90th Anniversary of the first Revelation of Merciful Jesus to Saint Faustina
THE IMAGE OF THE DIVINE MERCY
In mid-1930, Saint Faustina Kowalska was sent to a Monastery in Płock, where she worked successively baking, in the kitchen and in the bakery shop. On February 22, 1931 – exactly today 90 years ago - a revelation took place that left its mark not only on her life, but also on the history of the whole world. In the evening after fulfilling her duties, when she was in her cell - as she wrote in her Diary, Jesus came to her: “In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then} throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory”. (Diary 47-48 Plock, February 22, 1931)
I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: “Jesus, I trust in You.” (Diary 327, Plock, February 22, 1931)
This revelation initiated the devotion to the Divine Mercy. At that time, Faustina's mission, entrusted by Jesus to her to paint a picture that would be worshiped all over the world, in accordance with the details of the vision, was not an easy task. When the Sister told the confessor about everything, the confessor treated her confession with great reserve and took the Savior's command as to paint an image in the soul through good deeds. However, Jesus let her know that he wanted the image that he was talking about to be painted with a brush and blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, that is on the planned Feast of Mercy. Saint Faustina noted this fact in her Diary: “When I told this to my confessor, I received this for a reply: “That refers to your soul.” He told me, “Certainly, paint God’s image in your soul.” When I came out of the confessional, I again heard words such as these: My image already is in your soul. I desire that there be a Feast of Mercy. I want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy”. (Diary 49)
When Sister Faustina was sent to Vilnius in 1933, Fr. Michael Sopoćko, her confessor, with the consent of the superior sister, asked the painter Eugeniusz Kazimirowski to paint an Image according to the instructions of sister Faustina. The painting was completed in June 1934 and was placed in the Bernardine convent at the church of St. Michael in Vilnius, where Fr. Sopoćko was the chaplain.
In Vilnius Jesus explained what the rays meant: "The two rays," He said, "denote Blood and Water” (Diary 299).
One of the essential constituents of the image are the words inscribed in the signature: "Jesus, I trust in You." Jesus talked about these words during His first apparition at Plock and later on as well in Vilnius. "Jesus reminded me... that these three words must be clearly in evidence: Jesus, I trust in You" [in Polish the motto consists of three words; Jezu Ufam Tobie], wrote Sister Faustina (Diary 327).
Jesus drew special attention to one more of the details in the image. He said, "My gaze from this image is like My gaze from the cross" (Diary326).
Father M. Sopocko thought Sister Faustina's vision of Christ corresponds exactly to the vision described by St. John (Jn 20:10-21). It is the resurrected Christ, as He appeared to the gathered apostles when He bestowed on them the power of the Holy Spirit for the redemption of sins. For this reason, Father M. Sopocko did not feel bound by the verdict of the Holy Office and he continued to proclaim the truth about Divine Mercy and veneratedthe Image of the Merciful Jesus.
“The meaning behind this Image in the worship of Divine Mercy must be understood in the same way as any other image. That is, it is not the canvas or the frame that is honored, but the object Whom the image symbolizes. An image is not a sacrament. It is a sign referring to a defined reality. In this case, the importance of the inscription: "Jesus, I trust inYou" because it shows the purpose of looking at the image. This purpose is the "awakening of trust in God through the Intermediary, Jesus Christ" (Fr. M. Sopocko).
The image occupies a key position in the entire devotion to the Divine Mercy since it gives a visible synthesis of the basic constituents of the devotion. It recapitulates the essence of the devotion: boundless trust in God's goodness and the obligation of a merciful love of one's neighbor. The spirit of trust is referred to directly in the signature, "Jesus, I trust in You." In other words, veneration of the image rests in the combination of trustful prayer with the practice of works of mercy.
Promises attached to the veneration of the Image
There are three promises for which Jesus gave very clear definitions:
1. "I promise that the soul that venerates this image will not perish" (Diary 48) - in other words, Jesus gave a promise of eternal salvation
2. "I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death" (Diary 48) - this means the enemies of salvation, and the making of considerable progress on the road to Christian perfection
3. "especially at the hour of death I Myself shall defend it as My own glory" - this is the promise of the grace of a happy death.
Jesus' generosity does not stop at these three particular graces. He said: "I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of Mercy" (Diary 327) This means that He set no boundaries either to the extent or to the magnitude of those graces and temporal benefits which may be expected by those who venerate the image of Mercy in a spirit of unwavering trust.
As early as during her life, the Lord Jesus gave Sister Faustina an assurance that the image would draw many souls to God and that the Divine Mercy acts in souls through it: “When Mother [Irene] showed me the booklet with the Chaplet, the litany and the novena, I asked her to let me look it over. As I was glancing through it, Jesus gave me to know interiorly: Already there are many souls who have been drawn to My love by this image. My mercy acts in souls through this work. I learned that many souls had experienced God’s grace”. (cf. Diary 1379). In 1938, in April she wrote in her Diary: “Today I saw the glory of God which flows from the image. Many souls are receiving graces, although they do not speak of it openly. Even though it has met up with all sorts of vicissitudes, God is receiving glory because of it; and the efforts of Satan and of evil men are shattered and come to naught. In spite of Satan’s anger, The Divine Mercy will triumph over the whole world and will be worshipped by all souls” (Diary 1789).
Until Tomorrow
fr. george