In the 1930s in Poland, a young nun named Faustina began to receive extraordinary messages from Jesus. He asked her to record them in a book that is today known as The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. It covers many things, but perhaps the most famous is the message of divine mercy, the Image of Diving Mercy, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy that is based upon it.
The message is pretty straightforward: God loves us and He wants us to understand that His mercy is greater than our sins. By accepting His mercy, we can discover freedom and joy. The way to do this is simple: Ask for His Mercy, Be Merciful, and trust in Jesus completely.
To help with taking this message to heart, Jesus asked Sr. Faustina to have an image painted with the signature “Jesus, I Trust in You.” Hiring an artist and describing the image, Sr. Faustina found it difficult to be satisfied with the outcome. She had him redo it several times, usually because the face was not quite right. She was never fully satisfied with the outcome (pictured here), but there remains several key features.
The red and white light symbolize the blood and water that flowed from Jesus’ side on the cross – a sign of the Sacraments which allow us to access God’s mercy. The right hand gives a blessing while the left exposes the Heart that loves us so dearly. The face, despite Sr. Faustina’s satisfaction, actually matches the facial structure of what we see on the Shroud of Turin. Notice in particular the eyes. They are looking down. This is the kind of facial expression you would use when approaching a hurt person or animal in order to appear non-threatening. Since the point of the message is mercy, the image is designed to be as palatable as possible to someone who is frightened of Jesus. A direct stare can come across as judgmental and cause someone to turn away. I personally prefer this original version to the versions with a direct stare. Of course, Jesus himself told Faustina not to fret over the image too much because the picture isn’t what matters, but God’s grace. Regardless of which version you prefer, so long as the basics are there (Jesus, the rays, the written message), then it is not worth fighting about.
Jesus also gave Sr. Faustina the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as a simple devotional practice to promote Divine Mercy. Usually taking around 5 minutes, it is a repeated plea for mercy coupled with exclamations of trust. Though simple, it is a great way to habituate oneself to the practice of trusting in God’s mercy. Connected to this chaplet in particular and to the whole devotion is the idea of Divine Mercy Sunday. The Sunday after Easter (called the 2nd Sunday of Easter) always has the Gospel where Jesus gives the Apostles the authority to forgive sins. So, it eventually came to be called Divine Mercy Sunday. When combined with the ancient practice of praying novenas, this works out brilliantly because for a Novena to end on Divine Mercy Sunday, you’d start on Good Friday! In addition, our Lord promised that those who devoutly prayed this novena would receive an abundance of grace as well as the same benefits of a plenary indulgence.
If you missed the start of the Divine Mercy Novena on Good Friday, then don’t fret. It’s not too late to join in! The details of how to pray it can be found here: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/novena and there are still copies printed out and in the Church. You can just pray first two or three together on the first day. I myself have had great success in praying this novena for the conversion of loved ones and in using it to deepen my own trust in Jesus Christ. Whether you pray the novena or not, please take to heart the message. Also, please join us Next Sunday at 3pm for a Holy Hour consisting of a adoration, confessions, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and Benediction.