a flash of lightening! The readings move swiftly from darkest night of the year, into which the light of the Face of the Infant Jesus first appears on Christmas Day, to the readings about the martyrdom of St. Stephen; his forgiveness of his murderers, and the Feast of St. John (Jn 20:1, 2 & 8) where we hear about St. John racing ahead of Peter to the tomb, where they find “the cloth that covered HIs Head;” the sight of which caused St. John “to see and believe.” Through the power of the Resurrection, God moves hearts swiftly from the darkness of sin, death, sorrow, and unbelief — to the radiant light of grace — new life, faith, joy and peace shining on the Face of the Risen Christ.
Pope Leo calls the peace of the risen Christ “the most silent revolution:” “The Good Shepherd, who gives his life for the flock and has other sheep not of this fold (John 10:11,16) is Christ, our peace,” he writes, “who has conquered death and broken down the walls of division that separate humanity (cf. Eph 2:14). His presence, his gift and his victory continue to shine through the perseverance of many witnesses through whom God’s work carries on in the world, becoming even more visible and radiant in the darkness of our time.” Peace is revolutionary, and takes tremendous courage and trust for a Christian to live as they truly believed — as did the martyrs of the past and the present — through trust in the power of the Risen Christ!
Pope Leo writes that the “contrast between darkness and light” is also “an experience that unsettles us and affects us amid trials we face in our historical circumstances. In order to overcome the darkness, it is necessary to see the light and believe in it.” We need to “see and believe” as St. John did when he saw the face of Risen Christ on the cloth; this is why I believe the Face of the Risen Christ on the Veil of Manoppello is a tangible sign for our time — a great gift to us from God! The world needs to turn to His Face once again if it desire to have peace.
We can begin by following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary in contemplation of the Face of Jesus:
“The Virgin Mary is she who more than any other contemplated God in the human Face of Jesus. She saw Him as a newborn when, wrapped in swaddling clothes, He was placed in a manger; she saw Him when, just after His death, they took Him down from the Cross, wrapped Him in linen and placed Him in the sepulcher. Inside her was impressed the image of her martyred Son; but this image was then transfigured in the light of the Resurrection. Thus, in Mary’s heart, was carried the mystery of the Face of Christ, a mystery of death and glory. From her we can always learn how to look upon Jesus, with a gaze of love and faith, to recognize in that human countenance, the Face of God.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI
Peace is possible! When “we forget the light,” Pope Leo writes, “we lose our sense of realism and surrender to a partial distorted view of the world, disfigured by darkness and fear. ” Pope Leo recalled how St. Augustine urged Christians “to forge an unbreakable bond with peace, so that by cherishing it deeply in their hearts, they would be able to radiate its luminous warmth around them.” St. Augustine wrote: “If you wish to draw others to peace, first have it yourselves; be steadfast in peace yourselves. To inflame others, you must have the flame burning within.” Pope Leo reminds us that “Peace is more than just a goal; it is a presence and a journey.”
So, as we begin the New Year, I wish to all, and pray for “God’s greatest gift” of Peace. “Peace, wrote Pope Benedict XVI, for the World Day of Peace, 2013, “is God’s most sublime gift in which He turns towards us the splendor of His Face.”
“May the Lord bless and keep you; may He make His Face shine upon you and be merciful to you; may He turn His countenance toward you and grant you His peace.” (Numbers 6:24)
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of knowledge of God’s glory shining on the face of Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6)
Adoration of the Magi, Fra. Angelico & Fra. Lippi
“May the Lord, grant, in the New millennium, the Church will grow ever more in holiness, that she may become in history a true epiphany of the merciful and glorious face of Christ the Lord.” ~Pope St. John Paul II
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Benedict XVI has characterized devotion to The Holy Face as having three separate components: 1. Discipleship – an encounter with Jesus, to see Jesus in the Face of those in need. 2. The Passion of Jesus, and suffering expressed by images of the wounded Face of Jesus. 3. The Eucharist, “the great school in which we learn to see The Face of God”, which is woven between the other two. The eschatological element then builds on awakening to Christ by contemplating His Face hidden in The Eucharist.
“Our whole life should be directed toward encountering Him,” writes Benedict, “toward loving Him; and in it, a central place must be given to love of one’s neighbor, that love that in the light of The Crucified One, enables us to recognize the Face of Jesus in the poor, the weak, the suffering.” The pope goes on to explain the fruits of this contemplation: “From contemplation of the Face of God are born, joy, security, Peace.”
“Visible before to God alone and not to the world, God made the Word visible so that the world could be saved by seeing Him. This mind that entered our world was made known as the Son of God.”
~St. Hippolytus
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.
But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-5, 9-14)
Kreuz als Krippe (Cross as a Crib), Oil on canvas, Unknown artist, 18th century (Photos: Paul Badde)
“While we too seek other signs, other wonders, we do not realize that He is the real sign, God made flesh; He is the greatest miracle of the universe: all the love of God hidden in a human heart, in a human Face.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI
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O that birth forever blessèd,
When the virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bore the Savior of our race;
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred face,
evermore and evermore!
