Michael E. Gaitley - The Divine Mercy Image Explained

Copyright 2013 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. All rights reserved.

Available from:

Marian Helpers Center

Stockbridge, MA 01263

Prayerline:1-800-804-3823

Orderline: 1-800-462-7426

Website: www.thedivinemercy.org

ISBN: 978-1-59614-277-0

First edition: 2013

Printed in the United States of America

IMPRIMI POTEST

Rev. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC

Provincial Superior

March 19, 2013

Solemnity of St. Joseph

Text from the English Edition of the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul , 1987 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M., Stockbridge, MA 01263.

A UTHORS P REFACE

Im overjoyed to write this booklet right at the time that my community, the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, is offering one of the most beautiful images of Divine Mercy ever! I mean this sincerely, and let me tell you why.

Back in the year 2000, my community donated funds so the very first Image of Divine Mercy, painted under St. Faustinas direction, could be restored to its original beauty. (The image had become severely darkened due to an accumulation of soot from votive candles.) Fortunately, the restoration was a great success. Unfortunately, the official photograph taken after the restoration wasnt so great.

Well, more recently, weve obtained a much higher quality photo of the image and commissioned a team of graphic artists to digitally adjust it to better match the glory of Faustinas vision. The end result is absolutely amazing. In fact, everyone who has seen this new image, especially when its held up to the old one, comments on its breathtaking beauty.

Now, as the director of the Association of Marian Helpers, Im doing all I can to get this gorgeous, restored image to as many people as possible.

Why would Jesus say such things? Whats so special about this image? And what can it mean for you and your family? Thats what youll discover in the pages that follow.

Under the rays of his mercy,

Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC

Director, Association of Marian Helpers

February 22, 2013

82nd Anniversary of the Revelation

of the Divine Mercy Image

I NTRODUCTION

On February 22, 1931, one of the most famous apparitions in the history of the Catholic Church happened in the city of Pock, Poland.

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 Sr. Faustina had remained for some time in this contemplative state of joyful wonder, Jesus spoke to her in the following words:

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.

Faustina obeyed the Lords command with the blessing and help of her spiritual director, Blessed Michael Sopocko. Using his own money, this holy priest commissioned an artist, Eugene Kazimirowski, to paint the image.

Closely working with Sr. Faustina, Kazimirowski completed the painting after no less than 12 tries.

My grace. What is this grace that Jesus speaks of, this grace that makes the Divine Mercy Image so great? Thats what well explore in the next section. Then, in subsequent sections, well look at the meaning behind certain aspects of the image and how you can enthrone it in your home. So, by the end of this booklet, youll have everything you need to know about a most important image for our time, an image of great grace and blessing, an image that brings Christ to your home the Image of Divine Mercy.

T HE G RACE OF THE I MAGE

S CRIPTURAL F OUNDATION. The great grace of the Image of Divine Mercy is rooted in a passage from the Gospel of John, a passage that describes the very first Easter Sunday, a passage thats read every year at Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday (the Second Sunday of Easter). Reflecting on this passage will help introduce us to the special grace of the Divine Mercy Image. Lets prayerfully read the passage now:

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained (20:19-23).

In a certain sense, this scene is the Image of Divine Mercy. For just as Jesus suddenly appears here to the apostles who were filled with fear, shame, and sin, so also, in the Divine Mercy Image, he suddenly appears to each one of us in the midst of our own darkness. Just as Jesus here brings the apostles his peace, joy, and forgiveness, so also, in the Divine Mercy Image, Jesus brings us his saving grace. Finally, just as Jesus here breathes on the apostles and says to them, Receive the Holy Spirit, so also, through the rays of the Divine Mercy Image, Jesus sends us the same gift of the Spirit when we respond with the prayer, Jesus, I trust in you.

In a beautiful address to the women of St. Faustinas own community, the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Blessed John Paul II offers a commentary on the Image of Divine Mercy that reiterates some of the themes from the above Gospel passage. He says:

Anyone can come [and] look at this image of the merciful Jesus, his Heart radiating grace, and hear in the depths of his own soul what [St.] Faustina heard: Fear nothing. I am with you always ( Diary , n. 412). And if this person responds with a sincere heart: Jesus, I trust in you!, he will find comfort in all his anxieties and fears. In this dialogue of abandonment, there is established between man and Christ a special bond that sets love free. And there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear (1 Jn 4:18).

This is actually kind of interesting. Here, the Pope weaves together Scripture (see 1 Jn 4:18), the Image of Divine Mercy, and words from St. Faustinas Diary . But why does he bother to bring in the latter two? Why doesnt he just stick with Scripture? Why bring up the image and Faustina? Its because the Pope well knew that one of the great treasures of Catholicism is that we not only have the gift of the Bible but also that of Sacred Tradition, and through such Tradition, the Holy Spirit continues to bless and enrich the Church with the truth of Christ. sacred art and the prophetic witness of the saints. Lets look at both of these in turn and see how they relate to the Image of Divine Mercy.

T RADITION: S ACRED A RT. From the very first centuries of Christianity, Christs disciples have sought to communicate the mysteries of the faith through art. For example, sacred symbols and various images depicting events in the life of Christ cover the graves of countless Christians in the ancient catacombs of Rome. Because such sacred art is a longstanding tradition in the Church, the full-size version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church includes sacred images from different periods of the Churchs history as an integral part of its presentation of the faith.

Why are sacred images so important to the Church? Perhaps its because, in a certain sense, the very nature of art is Christian. Heres what I mean: Our faith is about the Word become flesh in Jesus Christ, and sacred images are, in a way, the Word become flesh in sacred art. As such enfleshed Word, sacred art can move the heart to an experience of Christ in a way that words cannot always do. For example, its one thing to simply hear that Jesus died for our sins yet quite another to behold him bruised, bloodied, and broken on a handcrafted crucifix. Because of this uncanny power of art, the Church has been the patron of some of the greatest artistic masterpieces in the world, from the stunning mosaics of ancient churches to the fantastic frescos of the Sistine Chapel.

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