The home where the Holy Face is venerated

Having the Holy Face at home is a daily invitation to look at Jesus — and to let Him look at us.

The psalmist prays: “Your face, Lord, do I seek! Do not hide your face from me” (Ps 27:8-9). The whole Christian life is this search for the face of God, who showed himself to us in the face of Jesus.

According to the tradition of the devotion, Our Lord promised Sister Mary of Saint Peter to bless in a special way the families in whose homes His Face is venerated. It is not a charm or a decoration: it is a sign that Jesus has a place in that home.

Choose a corner of the house for the image of the Holy Face, with a candle or a flower, in a spot the family passes every day. There you can pray the aspiration “Lord, show us Your Face and we shall be saved,” hand over the worries of the day and give thanks for the graces received.

Before the wounded face of Christ, we also learn to look at one another’s faces: the father’s weariness, the child’s sadness, the mother’s worry. The devotion to the Holy Face teaches us to make reparation — and to truly notice those who live with us.

To pray as a family

Holy Face of Jesus, make this house a place of peace. May no one here feel invisible; may forgiveness be asked and given here; and may we all one day contemplate Your Face in Heaven. Amen.