Merry Christmas! May His Face shine upon you and your loved ones, today and always!
During Advent the Church celebrates the longing to see God’s Face, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, with a Triduum (three days of prayer beginning on December 15) and a Feast (on December 18th)–It is called The Feast of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Longing to See His Face. The prayer may also be continued until Christmas.
Virgin in Prayer Artist: Sassoferrato 1640-50
Every expectant mother shares something with the Blessed Virgin Mary — the longing to see the face of her child. The mother cannot yet kiss or caress her baby, she cannot hear the sound of a cry, or smell that baby-sweetness, so she waits in loving attentiveness for the stirring of the babe beneath her heart, that fills her with joy and knowledge of the baby’s presence within.
During the 3rd week of Advent, on December 18th, in some places in the world the Church celebrates a beautifully contemplative feast which is called the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast has it’s origin in the year 656 in Spain and spread throughout the Middle Ages. Because the ancient law of the Church prohibited the celebration of feasts during Lent, the Church transferred the Feast of the Annunciation from March 25th to the season of Advent. The Tenth Council of Toledo assigned the feast to the 18th of December. It was kept as a solemn octave, eight days leading to Christmas. When the ancient laws regarding fasts were changed, the Annunciation was celebrated twice, on March 25th and December 18th.
The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On the days leading up to Christmas we are invited to contemplate, together with Mary, the Divine Child within her womb, who is Our Savior. We too, through sanctifying grace, bear the supernatural image of God within us. Like Mary, we desire to become a peaceful sanctuary for the living God. We are called to be attentive, in prayer, to the faint stirrings of His presence in our hearts, which will fill us with a deep longing to see His Face as we pray:
Prayer for the Triduum and Feast of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Longing to See His Face
“Mary, your life with Jesus was one of the purest, most fervent, most perfect emotions of longing and most eager expectation of the Birth of the Divine Child! How great must have been that longing! You were longing to see the Face of God and to be happy in the vision. You were soon really to see the Face of God, the created image of divine perfection, the sight of which rejoices heaven and earth, from which all being derive life and joy; the Face whose features enraptured God from all eternity, the Face for which all ages expectantly yearned. You were to see this Face unveiled, in all the beauty and grace as the face of your own child.
Most just indeed it is, O Holy Mother of God, that we should unite in that ardent desire which you had to see Him, who had been concealed for nine months in your chaste womb; to know the features of this Son of the heavenly Father, who is also your own; to come to that blissful hour of His birth, which will give glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of good will. Yes, dear Mother, the time is fast approaching, though not fast enough to satisfy your desires and ours. Make us re-double our attention to the great mystery; complete our preparation by your powerful prayers for us, so that when the solemn hour has come, our Jesus may find no obstacle to His entrance into our hearts. Amen.” (Prayer by Rev. Lawrence Lovasik, S.V.D.)
“Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth; and blessed be the LORD God, the creator of heaven and earth.” (Judith 13:18)
Miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Shroud of Turin, and “Il Volto Santo,” the veil of Manoppello all have something in common. They are all Acheiropoieta, a Greek word meaning: “made without hand.” They are said to have come into existence miraculously, not created by a human painter.
The relic Veil of the Holy Face of Manoppello, faintly seen in the light, through both sides.
Extensive research that has been done on these three images, and the results are astounding. Although I have not been to Mexico to view the miraculous tilma of Our Lady, I have seen both the Holy Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello in person, and have been deeply affected by them both. Studying them has been my own personal passion over the years.
Holy Face Veil of Manoppello, Italy (Photo: Paul Badde/EWTN)
Being an artist, (and near-sighted) I tend to look at things more closely. I love this photo above sent to me many years ago by the late author Paul Badde–The detail is incredible! Zoom in and you will see each fiber of the Veil of Manoppello; examine closely His eyes, nose, lips, teeth, and hair. One never tires of looking! To paint a human face an artist studies each little detail, shape, line, form, color, and value, and may spend hundreds of hours studying as they work. One can’t help but know every little nuance by the time one has finished painting. Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schloemer, a Trappist nun from Germany, is also an artist, a painter of icons. Icon painting is very exact when it is done in the traditional manner. Sr. Schloemer began to notice striking similarities between ancient icons and images of the Face of Christ, and the images on the Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello. With the permission of her order the research has become her life’s work as well as part of her vocation.
Pope Benedict meets Sr. Blandina at the Sanctuary Basilica for the Holy Face of Manoppello
The Holy Face on the Shroud of Turin
Sr, Blandina’s research indicates that both images on the Shroud of Turin and the Manoppello Image are of the same man. I agree with her, wholeheartedly, although it is not at first glance apparent. There are also many similarities between these two images of Jesus’ Face and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. First, all are on a cloth. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is on cactus fiber, which should have disintegrated hundreds of years ago according to scientists. The Shroud of Turin is on linen and the Manoppello Image is on woven sea-silk, called byssus.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pilgrim image beside the Veronica Altar, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Photo: Paul Badde, author of The Face of God: The Rediscovery of the True Face of Jesus, Ignatius Press.
