The Holy Face
Ancient eastern Christian tradition tells us that Jesus pressed His face into a cloth, creating an image or icon of His face to be sent to the king of Edessa. In the west the story is told of a woman who wiped the face of Jesus with her veil while He was on His way to be crucified, likewise an image of His face was transferred to the veil. While the woman;s name is unknown, traditiob efers to her as Veronica a name which means “true image.” These traditions led to the development of the icon known as the “Face Not Made by Human Hands.”
Symbols in devotional and liturgical art serve as a point of meditation, to elp us perceive the truth depicted behind the image. In this work adapted from the icon we are called upon to see more than the apparent. The three points within the halo bring to mind the Blessed Trinity. The Greek letters representing “I AM WHO AM” and the “IC XC” abbreviation of the name of Jesus Christ point to the divinity of Christ. But the face that looks out at us is the face of a man crowned with thorns who died for our sake. Jesus Christ is Lord, True God and True Man.
