The Holy Gospels reveal in their inspired pages the wealth of nuances in the Person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in some of His infinite attributes. At one moment, it is the divine wrath of the One who single-handedly drives dozens of money changers out of the Temple that shines through (cf. Jn 2:13-17), at another it is His holy indignation at the hardness of heart of the Pharisees (cf. Mk 3:5) or His intransigence towards sin, manifested even in forgiving the adulteress caught in the act (cf. Jn 8:11). There is, however, a certain Gospel passage that seems to be one of the pinnacles in the revelation of Jesus’ goodness: “Come to Me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is sweet and My burden light” (Mt 11:28-30).
St. Faustina was one of the souls chosen by God to reveal to the world the mysterious and infinite depths of mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
By some mysterious design, this aspect of His own Person seems to have been the one that Our Lord has most wanted to manifest in recent centuries: “meek and humble of heart.” Since the 17th century, when He appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Sacred Heart of Jesus has not ceased to reveal the mystery of His infinite mercy to chosen souls. And the beginning of the 20th century brings us an impressive example of this reality.

A chosen soul

Helena Kowalska was born in the little village of Głogowiec, Poland, the third of ten children in a simple labouring family. From the age of seven, she felt the call to a religious vocation, but her parents opposed it. She also tried to hide this divine call in her own soul, resigning herself to remaining in the world. However, prompted by a vision of the suffering Jesus and His words of rebuke in questioning her: – “How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting Me off?”1 – she made a firm resolution to enter the convent.
St. Faustina Kowalska - Basilica of Corpus Christi, Krakow (Poland)
After many attempts to enter other religious houses, Helena at last crossed the threshold of the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Warsaw on August 1, 1925. There she received the name Sr. Maria Faustina and began her life within the sacred walls, where great mysteries would be revealed to her. She was always excellent in the performance of her religious duties and her obligations to the community. In her dealings with the sisters of the congregation, no one was more sacrificial and humble, despite the difficulties she encountered in socializing with them, precisely because of the supernatural communications she received, which caused misunderstandings and, perhaps, even aroused envy. But all this did nothing but strengthen her soul, with a view to fulfilling her mission.

The image of the Merciful Jesus

Our Lord asked the Saint for the painting of an image according to the vision she was shown, promising special graces to those who venerate it
At a certain point, Our Lord expressed to her that He wanted that an image of Himself be painted, and that a liturgical feast, a chaplet and a novena be established, all in honour of Divine Mercy. About the vision she had of the image on February 22, 1931, Faustina writes: “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.’”2
Original painting of the Divine Mercy, by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski - Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, Vilnius (Lithuania)
As she left Confession, during which she told her confessor about Jesus’ request regarding the image, the nun heard these words inside her: “I desire that there will 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. I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me – clamouring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls.”3 By asking St. Faustina to have the image blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, Our Lord shows that everything it expresses is closely linked to the Liturgy of this day, on which the Church proclaims St. John’s Gospel about the appearance of the risen Jesus in the Upper Room and the institution of the Sacrament of Penance (cf. Jn 20:19-29). The image represents this very risen Jesus, who brought remission of sins and salvation to all men at the price of His Death on the Cross.

Two rays that shield souls

Regarding the two rays, Jesus communicates their meaning to St. Faustina, who writes in her diary: “The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him.”4 The water that justifies souls is Holy Baptism, and the Blood recalls the Eucharist, which gives life to the soul. These two Sacraments are indispensable for every Catholic: the first opens the door to divine filiation, configuring us to Christ, and the second constitutes the source and summit of the Church’s life. It is through the reception of the Sacrament of the Altar that we perfect all that we received in Baptism.5

The overflow of God’s love stamped on an image

Now, what was the Divine Redeemer’s deepest intention in having this image painted? He wanted to imprint on a canvas that which overflowed from His Heart: mercy. By contemplating the painting, people would remember Jesus’ promises and abandon themselves to Him with greater confidence. Our Lord associated this image with special promises of salvation, of great progress in the spiritual life and of a holy death, as well as other gifts that people might ask of Him: “By means of this image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so, let every soul have access to it.”6 And St. Faustina managed to fulfil Jesus’ wishes. During the triduum that preceded the closing of the Jubilee of the Redemption of the World, from April 26 to 28, 1935, the image, painted by the artist Eugeniusz Kazimierowski, was exhibited to the public for the first time at the top of a window in Ostra Brama – one of Vilna’s city gates and an important pilgrimage centre – and was seen by everyone. By “coincidence”, this solemnity fell on the Sunday after Easter, on which the Feast of Mercy was to be celebrated according to Jesus’ request to His confidante.7