Byssus is more rare and more precious than gold. Mentioned in the Bible, byssus, has a shimmering, iridescent quality which reflects light. Byssus is extremely delicate, yet strong at the same time. It resists water, weak acids, bases, ethers or alcohols. It can’t be painted, as it does not retain pigments, it can only be dyed; and then, only purple. Did I mention that it can last for more than 2000 years?
The veil of Manoppello, woven with byssus, is so sheer that you can read through it. Photo: Paul Badde
Another similarity between the Guadalupe image and the Manoppello image is the changeability of the images. Pilgrims have related how the image of Our Lady on the tilma appears to change in color, brightness and depth. Scientists can’t explain how the Guadalupe image appears on the tilma, it is not painted… it is “just there.” The Shroud of Turin has been described similarly. The veil of Manoppello, or “Il Volto Santo” as it is also known, is even more incredible, if that can be possible, because in addition to the image being on a veil so sheer that it can be read through; it also changes in detail, color, and shape. It even disappears… entirely. It is called a “living image” and so it is. No two people will see it in the same way. No single person will see it in the same way twice.
“Il Volto Santo of Manoppello”
Julian of Norwich, the English mystic of the 14th century, mentions changeability as a characteristic of the Veil of Veronica in Rome, “the diverse changing of color and countenance, sometime more comfortably life-like, sometime more rueful and death-like.” The Veil of Veronica, it is now believed, was most likely stolen a hundred years later, during the sack of Rome. But, Julian of Norwichs’ description of the Veil of Veronica certainly fits “Il Volto Santo” of Manoppello.
But, there is more. There is something about the faces… if you study the faces in particular, especially the eyes, as one opthamalogist did. On the eyes of Our Lady of Guadalupe, you will notice that something. Similar research has been done on the eyes of “Il Volto Santo.” There are delicate, natural, details in all three images that cannot be accomplished without the aid of paint or brush, on a rough, cactus cloth, or on a linen burial shroud or on gossamer-thin sea-silk. If you have an opportunity, look closely. Yes, there is something about the faces, and it is something supernatural. They are not made by human hands, but by the Hand of God.
“O Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe,
By your presence you made the desert bloom with flowers
may your love transform us into the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
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Roses in Winter
“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet,and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child…” (Rev. 12)
This story of Your Lady of Guadalupe begins in a very dark place. It was time of sin, suffering, and death, when the Aztecs sacrificed human beings to an idol that required human blood. In other words, a time not so different from our own, when millions of unborn children are sacrificed on the altar of “choice” to the idol of death. It was in this dark period of history, in the sixteenth century, that the Blessed Virgin Mary intervened for humanity. She was sent by God to defeat the culture of death at that time in Mexico. Like the “Woman” in Revelation, “clothed in the sun, with moon at her feet,” on December 9, 1531, she appeared to a poor man of no importance or influence, one of Mary’s “little ones,” Juan Diego. The beautiful young woman, whose clothing indicated that she was pregnant, called him by name as a mother would, “Juanito” – “little Juan.” She spoke to Juan:
Virgin Mother Our Lady of Guadalupe “God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.” (Rev. 11:19)
“I want you to know for certain, my dear son, that I am the perfect and always Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God from Whom all life comes, the Lord of all things, Creator of heaven and earth.”
The Blessed Mother then requested that Juan Diego go to his bishop and ask that a church be built in her honor, in which she would show —
“…all my love, compassion and protection. I am your Mother full of mercy and love for you and all those who love me, trust in me, and have recourse to me. I will hear their complaints, and I will comfort their affliction, and their sufferings.”
However, when Juan repeated her words to Bishop Zumarraga, the bishop, fearing an illusion, was skeptical, and sent Juan away. But in his heart Bishop Zumarraga prayed, asking God for a sign of Castillian Roses, which only grew in the bishop’s native country of Spain.
She appeared again to Juan Diego and finally, early in the morning of December 12th, the Blessed Mother asked him to return to the bishop. She instructing him first to go to the top of Tepeyac Hill “and pick the flowers that you find there and bring them to me.” Although, it was too cold and dry for flowers to grow, Juan obediently climbed the hill and discovered beautiful, sweet-smelling roses growing there, which he gathered up into his tilma – a sort of working cloak made of cactus fiber. Our Lady then, with her own hands, carefully arranged the roses in his tilma. She told Juan to give them to the bishop as a sign that he should build the church.
After running all the way to the bishop’s residence, Juan was made to wait for hours by some servants, who, curious about what he held so closely in his tilma, tried to force Juan to show them. Finally, they informed the bishop that Juan was waiting, and Juan rushed to the bishop, who was meeting with other people in the room, and he unfolded his cloak. The roses, still covered with dew, tumbled to the floor, revealing on the tilma the beautiful image of the Blessed Mother. The bishop and the others fell to their knees.
The Indians, upon seeing the miraculous image, recognized the rich symbolism contained within it as coming from heaven. Thus, they converted by the millions, and their religion of human sacrifice was ended.
