NINE DAY
NOVENA IN HONOR OF
THE MOST
HOLY FACE OF JESUS
This novena prayer may be said at any time, but especially
in the nine days leading up to the Feast of the Holy Face on Shrove Tuesday -
i.e. starting two Sundays before the start of Lent.
"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. This splendor shall enlighten
the depths 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 Jesus Christ to St. Gertrude)
DAILY
PREPARATORY PRAYER
O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity, through the
intercession of Holy Mary, whose soul was pierced through by a sword of sorrow
at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son, we ask Thy help in making a
perfect Novena of reparation with Jesus, united with all His sorrows, love, and
total abandonment.
We now implore all the Angels and Saints to
intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena to the Most Holy Face of Jesus and
for the glory of the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
(Start novena)
DAY ONE
-- CONSOLE THE HOLY FACE
Recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer then…
Psalm 51,
3-4.
Have
mercy on me, O God in Thy goodness, in Thy great tenderness wipe away my
faults; wash me clean of my guilt, purify me from my sin.
O most Holy Face of Jesus, look with
tenderness on us who are sinners. Thou art a merciful God, full of love and
compassion. Keep us pure of heart, so that we may see Thee always. Mary, our
Mother, intercede for us; Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of Thy precious blood and
Thy Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition; Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer to
Our Almighty Father
Almighty Father, come into our hearts, and so
fill us with Thy love that forsaking all evil desires, we may embrace Thee, our
only good. Show us, O Lord our God, what Thou art to us. Say to our souls, I am
Thy salvation, speak so that we may hear. Our hearts are before Thee; open our
ears; let us hasten after Thy voice. Hide not Thy Face from us; we beseech
Thee, O Lord. Open our hearts so that Thou mayst enter in. Repair the ruined
mansions that Thou mayst dwell therein. Hear us, O Heavenly Father, for the
sake of Thy only Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with Thee and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (St. Augustine)
*Our Father, Hail Mary (3x), Glory Be.
*O
Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine. (3x)
DAY TWO -- CONSOLE THE HOLY FACE
Recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer
then…
Psalm 51,
5-6a.
My offenses truly I know them; My sin is
always before me. Against Thee, Thee alone, have I sinned; what is evil in Thy
sight I have done.
Prayer
Most Holy Face of Jesus, we are truly sorry
that we have hurt Thee so much by constantly doing what is wrong; and for all
the good works we have failed to do. Immaculate Heart of Mary; Saint Joseph,
intercede for us, help us to console the Most Holy Face of Jesus. Pray that we
may share in the tremendous love Thou hast for one another and for the most
Holy and Blessed Trinity. Amen.
Through the merits of Thy precious blood and
Thy Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition; Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer to
the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, Sanctifier, all powerful
God of love, Thou Who didst fill the Virgin Mary with grace, Thou Who didst
wonderfully transform the hearts of the Apostles, Thou Who didst endow all Thy
martyrs with a miraculous heroism, come and sanctify us; illumine our minds,
strengthen our wills, purify our consciences, rectify our judgments, set our
hearts on fire and preserve us from the misfortune of resisting Thine
inspirations. We consecrate to Thee our understanding, our heart and our will,
our whole being for time and for eternity. May our understanding be always
submissive to Thy heavenly inspirations and to the teachings of Thy Holy
Catholic Church, of which Thou art the infallible guide; may our heart be ever
inflamed with love of God and neighbor; may our will be ever conformed to the
divine will, and may our whole life be a faithful imitation of the life and
virtues of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and Thee
be honor and glory forever. Amen.
*Our Father, Hail Mary (3x), Glory Be.
*O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every
adoration Thine. (3x)
DAY THREE -- CONSOLE THE HOLY FACE
recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer
then…
Psalm 51,
6b-7. Thou art just when Thou dost pass sentence on
me, blameless when Thou givest judgment. Thou knowest I was born guilty, a
sinner from the moment of conception.
Prayer of
Pope Pius IX
O Jesus! Cast upon us a look of mercy; turn
Thy Face towards each of us as Thou didst to Veronica; not that we may see it
with our bodily eyes, for this we do not deserve, but turn it towards our
hearts, so that, remembering Thee, we may ever draw from this fountain of
strength the vigor necessary to sustain the combats of life. Amen. Mary, Our
Mother, and Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of Thy precious blood and
Thy Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition; Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer of
Saint Francis
All highest, glorious God, cast Thy light
into the darkness of our hearts, give us true faith, firm hope, perfect charity
and profound humility, so that with wisdom, courage and perception, O Lord, we
may do what is truly Thy holy will. Amen.
Prayer to
the Angels and Saints
We salute Thy, through the Holy Face and
Sacred Heart of Jesus, O all ye Holy Angels and Saints of God. We rejoice in
Thy glory, and we give thanks to Our Lord for all the benefits which He has
showered upon ye; we praise Him and glorify Him, and offer ye, for an increase
of Thy joy and honor, the most Holy Face and gentle Heart of Jesus. Pray that
we may become formed according to the heart of God. Amen.