The Feast of Mercy

But Our Lord wanted an official feast in honour of His Divine Mercy. The Saviour revealed His wishes in this regard on a number of occasions:
The Feast and the chaplet of Divine Mercy were further means established by Our Lord by which to pour out His pardon upon sinful humanity
“I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. “On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. […] Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity.”8 He also desired that priests preach about mercy from the pulpits on that day. Souls should feel, through the words of the holy ministers, the extent of God’s forgiveness for all sinners.

The Chaplet and Novena of Divine Mercy

On September 13 and 14, 1935, Jesus dictated the Chaplet of Mercy as a means of appeasing God’s wrath. The Lord Himself taught what should be prayed: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us.”9 The prayer, which forms the heart of the Chaplet of Mercy, was to be recited according to the division revealed to God’s confidante: “This prayer will serve to appease My wrath. You will recite it for nine days, on the beads of the rosary, in the following manner: First of all, you will say one Our Father and Hail Mary and the I Believe in God. Then on the Our Father beads you will say the following words: ‘Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.’ In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: ‘Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.’”10 Prayed with sincerity and humility, this prayer obtains abundant graces of conversion and a good death, which is necessary for every man in this land of exile.

“An era in which the Sacred Heart of Jesus will most shine”

On October 5, 1938, Sister Mary Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament gave her soul to the Creator after enduring great suffering. With her holocaust, the cult of mercy began to spread and the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus was born.11
The Sacred Heart of Jesus - Church of St. Dominic, Cuenca (Ecuador)
The relevance of devotion to the Divine Mercy becomes more evident every day. On the occasion of St. Faustina’s canonization Mass on April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II left us with a profound comment: “What will the years ahead bring us? What will man’s future on earth be like? We are not given to know. However, it is certain that in addition to new progress there will unfortunately be no lack of painful experiences. But the light of divine mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sr. Faustina’s charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium.”12
The Sacred Heart of Jesus thirsts to grant His forgiveness, and demands only that we show Him our errors and run to meet Him with complete trust
In fact, mankind has never needed mercy as much as it does today. Our founder Msgr. João once commented: “The Sacred Heart of Jesus has a thirst to forgive and an infinite capacity to do so. But in order to do so, He needs people who are ‘in error, like St. Paul, in order to forgive them. […] And that is why the historical era in which the Sacred Heart of Jesus will shine most brightly will be ours.”13 This is the only condition that this Heart of goodness imposes in order for us to be objects of His love: to present our errors and run to Him with boundless trust, certain that He will receive us with overflowing mercy. ◊  

Notes

1 ST. FAUSTINA KOWALSKA. Diary, n.9. 3.ed. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, 2008. The other quotations from the Diary, all transcribed from the same edition, will be indicated only by the internal numbering of the work.

2 Idem, n.47-48.

3 Idem, n.49-50.

4 Idem, n.299.

5 Cf. BENEDICT XVI. Sacramentum caritatis, n.17.

6 ST. FAUSTINA KOWALSKA, op. cit., n.570.

7 Cf. Idem, n.89.

8 Idem, n.699; 965.

9 Idem, n.475.

10 Idem, n.476.

11 Among the revelations made by Our Lord to St. Faustina was that of founding a congregation whose aim would be to spread the cult of Divine Mercy. Sr. Faustina was unable to fulfil this wish of Jesus in her lifetime, but after her death, through the efforts of Blessed Michael Sopoćko, her confessor and spiritual director, the congregation began to develop and on August 2, 1955 it was canonically erected by the apostolic administrator of Gorzów Wielkopolski, Fr. Zygmunt Szelążek.

12 ST. JOHN PAUL II. Homily, 30/4/2000.

13 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Homily. Caieiras, 12/9/2009.