The tilma miraculously exists to this day, though the cactus fiber should have disintegrated after forty years. In the past century, even when a load of dynamite was exploded just below it the blast severely damaged everything around it, but did not touch the image. There is no paint or pigment on the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is an “Acheiropoieta,” a Greek word meaning: “made without human hands.” Like other acheiropoieta, such as the Shroud of Turin, and the Veil of Manoppello, there is no scientific explanation for the image’s existence, except, that it was made by the hand of God, “the true God, from Whom all life comes, the Lord of all things, Creator of Heaven and earth.” Images such as these are ongoing miracles – tangible signs of God’s mercy and love. Let us ask Him then, through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to redeem this generation, mired in the deep darkness of sin, death, and idolatry, to bring Light and roses of life into the cold darkness — to save the lives of the unborn, and convert souls by turning them, once again, away from idols and back to the Face of her Son and her God; who suffered, died and rose from the dead.
Relic veil of the Holy Face of Manoppelllo (Photo: Patricia Enk)
These three miraculous images created by God have something else in common–They draw us by love, and not by fear to God. He condescends towards mankind to draw us to himself, inviting us to look more closely at the pure and lovely face of His own mother, and his own Holy Face; to contemplate his great humility, goodness, mercy and love.
From a sermon by Saint Peter Chrysologus — Love desires to see God:
“When God saw the world falling to ruin because of fear, he immediately acted to call it to himself by his love. He invited it by his grace, preserved it by his love, and embraced it with compassion. When the earth had become hardened in evil, God sent the flood both to punish and to release it. He called Noah to be the father of a new era, urged him with kind words, and showed that he trusted him; he gave him fatherly instruction about the present calamity, and through his grace, consoled him with hope for the future.
But God did not merely issue commands; rather with Noah sharing the work, he filled the art with the future seed of the whole world. The sense of loving fellowship thus engendered removed servile fear, and a mutual love could continue to preserve what shared labor had effected.
God called Abraham out of the heathen world, symbolically lengthened his name, and made him the father of all believers. God walked with him on his journeys, and protected him in foreign lands, enriched him with earthly possessions, and honored him with victories. He made a covenant with him, saved him from harm, accepted his hospitality, and astonished him by giving him the offspring he had despaired of. Favored with so many graces and drawn by such great sweetness of divine love, Abraham was to learn to loved God rather than fear him, and love rather than fear was to inspire his worship.
God comforted Jacob by a dream during his flight, roused him to combat upon his return, and encircled him with a wrestler’s embrace to teach him not to be afraid of the author of the conflict, but to love him. God called Moses as a father would, and with fatherly affection invited him to become the liberator of his people. In all these events we have recalled, the flame of divine love enkindled human hearts and its intoxication overflowed into men’s senses.
Wounded by love, they longed to look upon God with their bodily eyes. Yet how could our narrow human vision apprehend God, whom the whole world cannot contain? But the law of love is not concerned with what will be, what ought to be, what can be. Love does not reflect; it is unreasonable and knows no moderation. Love refuses to consoled when its goal proves impossible, despises al hindrances to the attainment of its object.
Love destroys the lover if he cannot obtain what he loves; love follows its own prompting, and does not think of right or wrong. Love inflames desire which impels it toward things that are forbidden. But why continue?
It’s intolerable for love not to see the object of its longing. That is why whatever reward they merited was nothing to the saints if they could not see the Lord. A love that desires to see God may not have reasonableness on its side, but it is the evidence of filial love. It gave Moses the temerity to say: If I have found favor in your eyes, show me your face. It inspired the psalmist to make the same prayer:
Show me your face.
Even the pagans made their images for this purpose: they wanted actually to see what they mistakingly revered.”
“Thou art all fair, my love, there is no spot in thee.” (Song of Solomon 4:7)
“From the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator,” “for the author of beauty created them.” (Wisdom 13: 3, 5)
The spiritual beauty of God is reflected most perfectly in the woman He created to be His Mother. No stain of sin would mar the beauty of His reflection in her soul. Never for one instant would she be under the power of the devil. “The Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception) Mary herself proclaims, “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:47)
As the Immaculate Conception, Mary bears in herself the most perfect reflection of the face of God. Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “The Blessed Virgin saw shining upon her, as no other creature, the face of the Father, rich in grace and mercy.” What in Heaven and on earth could be more beautiful than the Mother of God? It is God who has willed that Mary be beautiful, not only fair in face, but in the fullness of grace. Yet, beauty has a purpose, and that is to draw us by the beauty of the graces God has given her towards the Beatific Vision–the Face of God. Mary has no greater desire than that we turn towards the Face of her Son, as she does, with eyes of love.
