..."All those who attracted by my love, and venerating my countenance, shall receive, by virtue of my humanity, a brilliant and vivid impression of my divinity. The splendour shall enlighthen the depth of their souls, so that in eternal glory the celestial court shall marvel at the marked likeness of their features with my divine countenance." (Our Lord to St Gertrude)
..."I firmly wish that my face reflecting the intimate pains of my soul, the suffering and love of my heart, be more honoured! Whoever gazes upon me already consoles me." (Our Lord Jesus Christ to Sister Pierina)
Link on the title of this post will lead us to read a meditation on the Feast of Holy Face of Jesus. The author encourages us to see the Face of Our Crucified Lord in suffering human beings in particular in countless Jewish victims exterminated in Nazi concentration camps during second World War. I would like to add something to these reflections; it is very good to remember advice like this when we may have negative feelings developing in our heart towards others. In the Face of our Lord we should first see and remember those who were martyred for the Catholic faith in the first centuries of Christianity, Missionaries who gave their lives evangelizing pagan nations, in the Religious, Priests, Nuns, lay people who were martyred during Reformation, during anti-Catholic persecutions of the French Revolution, during numerous communist upheavals, in the concentration camps of Nazis and Soviets. We can see the face of Our Lord in Catholic Priest, St Maximillan Kolbe, who gave his life to spare the fellow prisoner at Auschwitz and in Catholic Nun, St Edith Stein, Carmelite and Jewish convert who died in the concentration camp because she was Catholic. There is a big international row over erecting crosses it the area of Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland and I suspect that any reference to seeing Christ face in Jewish victims of Holocaust would make many deeply unhappy.
Further reading Auschwitz Cross controversy
Further reading Auschwitz Cross controversy
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