Prayers for Dom Mark

“Christ appearing to Saint Lurgarde” - Gaspar de Crayer

 Asking pardon and praying for his intentions.  May Our Lady Undoer of Knots undo every problem and difficulty.  May Our Lord Jesus take care of everything, repairing every slander, calumny and detraction.  

Prayer in reparation for outrages committed against the Blessed Sacrament

May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible 

and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified, 

in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth, 

by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ

 in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.

Devotion to the Holy Face.

With an increase of desecrations of churches and especially the Blessed Sacrament in France, as well as increasing attacks upon priests along with the genocide in Nigeria, it seems to me prayers in reparation need to be made with greater fervor.  

PRAYER TO OFFER THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS TO GOD THE FATHER TO APPEASE HIS JUSTICE AND DRAW DOWN MERCY UPON US

Almighty and Eternal Father, since it has pleased Our Divine Savior to reveal to mankind in modern times the power residing in His Holy Face, we now avail ourselves of this Treasure in our great need. Since our Savior Himself promised that by offering to You His Holy Face disfigured in the Passion we can procure the settlement of all the affairs of our household, and that nothing whatsoever will be refused to us, we now come before Your throne.

Eternal Father, turn away Your angry gaze from our guilty people whose face has become unsightly in Your eyes. Look instead upon the Face of Your Beloved Son; for this is the Face of Him in whom You are well pleased. We now offer You His Holy Face covered with blood, sweat, dust, spittle and shame, in reparation for the worst crimes of our age, which are atheism, blasphemy, and the desecration of Your holy days. We thus hope to appease Your anger justly provoked against us. The All-Merciful Advocate opens His mouth to plead our cause; listen to His cries, behold His tears, O God, and through the merits of His Holy Face hearken to Him when He intercedes for us poor miserable sinners. - Source

Show us your Face O Lord, and we shall be saved. 

Nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor ...

Eternal Father, 

we offer You the Adorable Face of Your well-beloved Son,

 for the Honor and Glory of Your Holy Name, 

and for the salvation of all men. Amen.

The Readings for Today.

I've gone too far online, I've sat among the scorners and offered reproaches against my neighbor, slandered and/or spread scandalous theories and speculation regarding the moral life of those I don't know.  Once again, I've engaged in spreading gossip regarding the scandals in the Church.  This isn't what religion is all about - this isn't religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father.  This behavior has nothing to do with true devotion and reparation.

This morning I understood how the Holy Face of Jesus is the perfect reflection of what the Church suffers, and how all of the reproaches, scorn and contempt filling the Internet have fallen upon the Holy Face of Jesus - in his sacred passion of course, but also once again in the current crisis the Church is going through.  I am guilty. I need to try and make reparation.  

Many of us have aligned ourselves with factions which are more political in nature - identifying as liberal or conservative and so on.  The Church has to be above that.  I think that would be the message of Christ's silence before Pilate, and likewise, his silent loving gaze in the Veil of Veronica, and in the Eucharist.  He remains silent.  I may be wrong, but it seems to this is a mystery we cannot lightly attribute to anyone save Christ and the Church.  

I look at the Holy Face, covered with blood, sweat, spittle, bruising from slaps, covered once again in the barrage of daily scorn and contempt, and shouts, repeating in our own mendacious manner: "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?" And they spoke many other words against him, reviling him."  We keep doing it.

I have to try to make reparation.

Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked,
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.

He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so!

For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind.
When the wicked are judged they shall not stand,
nor find room among those who are just;
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.

“I loved my own way, not yours, but it was a truant’s freedom that I loved”. - St. Augustine

Compunction of St. Augustine, Fra Angelico.

I took the header quote from Fr. Z's post on the saint here.

The quote, translated from the Latin “amans vias meas et non tuas, amans fugitivam libertatem” (3.3.5) is how Augustine described his 'profligate youth'.  It really nails the experience of many a youth, I think.  At least mine.  (I never grew up until I was 50, and even then I was pretty retarded.)  That said, St. Augustine, please pray for me!  Interestingly Fr. Z says that in the original Latin, St. Augustine says that after his conversion and as bishop he was "loved and feared" by his people.  I think I may have shied away from Augustine over the years out of fear ... his example and teaching really calls for a resolute conversion, don't you agree?

St. Augustine, pray for me.

I mention this because traditionally Augustine is a great example for penitents - those who leave the profligate lifestyle behind.

I've often written about how conversion can go in 'fits and starts'.  Big sins bring on dramatic flights to the confessional - the fear of God - and hell - or the fear of being lost completely in an ocean of smut, can effect in us a new determination to sin no more.  Throw all of our sexy swimwear and tight clothes into a bonfire, like St. Thais, or something.  I'm not really exaggerating here either.

I've probably told the story of a former monk who had the reputation of always repenting - not like the desert fathers story - but someone I knew.  No, not me - although close.  He left the monastery and burst out onto the bar scene and was rather profligate.  (Love that word.)  Just as much as he threw himself into all sorts of debauchery - he would repent, weekly, monthly, every other day ...  It happens.  It doesn't mean the repentance is insincere - not at all.  It happens.  The situation or 'soul-sickness' at the time reminds me of the story of the man in the Gospel whose son, tormented by demons, kept throwing himself into the fire in fits and starts, more or less.