Strangely, there are some who see the Blessed Mother not as a gift from God who leads us to her Son, but as an obstacle. We increasingly see acts of vandalism to statues and images of the Blessed Virgin Mary–the demons fear her beauty! They want to separate the Mother from the Son, even resorting to violence of smashing statues and slashing paintings of her, mistakenly thinking that somehow this could be pleasing to God, but it is only pleasing to the devil. It is blasphemy. When we separate ourselves from Mary, we separate ourselves from Christ. In The Everlasting Man G.K. Chesterton tells a story from his childhood, many years before he became a Catholic, which left a deep impression on his soul:
“When I was a boy a more Puritan generation objected to a statue upon my parish church representing the Virgin and Child. After much controversy, they compromised by taking away the Child. One would think that this was even more corrupted with Mariolatry, unless the mother was counted less dangerous when deprived of a sort of weapon. But the practical difficulty is also a parable. You cannot chip away the statue of a mother from all round that of a newborn child. You cannot suspend the new-born child in mid-air; indeed you cannot really have a statue of a newborn child at all. Similarly, you cannot suspend the idea of a newborn child in the void or think of him without thinking of his mother. You cannot visit the child without visiting the mother, you cannot in common human life approach the child except through the mother. If we are to think of Christ in this aspect at all, the other idea follows I as it is followed in history. We must either leave Christ out of Christmas, or Christmas out of Christ, or we must admit, if only as we admit it in an old picture, that those holy heads are too near together for the haloes not to mingle and cross.”
Jesus alone is “the Way” that leads to the Father, but Mary is the most beautiful image and likeness of Christ, which will lead us to Him. Dostoevsky once said that “Beauty will save the world!” Mary has a spiritual beauty to share with the world that attracts and expresses what is beyond words, in the depths of her heart, the love of a mother for her Savior and Son.
“Our Lady, in whose face – more than any other creature – we can recognize the features of the Incarnate Word.” –Pope Benedict XVI Madonna and Child from the Robert Lehman Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art
A Little Litany by G.K.Chesterton
When God turned back eternity and was young, Ancient of Days, grown little for your mirth (As under the low arch the land is bright) Peered through you, gate of heaven – and saw the earth.
Or shutting out his shining skies awhile Built you about him for a house of gold To see in pictured walls his storied world Return upon him as a tale is told.
Or found his mirror there; the only glass That would not break with that unbearable light Till in a corner of the high dark house God looked on God, as ghosts meet in the night.
Star of his morning; that unfallen star In the strange starry overturn of space When earth and sky changed places for an hour And heaven looked upwards in a human face.
Or young on your strong knees and lifted up Wisdom cried out, whose voice is in the street, And more than twilight of twiformed cherubim Made of his throne indeed a mercy-seat.
Or risen from play at your pale raiment’s hem God, grown adventurous from all time’s repose, Of your tall body climbed the ivory tower And kissed upon your mouth the mystic rose.
Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe “I am your merciful Mother.”
“Look Closely – Our Lady of Guadalupe – Not Made by Human Hands” click here.
Basilica of Il Volto Santo in Manoppello, Italy. (Photo:Paul Badde/EWTN)
St. Anselm wrote about the desire of every human soul created in the image and likeness of God; the desire to see God’s Face, especially in the midst of hectic days leading up to Christmas. It is a beautiful reflection for Advent, reminding us to pause often to seek God’s Face.
From the “Prosologian” — the words of St. Anselm, Bishop:
“Insignificant man, escape from your everyday business for a short while, hide for a moment from your restless thoughts. Break off from your cares and troubles and be less concerned about your tasks and labors. Make a little time for God and rest a while in him.
Enter into your mind’s inner chamber. Shut out everything but God and whatever helps you to seek him; and when you have shut the door, look for him. Speak now to God and say with your whole heart: I seek your face; your face, Lord, I desire.
Lord, my God, teach my heart where and how to seek you, where and how to find you. Lord, if you are not here where shall I look for you in your absence? Yet if you are everywhere, why do I not see you when you are present? But surely you dwell in ‘light inaccessible.’ And where is ‘light inaccessible? How shall I approach light inaccessible? Or who will lead me and bring me into it that I may see you there? And then, by what forms shall I seek you? I have never seen you, Lord my God; I do not know your face.
Lord most high, what shall this exile do, so far from you? What shall your servant do, tormented by love of you and cast so far from your face? He yearns to see you, and your face is too far from him. He desires to approach you, and your dwelling is unapproachable. He longs to find you, and does not know your dwelling place. He strives to look for you, and does not know your face.
Lord, you are my God and you are my Lord, and I have never seen you. You have made me, and remade me, and you have given me all the good things I possess and still I do not know you. I was made in order to see you, and I have not yet done that for which I was made.
Lord, how long will it be? How long, Lord, will you forget us? How long will you turn your face away from us? When will you look upon us and hear us? When will you enlighten our eyes and show us your face? When will you give yourself back to us?
Look upon us, Lord, hear us and enlighten us, show us your very self. Restore yourself to us that it may go well with us whose life is so evil without you. Take pity on our efforts and our striving toward you, for we have no strength apart from you.
Teach me to seek you, and when I seek you show yourself to me, for I cannot seek you unless you teach me, nor can I find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in desiring you and desire you in seeking you, find you in loving you and love you in finding you.”