*Our Father, Hail Mary (3x), Glory Be.
*O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every
adoration Thine. (3x)
DAY FOUR -- CONSOLE THE HOLY FACE
Recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer
then…
Psalm 51,
8-9.
Indeed, Thou dost love truth in
the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me Wisdom. O purify me, then I
shall be clean; O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Prayer
O Lord Jesus, Who has said, learn of me for I
am meek and humble of heart, and Who did manifest upon Thy Holy Face the
sentiments of Thy divine heart, grant that we may love to come frequently and
meditate upon Thy divine features. We may read there Thy gentleness and Thy
humility, and learn how to form our hearts in the practice of these two virtues
which Thou desirest to see shine in Thy servants. Mary our Mother and Saint
Joseph help us.
Through the merits of Thy precious blood and
Thy Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition; Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer in
Honor of the Dolors of the Blessed Virgin
O Most Holy and afflicted Virgin, Queen of
Martyrs! Who stood beneath the cross, witnessing the agony of thy dying Son,
look down with a mother’s tenderness and pity on us as we kneel before thee to
venerate thy Dolors, and place our requests, with filial confidence, in the
sanctuary of thy wounded heart. Present them on our behalf to Jesus, through
the merits of His most sacred Passion and Death, together with thy sufferings
at the foot of the cross, and, through the united efficacy of both, obtain the
favor which we humbly ask. To whom shall we go in our wants and miseries if not
to thee? O Mother of Mercy, who having so deeply drunk of the chalice of thy
Son, graciously alleviate the sufferings of those who still sigh in this land
of exile. Amen.
Prayer to
the Souls in Purgatory
My Jesus, by the sorrows Thou didst suffer in
Thine agony in the garden, in Thine scourging and crowning with thorns, in the
way to Calvary, in Thine crucifixion and death, have mercy on the souls in
Purgatory, and especially on those that are most forsaken. Deliver them from
the dire torments they endure. Call them and admit them to Thy most sweet
embrace in Paradise. Amen.
*Our Father, Hail Mary (3x), Glory Be.
*O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every
adoration Thine. (3x)
DAY FIVE -- CONSOLE THE HOLY FACE
Recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer
then…
Psalm 5 1,
10-11.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness that the
bones Thy have crushed may revive. From my sins turn away Thy Face, and blot
out all my guilt.
Prayer
Holy Face of Jesus, Sacred Countenance of
God, how great is Thy patience with humankind, how infinite Thy forgiveness. We
are sinners, yet Thou lovest us. This gives us courage. For the glory of Thy
Holy Face and of the Blessed Trinity, hear and answer us. Mary our Mother,
intercede for us; Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of Thy precious blood and
Thy Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition; Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer to
Saint Joseph
Dear Saint Joseph! Adopt us as thy children,
take charge of our salvation; watch over us day and night; preserve us from
occasions of sin; obtain for us purity of body and soul, and the spirit of
prayer, through thy intercession with Jesus, grant us a spirit of sacrifice, of
humility and self-denial; obtain for us a burning love for Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament, and a sweet, tender love for Mary, our Mother.
Saint Joseph, be with us in life, be with us
in death and obtain for us a favorable judgment from Jesus, our merciful
Savior. Amen.
*Our Father, Hail Mary (3x), Glory Be.
*O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every
adoration Thine. (3x)
DAY SIX -- CONSOLE THE HOLY FACE
Recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer
then…
Psalm 51,
12-13.
A pure heart create for us, O God; put a
steadfast spirit within us. Do not cast us away from Thy presence nor deprive
us of Thy Holy Spirit.
Prayer
May our hearts be cleansed, O Lord, by the
inpouring of the Holy Spirit, and may He render them fruitful by watering them
with His heavenly dew. Mary, most chaste spouse of the Holy Spirit, intercede
for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of Thy precious blood and Thy
Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition; Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer to
Saint Michael the Archangel
O Victorious Prince, most humble guardian of
the Church of God and of faithful souls, who with such charity and zeal took
part in so many conflicts and gained such great victories over the enemy; for
the conservation and protection of the honor and glory we all owe to God, as
well as for the promotion of our salvation, come, we pray Thee, to our
assistance, for we are continually besieged with such great perils by Thy
enemies: the flesh, the world, and the devil; and as Thou wast a leader for the
people of God through the desert, so also be our faithful leader and companion
through the desert of this world, until Thou conduct us safely into the happy
land of the living, in that blessed fatherland from which we are all exiles.
Amen.
*Our Father, Hail Mary (3x), Glory Be.
*O Bleeding
Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine. (3x)
DAY SEVEN -- CONSOLE THE HOLY FACE
Recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer
then…
Psalm 51,
14-15.
Give me again the joy of Thy help, with a
spirit of fervor sustain me; that I may teach transgressors Thy ways and
sinners may return to Thee.
