Illumina Domine Blog – Devotion to The Holy Face

To try to condense the history and theology of the devotion to the Holy Face or attempt to describe the place in our prayer life for the “Veronica” or “True Image” of the Face of Jesus, and its relationship to our transformation in Christ, is far beyond the scope of a few paragraphs. Yet, a Christian can’t keep silent either when it comes to bearing witness to God’s glory, power and might. One is compelled to say something about it. Pope St. John Paul II gave the Church page after page on the subject, and then, nearing the end of his life, dedicated the entire millennium to the Face of Christ. We should all have a few questions about that grand gesture, and try to search out some answers–not only for the benefit of our own soul, but for the benefit of other’s souls as well…

“Your Face, O Lord, do I seek; do not hide Your Face from me.” (Ps. 27)

The many challenges of this millennium, wars, violence, and other threats to human dignity, such as the rapid advancement of AI, have made the significance of dedication to the Face of Christ very clear–that we need to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ! When one begins to look into the devotion to the Face of Christ; the deeper and more beautiful the mystery of the Human Face of Jesus grows. Just recently, the Vatican had approved a Eucharistic miracle in which the Face of Jesus appeared on a Consecrated Host. Volumes of books cannot contain the meaning of that treasure! I do know, however, that the devotion to the Holy Face, in each of its aspects, all converge on this single truth:

The mystery of the human face began “in the fullness of time” (Gal 4:4), when the Word of God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity–Jesus Christ, True God and True Man–became Incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To reject, or God forbid, destroy an icon or image of the Face of Jesus would be to reject the great humility of God and the Incarnation. Centuries ago, when iconoclasm raged, the Emperor Leo III had wanted to destroy icons of the Face of Jesus. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Germanus, then begged him, “May this calamity, my lord, not come to pass under your reign. For he who would bring this about is a precursor to the Antichrist, and an enemy of the salvific Incarnation of God.” Those are strong and frightening words.

” A picture is worth a thousand words.”

It is clear that icons and images of the Face of Christ have a very important place in the Church, especially in those gifts of God that are known as “achieropoieta.” These refer to relics of such as the Face of Jesus or the Blessed Mother (ie. on The Tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe), on which the image is inexplicably present; they exist without the aid of paint or brush. They are said to be “made by the Hand of God:” Relics such as the Shroud of Turin and the Holy Veil of Manoppello, are both are miraculous images; which far surpass all man-made icons, however beautiful they may be.

The very fact of the existence of both the Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello are the reason why man-made images are permitted by God, and why the Old Testament admonition against creating images ended when Jesus gave us the New Covenant. The Incarnation meant that the Word of God could now be seen, heard and depicted. God has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ–and “by God’s own Hand” had created the images bearing the Face of Jesus–thus breaking the Old Covenant law–thus, freeing us from idolatry. When venerating the icon or image we are venerating His Person.

Under the New Covenant, in His Divine Providence, He gave to mankind these supernatural images [achieropoieta] to communicate truths about His Only Begotten Son. These miraculous images are evidence of His Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection. They show us “the Word of God” made flesh; that God exists and He became Man in Jesus Christ; that He suffered for our sakes, died and rose from the dead! And that we, His unworthy creatures, are made in His image and likeness, and so we are meant to reflect His image and likeness to others.

Our Faith may be weak when it comes to accepting certain truths or miracles; but Jesus, who understands our weakness, does not stop at giving us His Holy Face and His Holy Name; He has also given to us precious relics that may be seen and touched: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin…” so that we may “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” (Heb 4:15)

Jesus has given us His own Face in such relics because He wills to meet us in our weakness–to show us His Human Face and restore us–to help us to encounter, contemplate, honor and reverence Him. This is a tremendous gift that represents “the Gift” Himself–Jesus Christ–given to mankind at the Incarnation; it is a reminder the the Eternal Word became man!

We may not be able to make a pilgrimage to see the holy relic of the Shroud or see the Veil of the Holy Face of Manoppello; but we may keep copies of those images in our Churches and homes, or wear a Holy Face medal as a daily reminder of His love and mercy for us; they are a blessed source of “grace for timely help.” (Heb 4:15)

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Many parishes around the world have “enthroned” an image of the Holy Face, which is a particularly beautiful way for the faithful to correspond in some way to God’s Gift of His Son; by bringing His Image before the faithful for veneration and prayer. Very recently, another enthronement of “the Most Holy Face of Jesus” was made with a copy of the Holy Veil of Manoppello in San Jose de Mindanao Seminary Complex that occurred on August 19, 2025 in the Philippines. Poster of Enthronement:

“In olden days, God who was without body or physical form, was not depicted at all. But now, since God has appeared in the flesh and has interacted with man, I am able to depict the visible aspect of God. I do not worship matter, I only worship the Creator of matter, Him who for my sake became matter Himself, and took it upon Himself to dwell in matter, and who by means of matter brought about my salvation.” ~St. John Damascene

“Restore us, LORD God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” (Psalm 80:19)