“Make a little time for God.” Blessed Sacrament Chapel in the Loreto Shrine. (Photo: Patricia Enk)
Fr. Daren Zehnle, a 47-year old Roman Catholic priest from the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, passed away on November 27th after suffering a stroke. He was born on March 26, 1978, in Quincy, Illinois. His short life was marked by profound loss–he was a twin, but had lost his brother Matthew shortly after birth. By the age of ten he had already lost both his parents; his father, Bill, at eight, and his mother, Pat, at the age of ten to brain cancer. Fr. Zehnle found solace in his faith, “It might seem strange to say that my parents’ death led me to God, but they did, I realized somehow that I needed to draw close to — and stay close –to God. I felt safe, at peace, and comforted when I prayed.” Fr. Daren was ordained a priest on May 28, 2005, by Bishop George J. Lucas.
Relic Veil of the Holy Face in Manoppello, Italy (Photo: Patricia Enk)
Fr. Daren Zehnle at the altar. (sent by Antonio Bini)
Fr. Zehnle had a deep love and devotion to the Holy Face of Manoppello in Italy, which he wrote about often on his “Servant and Steward” blog. (link is to a conference talk, in which he gave a beautiful reflection, on the Face of Mercy–the Holy Face of Manoppello.) It was through a shared devotion of the Holy Face that I was fortunate enough to get to know him while he was pursuing a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He went on to hold various positions, including Parochial Vicar at St. Anthony of Padua Parish. Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, and director of campus ministry at Quincy University. Fr. Daren also had a very special devotion to Venerable Augustus Tolton, and St. Damien of Molokai. He was known as an extraordinary priest, and a faithful and good shepherd, and will be very missed by all who knew him. In an interview with “Catholic Times” last year, when asked what he would say to his loved ones when he meets them in heaven, he replied with moving simplicity: “I expect they will say to me what I will probably say to them, “I’ve missed you.”
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Through the mercy of God, may he Rest In Peace. Amen.
Fr. Zehnle sent Antonio Bini this photo as well. Antonio had met Fr. Zehnle many times when he visited The Basilica Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello–he remembers him as “Always smiling, positive, and deeply devoted to the Holy Face, which he enthroned on April 9, 2023, Easter Sunday, in St. Augustine Church in Ashland, Illinois, where he was a parish priest.
Jesus Christ is our God and King, and yet… He is also very much hidden and unknown, except through the eyes of Faith. He is a King who chooses to come to us in the most humble form of bread and wine in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
We are surrounded on every side by invisible, supernatural realities which require the gift of Faith. But God comes to our aid in our weakness, even in our own time, there have been Eucharistic Miracles; the extraordinary manifestations of the invisible reality of Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity being truly present in the Eucharist.
Vilakannur Miracle. Priest holds carefully in his hands the Holy Eucharist on which the Face of Christ Miraculously appeared during Mass.
It was Pope St. John Paul II who first coined the phrase “Eucharistic Face of Christ.” These words from the fourth Psalm were the inspiration for him to place the millennium under “the radiant sign of the Face of Christ:”
“Many are saying ‘Who will show us anything good?’ Lift up the light of Your Face upon us, LORD!” (Ps. 4:6)
St. Pope John Paul II “In the Eucharist, the Face of Christ is turned towards us.”
Dr. Brant Pitre, writes in his book “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, that the Eucharist was prefigured by the manna that God gave to Moses: “When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it? For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “it is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.” (Exodus 16:15) The Eucharist was also prefigured by the mysterious “Bread of the Presence” also known as the “Bread of the Face of God” mentioned in Exodus. On special feasts, the Bread of the Presence would be brought out for pilgrims to see, and the priests would declare, “Behold God’s love for you!”
St. Pio at the moment of Consecration, when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Paten viewed through the Veil of the Holy Face of Manoppello. (Photo: Paul Badde)
Jesus said to them, Amen, Amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from Heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world… I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6: 32-35) “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)
We should use whatever means at our disposal to share this good news to draw souls to Christ Our King.
Therefore, I would like to share a beautiful and powerful short film, “The Real Presence: The Mass” to awaken hearts to the truth of the Eucharist and reveal what is really happening at every Catholic Mass. This 28-minute video reveals the unseen spiritual reality behind the Catholic Mass– through scenes from an actual Mass, and the use of artistically augmented reality–the “unseen spiritual reality” such as the participation of the angels and saints, and the mystical beauty of the liturgy is portrayed in the film — including the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Our King, Who heals, forgives and transforms us into His own Image — Our King, Who is truly present in the Eucharist.
The film also features commentary from Nationally recognized Catholic theologians and speakers such as: Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Dr. Scott Hahn, Sr. Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life, Curtis A. Martin, Sr. Briege McKenna, His Eminence Christophe Cardinal Pierre, Bishop Erik T. Pohlmeier, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Fr. Robert Spitzer, and Bishop David L. Toups.
Please share this excellent film with others!