Prayer
Lord Jesus! After contemplating Thy features,
disfigured by grief, after meditating upon Thy passion with compunction and
love, how can our hearts fail to be inflamed with a holy hatred of sin, which
even now outrages Thy Adorable Face! Lord, suffer us not to be content with
mere compassion, but give us grace to so closely follow Thee in this Calvary,
so that the opprobrium destined for Thee may fall on us, O Jesus, that thus we
may have a share, small though it may be, in expiation of sin. Amen.
Mary, our Mother, intercede for us. Saint
Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of Thy precious blood and
Thy Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition; Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer in
Honor of Mary
Hail Mary, Most Delightful Daughter of God
the Father! Hail Mary, Most Admirable Mother of God the Son! Hail Mary, Most
Chaste Spouse of God the Holy Spirit! Hail Mary, Temple and Sacrarium of the
Most Holy Trinity! Hail Mary, our mistress, our wealth, our mystic rose, Queen
of our hearts, our Mother, our life, our sweetness, and our dearest hope! We
are all thine, and all we have is thine. O Virgin blessed above all things, may
thy soul be in us to magnify the Lord; may thy spirit be in us to rejoice in
God. Place thyself, O faithful Virgin, as a seal upon our hearts, that in thee
and through thee we may be found faithful to God. Grant, most gracious Virgin,
that we may be numbered among those whom thou art pleased to love, to teach and
to guide, to favor and to protect as thy children. Grant that with the help of
thy love, we may despise all earthly consolation and cling to heavenly things,
until through the Holy Spirit, thy faithful spouse, and through thee, His
faithful spouse, Jesus Christ, thy Son, be formed within us for the glory of
the Father. Amen. (St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort).
*Our Father, Hail Mary (3x), Glory Be.
*O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every
adoration Thine. (3x)
DAY EIGHT -- CONSOLE THE HOLY FACE
Recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer
then…
Psalm 51,
16-17.
O rescue me, God my helper, and my tongue
shall ring out Thy goodness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare
Thy praise.
Prayer
Most merciful Face of Jesus, Who in this vale
of tears was so moved by our misfortunes to call Thyself the healer of the
sick, and the good Shepherd of the souls gone astray, allow not Satan to draw
us away from Thee, but keep us always under Thy loving protection, together
with all souls who endeavor to console Thee. Mary, our Mother, intercede for
us. Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of Thy precious blood and
Thy Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition; Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer to
Saint Peter
O glorious Saint Peter, who, in return for
thy lively and generous faith, thy profound and sincere humility and thy
burning love, was honored by Jesus Christ with singular privileges, and in
particular, with the leadership of the other apostles and the primacy of the
whole Church, of which thou wast made the foundation stone, do thou obtain for
us the grace of a lively faith that shall not fear to profess itself openly in
its entirety and in all of its manifestations, even to the shedding of blood,
if occasion should demand it, and to the sacrifice of life itself in preference
to surrender. Obtain for us likewise a sincere loyalty to our Holy Mother the
Church. Grant that we may ever remain most closely and sincerely united to the
Holy Father, who is the heir of thy faith and of thy authority, the one true
visible head of the Catholic Church. Grant, moreover, that we may follow, in
all humility and meekness, the Church’s teaching and counsels and may be
obedient to all her precepts, in order to be able here on earth to enjoy a
peace that is sure and undisturbed, and to attain one day in heaven to
everlasting happiness. Amen.
*Our Father, Hail Mary (3x), Glory Be.
*O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every
adoration Thine. (3x)
DAY NINE-- CONSOLE THE HOLY FACE
Recite the Daily Preparatory Prayer
then…
Psalm 51,
18-21.
For in sacrifice Thou take no delight, a
burnt offering from me Thou wouldst refuse; my sacrifice a contrite spirit. A
humbled, contrite heart Thou wilt not spurn. In Thy goodness, show favor to
Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then Thou shalt be pleased with lawful
sacrifice; holocausts offered on Thy altar.
Prayer
Sacred Face of Our Lord and Our God, what
words can we do to express our gratitude? How can we speak of our joy? That
Thou hast deigned to hear us, that Thou hast chosen to answer us in our hour of
need. We say this because we know that our prayers will be granted. We know
that Thou, in Thy loving kindness, listened to our pleading hearts, and will
give, out of Thy fullness, the answer to our problems. Mary, our Mother, we
thank Thee for Thy intercession on our behalf. Saint Joseph, we thank Thee for
Thine prayers.
Through the merits of Thy precious blood and
Thy Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition; Pardon and Mercy.
Prayer to
the Holy Trinity
Most Holy Trinity, Godhead indivisible,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our first beginning and our last end. Since Thou
hast made us after Thy own image and likeness, grant that all the thoughts of
our minds, all the words of our tongues, all the affections of our hearts, and
all our actions may be always conformed to Thy most Holy Will, so that after having
seen Thee here on earth in appearances and in a dark manner by the means of
faith, we may come at last to contemplate Thee face to face, in the perfect
possession of Thee forever in paradise. Amen.
*Our Father, Hail Mary (3x), Glory Be.
*O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every
adoration Thine. (3x)
THE GOLDEN
ARROW PRAYER
May the most holy, most sacred, most
adorable, most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God be forever 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.
