Prayer of St Thérèse to the Holy Face

A prayer composed by Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face on 12 August 1895, at the Carmel of Lisieux, written on the back of an image of the Holy Face which she kept in her book of hours. Gathered in Manuscript B, written in September 1896 at the request of Mother Marie de Gonzague. It reflects the heart of Therese’s devotion: to love Christ in his humiliation and to offer oneself to his merciful love.

O adorable Face of Jesus, sole object that ravishes our heart: deign to impress upon us your divine likeness, so that you may not be able to look upon our soul without contemplating yourself in it.

O my Beloved, in acknowledgement of your love, I ask you to hide your Face in me, that no one may recognise me there any longer. Impress upon me your features, your eyes filled with tears, your lips able to smile even in bitterness, your heart overflowing with tenderness.

Grant me that my whole life may be, in your image, an act of hidden love, offered in silence to the mercy of the Father for the salvation of souls. Amen.