(To read more about Eucharistic miracles: “Behold God’s Love for You” (St. Carlo Acutis’s passion to share miracles of the Eucharist through a website.) And “A Relic of Divinity”. (The recently approved Eucharistic Miracle in Kerala, India; the Face of Jesus Christ appearing on a Host during the Consecration of the Mass.)
Photo: by Paul Badde, of the Basilica Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello, Italy.
Paul Badde, beloved friend of so many around the world, passed away last night in his home. He died just a short distance from his beloved Holy Face held in the Basilica Shrine of Il Volto Santo, in Manoppello, Italy. Paul passionately believed in, studied, and sacrificed to spread the word of the “re-discovery” of the miraculous Veil of the Holy Face. May he rest in peace, and may God reward Paul for all he has done for love of Christ Jesus and His Blessed Mother.
The Holy Face of Manoppello and Paul Badde(CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Please pray for the repose of his soul and for the consolation of his wife, Ellen and their family.
May Paul, our brother in Christ, gaze on God’s Face for all eternity! Holy Face of Manoppello, (Photo: Paul Badde/EWTN)
Pope Benedict XVI meets Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schlomer on his visit to the Sanctuary of the Holy Face in Manoppello, as Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer, and a very happy Paul Badde look on.
A statement from the Basilica Volto Santo di Manoppello:
” Paul Badde has returned to the Father’s House.
Born in Germany, near Aachen, in 1948, a former teacher of political history, Badde worked as a journalist at the prestigious German newspaper “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” and from 2000 to 2013 was the Jerusalem and Rome correspondent for “Die Welt,”
Since discovering the existence of the Holy Face, Paul has never had any doubts that it was the authentic image of the human and divine Face of Christ, and as a scholar, he has authored numerous pioneering volumes of historic and theological studies on the important relic preserved in the Abruzzo town. Among others, we recall “The Second Shroud”[his first book about the Sudarium] in 2006, which, translated into several languages, was a veritable springboard for knowledge of the Holy Face throughout the world and consequently for the spread of devotion to it; as well as the Manoppello treasure of 2017 and the important booklet, “Jesus in His Burial Cloths.”
Paul Badde, along with his wife Ellen, his great supporter and ever-present companion in his travels and research, had spent many years in Manoppello, right near the Basilica of the Holy Face, thus becoming not only part of the community but a true point of reference for all.
The Capuchin Friars of the Sanctuary and all the faithful, grateful for his kind and discreet presence, will always remember Paul with great affection and gratitude and extend their deepest sympathies to his wife Ellen and his entire family.
Dear Paul, after having venerated Him so much on this earth, you are now finally contemplating the Face of God in Heaven. Lord, we pray with all our hearts that the light of Your endless glory may shine upon Paul eternally and console the family in this moment of grief following the earthly separation from their beloved relative.”
–Seraphic Province of the Immaculate Conception OFM Cap., Municipality of Manoppello.
Pope Benedict XVI with Paul Badde on the occasion of the Pope’s pilgrimage to see The Holy Veil in 2006.
Paul Badde contemplating the Holy Veil of Manoppello Photo: Alan Holdren
What an honor it has been to know Paul Badde; God bless his memory!
Msgr. Walter Amaducci presents a copy of his book on the Holy Face of Manoppello to Pope Leo XIV
English edition of Msgr. Amaducci’s book “The Holy Face.”
First, some good news: This October, Msgr. Walter Amaducci, Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Care in the Diocese of Cesena in Emilia-Romagne, was received in a private audience by Pope Leo XIV. During their cordial meeting, Msgr. Amaducci presented the Pope with a copy of his book on the Holy Face of Manoppello. Msgr. Amaducci, who was once a skeptic of the relic veil known as “Il Volto Santo,” has now become its ardent defender, recognizing in the remarkable history, its importance for this millennium–dedicated to the Face of Christ by Pope St. John Paul II.
During his meeting with Pope Leo XIV, the gracious Msgr. Amaducci also advised the Holy Father to seek further information about the relic from Cardinal Louis Antonio Tagle, who has been personally involved in spreading the good news of the Holy Veil of Manoppello for many years.
Padre Carmine Cucinelli, the former Rector of Basilica Sanctuary of the Holy Face and Cardinal Tagle (2017)
On his first visit to see the Holy Face of Manoppello, on May 20, 2017, Cardinal Tagle, shared his experience: (Translation from the original Italian interview, which may be seen here.) — “I saw the Holy Face under the changing of the light, not only a Face of tenderness, but of welcoming. I saw a Face smiling at me, almost saying, “Welcome Luis Antonio!” It is a Face that speaks, it is alive, yes, it is the message, the Word is the Face. It is also a Face turned towards me, but I did not feel fear; fear in front of a judge, or of a face which condemns. A Face of Truth, and the Truth is love; love wins out over fear. I thought this afternoon perhaps this is the Last Judgement–it is not a judgement full of fear and dread, but in front of pure love–I do not want to hide myself. There is no reason to hide myself, but, there is only the reason to open my heart in front of a Face open to love, open to welcoming, open to pardoning my mistakes. It is an experience of liberation, and religious experience for me.”