Anyway ...

Unlike the great penitents, many of us fall after our conversion.  We return to confession and rise again and keep trying.  If our sins involve another - bad friendships, anonymous sex, casual sex, and so on - in and through the process of repentance, confession, conversion - the road behind can be 'littered with road kill' to use a friend's metaphor for my blog.

When we clean up our act, we sometimes forget the 'friends' and partners in sin we left behind.  We fail to understand our role in causing another person to sin.  We may worry about our salvation, but do we have concern for those we may have 'used' for our pleasure?  Know what I mean?  A holy confessor, a monk, once said to me - "Your sins are forgiven, but what about those you caused to sin with you?"

It's something we can miss in our repentance - especially in our fits and starts ... we can also miss the underlying sins - but that's another post.  We drag people into our sin - do we pull them up when we repent?  Perhaps that thought can help one to avoid sin in the future.  Mortal sin destroys charity in the soul, we offend God and neighbor.  This is why we need to make reparation.  It is why we need to pray even harder for the conversion of sinners.  We don't need to call sinners out, or proclaim our new-found innocence over their heads, shaming them for not believing we are now all respectable and acceptable.  (Sometimes that is what we want - to be acceptable and respectable.)  It may be more convincing to make reparation - to pray and do penance for our sins - praying fervently for our conversion and the conversion of sinners.

We forget about that sometimes when we are all shiny clean and feeling saved after confession. At least I did.  I dumped bad companions - which is the right thing to do in most cases - but I never told them why.  I always thought 'they' were my problem - my 'occasion of sin' - but it was pretty much me.

“Where does temptation come from? How does it work in us? The Apostle tells us that it is not from God, but from our passions, our inner weaknesses, from the wounds left in us by original sin: that’s where temptations come from, from these passions. - Pope Francis

The 'adventure' made sin 'fun' - “I loved my own way, not yours, but it was a truant’s freedom that I loved”...

Our Lord can make all things well, so it is good to try and make reparation, and pray for those we used and cast away.

Reverence for the Blessed Sacrament: Fragments.

Too scrupulous?

Reading Fr. Z and Fr. Mark of Vultus Christi, I noticed both priests have posts concerning reverence for the Eucharistic species.  In one case a priest asks a question of Fr. Z concerning fragments of the Eucharist left on the corporal.  I always wonder why priests would seek clarification of these matters online rather than approach their bishop, pastor or superior of their place, and/or their spiritual director?  After all, that is the ordinary chain of command in their obedience.  In another post on WDTPRS, a newly ordained priest asked if the pastor of the place he is assigned had the right to censor his homilies.  You bet he does - within reason - but if there is a real problem, an abuse of power, etc., the priest should bring his concerns to the chancery or directly to the bishop.  But I digress.  Such issues are instructive for the ordinary Catholic and it is another reason why enjoy reading Fr. Z.
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That said, Fr. Z's questioner reminded me of a situation I noted at my own parish.  I mentioned before that I am the last person at adoration in our parish, and so I must repose the Blessed Sacrament - I would rather not do this, but no one else is available.  Nearly every week I notice the corporal remains on the altar outside of Mass - some weeks there are red stains from the precious blood - or wine, I have no way of knowing which came first - as well as the occasional crumb(s).  The same corporal usually remains on the altar week after week.  The priest uses an oversized host - so we know how minute fragments scatter.  I was told not to worry because unless the fragments resemble actual bread, they are of no concern.  This in a day when we can view and study micron particles... 
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Now as a lay person I can see why I would bring these concerns to a priest - only to be regarded as overly scrupulous and a busy-body - so why bother?  Nevertheless, in the monastery I was always taught the corporal should be removed from a properly dressed altar after Mass.  (During exposition a properly cleaned corporal is used.)  Nevertheless, at least one bishop (before he was consecrated bishop) has offered Mass at my parish - during the week and on a weekend or two, while the pastor was away - and he too left the corporal on the altar.  I realize some things are just out of a lay-person's hands.
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Today is my adoration day, so I'll bring these matters to Our Lord, "who can do infinitely more than I can ask or imagine."  In the meantime, check out Fr. Z's post and then read Fr. Mark's at Vultus Christi.  Fr. Mark departs from his usual meditations and homililetics, asking serious questions concerning the 2004 document, The Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist.  Once again one might ask why his concern is not brought to the attention of his bishop or a higher authority, but I think the question is more or less rhetorical and meant for our instruction.
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Shrove Tuesday

The Feast of the Holy Face - Shrove Tuesday

On April 17th, 1958, His Holiness Pope Pius XII approved the observance of a Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus on Shrove Tuesday.
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(This year February 16, Tuesday before Ash Wednesday).
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Links:
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Holy Face Devotion
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Holy Face Association
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Holy Face UK