The Holy Face of Jesus Christ, Discovery, Journey, Destination

Book Excerpts

“There are those who may regard Gordon Deery’s journey of self-dedication to promote ‘devotion to the love of God’ – shining forth on the Holy Face of Jesus Christ – as being too radical! The world-wide scope of this work may intimidate some; and then there’s guilt, the pangs of which are felt by those unable to imagine themselves making such sacrifice! Somehow, all of them would miss the mark: love is extravagant; it is extraordinary – it is sacrificial! The annointing of Jesus with oil teaches us that the passion and the self-sacrifice of Jesus upon the wood of the cross… is not primarily about how much Jesus suffered, but rather, it is about how much he loved – love is capable of sacrifice; great love is prepared to make great sacrifice; and perfect love willingly embraces sacrifice with perfection.”

“What will the days ahead hold for true believers? Karl Rahner, a well-known theologian, wrote ‘the religious values of Christianity are being progressively eliminated from modern life, and the burden of belief is resting more and more exclusively on the personal decision of the individual.’ The Holy Face of Jesus is about discovery, journey, and destination because it requires the personal decision of individuals who, like Gordon Deery, recognize what is good, and true, and holy.”

“Freedom seeks purpose: it requires conviction. True freedom presupposes the search for truth – for the true good – and hence finds its fulfillment precisely in knowing and doing what is right and just. Truth, in other words, is the guiding norm for freedom, and goodness is freedom’s perfection. ‘For Christians, truth has a name: God. And goodness has a face: Jesus Christ.'”
(Benedict XVI, Prague, Czech Republic, 2009.09.26)