Cardinal Tagle elevating the Body of Christ at the Basilica Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello, Italy (Photo: Paul Badde/EWTN)
At the closing of Cardinal Tagle’s homily the next day, May 21, 2017, he said: “We see the Face of Jesus because He reveals His Face to us, the Face of the loving God. His is the Face of God turned towards us and not centered on Himself. His is the Face of the One who fulfilled the commandment of love. As we see and hear His Face may our faces be transformed into His Holy Face. Through the testimony of our faces, may the suffering people of the world know that Jesus sees them, listens to them, cares for them and loves them.”
A Blessed Encounter with the Holy Face of Jesus
(Photo: Patricia Enk)
Cardinal Tagle has also said, “What we have seen and heard we must share with others.”
Mountain “The Catholic Traveler” Butorac stands next to the Relic Veil of the Holy Face in the Basilica Shrine of Il Volto Santo in Manoppello, Italy. (Photo: Patricia Enk)
And so, I would like to share with tremendous gratitude in my heart, that I have just returned from a Jubilee Year of Hope pilgrimage, which brought me back to Rome, Assisi, Loreto and especially to Manoppello after far too many years–thanks to Mountain Butorac, a.k.a. “The Catholic Traveler.”
Earlier this year Mountain had led my husband and I on an exceptional pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and so now we have a great deal of confidence in the gifts and talents that God has given him to make even the most daunting pilgrimage journey happen–with as few bumps along the way as possible–and many joyful and holy surprises as well.
And speaking of joy and holy surprises… we saw the Pope!
Pope Leo XIV recognizing some very happy & shouting pilgrims from the “Windy City.” (Photo: Patricia Enk)
My last visit to the Basilica Shrine of “Il Volto Santo” was in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, in 2016–which we had traveled to on our own over nine years ago: (Pilgrimage — A Journey Toward the Face of God, Part 1 – Manoppello.) Much had happened in the following nine years which prevented our return; some good and some bad; including the loss of my eyesight for over a year, and after several surgeries–a gradual recovery–thanks be to God!
Sr. Petra-Maria, Cynthia Krystyna Simla reverencing the Holy Face relic. (Photo: Patricia Enk, 2016)
For this pilgrimage journey, our small group of fellow pilgrims were a continual source of unexpected blessing, help, and inspirations at each step along the way. Mountain shouldered the stress whenever “the best laid plans of mice and men” went a little astray, but with the end result always turning out even better than originally planned: such as the day that the Sistine Chapel was going to be closed to the public when we had been scheduled to visit. The reason was the historic meeting of King Charles with Pope Leo XIV. The King the the Pope would be praying together for the first time in 500 hundred years, under the backdrop of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgement.” Only a few hours before that grand event, after strolling peacefully alone through the Vatican Museum, we were surprised when our group had been allowed to enter the Sistine Chapel with no one else present–except some very diligent cleaning ladies preparing for the Pope and King, and a handful of very Vatican official-looking men in suits. (No photos in the Sistine Chapel, of course.)
Biographer of Carlo Acutis, and custodian of his relics, Mons. Anthony Figueiredo, gave the group a wonderful talk on St. Francis connecting to the spirituality of St. Carlo Acutis.
Miracles do happen! And there were many more to come… a surprise blessing with the relics of St. Carlo Acutis in Assisi, Mass in the dark silence of the Holy House of Loreto, the sight of the oldest Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano…and for myself; the tremendous grace to see, through grateful tears once again, the great gift the human Face of my Risen Lord on the Holy Veil of Manoppello, and with renewed Hope in the power of the Resurrection of Christ.
Pope St. John Paul has said: “Contemplation of Christ’s Face cannot stop at the image of the Crucified One. He is the Risen One!” The Holy Face of Manoppello is the Face of the Risen Christ; it is believed to be the “Cloth that Covered His Head” in the tomb.
“Those who gaze on it [the relic Veil of the Holy Face] are never satisfied with contemplating it, and wish to always have it before their eyes. And when they eventually leave it, with heavy sighs full of love, they are forced to leave Him their hearts, bathed in tears.” –Capuchin Donato da Bomba 1646. (Paul Badde’s beautiful photo of Il Volto Santo of Manoppello)
Continuing his catechesis on the Jubilee theme of Jesus Christ, Our Hope, Pope Leo XIV asks us “to consider how the Resurrection of Jesus fulfills the desires of every human heart. Our lives are marked by conflicting situations that reveal limitations and our desire to overcome them. We seek worldly recognition and whether we receive it or not, we still feel empty. This reveals that we are not truly satisfied with achievements and passing certainties of the world. This is because we are created in the image and likeness of God, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we recognize an inexhaustible longing in our hearts for something more. It is only the Resurrected Jesus who can give the only true and lasting peace that sustains and fills us. In a world struggling with fatigue and despair, let us be signs of hope, peace, and joy in the Risen Lord!” (Pope Leo XIV, October 15, 2025 Audience)
(Photo: Jerry Christopher) Entering the Holy Door Deo Gratias!
Illumina Domine Blog - Devotion to The Holy Face 