Lessons from St. Veronica

  

   

For the start of 2021, I decided to join the growing Catholic trend of picking a saint for the year. For those who are unfamiliar, the purpose of this tradition is to get to know a new heavenly friend better and to ask for their prayers and intercession throughout the coming year. Using a random generator, I received St. Veronica; the saint who moved with sympathy and compassion, ran to wipe the blood, dirt, and sweat-filled-face of Jesus as He carried His Cross. Tradition follows that Jesus then left a miraculous image of his Holy Face on her cloth.

    It didn’t take long for St. Veronica to pop up in my life. Only about a week later, my sweet husband gifted me with a Holy Face of Jesus medal and necklace that he had bought for my birthday before knowing I had even picked St. Veronica for my saint of the year. The devotion to The Holy Face of Jesus was a new one for me, but I have fallen more and more in love with it after learning about the history and promises Jesus gave both Sister Marie of St. Peter and Blessed Maria Pierina de Michei. I later found out that two of my favorite saints, St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Padre Pio, also had a strong devotion to the Holy Face. I now wear my necklace every day and it always fills me with peace when I look down at it. What a sweet, precious gift that He gave us!

As 2021 comes to a close, I have reflected on not only how St. Veronica introduced me to the devotion to the Holy Face, but how she has truly been watching over me in a special way.  In my position as a pregnancy counselor, I walk alongside women who are facing crisis pregnancies, providing resources, care, and both emotional and material support. One afternoon, an incredible woman sat in front of me and shared her story. She was navigating a family situation that included domestic violence, addiction, mental illness, and poverty and had recently found out that she was pregnant. Feeling ashamed, scared, and not knowing what to do, she had worked up the courage to ask for help and knocked at the door of our center. While I still held hope as she was sharing her story, the issues she was facing appeared insurmountable and it felt impossible to not feel inadequate in what I could offer. I desired so desperately to make a difference in this woman’s life right then and there, but knew that I could not make her suffering and obstacles magically disappear, as much as I wanted to. Feeling a little hopeless and powerless to change her situation and not quite knowing what to say or where to go next, I said a quick silent prayer, “St. Veronica, pray for me!”. 

In the following moments, all of this woman’s strengths came to mind. I could see she was so resilient, courageous, and all of her goodness. I felt moved to tell her, and so I did. I reflected back to her all that I saw in her and for the first time during the session, her eyes began to fill with tears. I realized that it may have been years since anyone had spoken these words to her. Even though she left our center that day with many of the same struggles she arrived with, she also left with a smile on her face, renewed hope, and a greater belief in herself and her capability. Expressing gratitude, she shared that she now felt less alone. 

Reflecting on this encounter in the days after, I thought of St. Veronica. For many, her small act of love for our Lord may have seemed so insignificant. After all, it didn’t change Jesus’ circumstances. He still had to undergo His Passion and crucifixion. However, St. Veronica courageously moved to meet the needs of another and offered what she could in that moment. I imagine that it brought great consolation to Jesus’s Sacred Heart and provided some comfort and solace to His suffering and anguish. Even though this act may have been little, it is also  recalled and remembered for all of time in the sixth station of the cross!

St. Veronica showed me in that counseling room that it is enough to walk with each and every person on their journey as they carry their own crosses, offering small acts of compassion and love along the way. I can be truly present and attentive as I sit with each woman and listen to their stories without any judgement or shame, and hold up like a mirror for her all that I see. I can reflect back to her all of her strengths, goodness, dignity, and infinite worth, that comes simply from being a beloved child of God. We are all called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and I hope that with God’s grace working through me, every person can see Jesus’s Holy Face, gazing back at them in awe and delight after each encounter. And that I, too, can see the divine image in every person I meet and then courageously move to serve their needs in the ways that God is calling me. So if you, like me, have ever felt inadequate or powerless to change the suffering around you, I hope you too will think of St. Veronica’s small act of compassion for our Lord and see His Holy Face gazing back at her and at you, and trust that love is always enough.