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The
restored
Vilnius Image of
The Divine Mercy.
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the Faustina Film Project.
History
of the Image of Divine Mercy, taken from Faustina's spiritual
diary.
"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." (47)
"Once,
when I was visiting the artist [Eugene Kazimirowski] who was painting
the image, and saw that it was not as beautiful as Jesus is, I
felt very sad about it, but I hid this deep in my heart. When
we had left the artist’s house, Mother Superior [Irene] stayed
in town to attend to some matters while I returned home alone.
I went immediately to the chapel and wept a good deal. I said
to the Lord, "Who will paint You as beautiful as You are?"
Then I heard these words:
"Not in the beauty of the color, nor
of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace."
(313)
"The
two rays denote Blood and Water. 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." (299)
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The
Importance of the
Image of Divine Mercy
St. Faustina writes in her diary:
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. (Diary #480)
Not
in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness
of this Image, but in My grace. (313)
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. (327).
By
means of this Image I shall be granting many graces to souls;
so let every soul have access to it.
(570)
It
is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the
strongest faith is of no avail without works. (742)
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. (48)
I
desire that the image be publicly honored. (414
)
I
want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about
it. (341)
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A
little-known promise
The
restored Image of Vilnius is a beautiful addition to any room
or chapel. But greater than it’s beauty are Our Lord’s
words, “Not in the beauty of the
color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but
in My grace.” (Diary 313).
In one
of the first booklets that Sister Faustina’s confessor, Father
Sopocko, published, he mentioned a promise made by Jesus regarding
the veneration of the Image of Himself that He told Faustina to
paint, that we cannot find neither in the diary nor in her letters.
Before St. Faustina was told by her spiritual director to keep
a diary of her spiritual experiences, she used to record those,
about which she thought she ought to inform him, on pieces of
paper and give them to him. The Sister who was the vice-postulator
for Poland knew that there was a collection of these which ultimately
must have been given to the investigatory tribunal that was to
inspect her writings, and it’s possible that this promise
was mentioned among those papers. Anyway, Father Sopocko knew
about it and I’m sure that if it wasn’t true, he would
not have included it in that booklet. It was a promise that Jesus
made: I will save those cities and houses
in which this Image will be found. He also said: I will likewise
protect the persons who will honor and trust in My Mercy.
There
were many reports of incidents sent to us by people who said they
believed this promise, and enthroned an Image of The Divine Mercy
in their homes and summer camps, and on numerous occasions their
places were miraculously preserved from damage.” ~ Father
Seraphim Michalenko, former vice-postulator for the cause of St.
Faustina in North America, shared this in a talk given in Florida
on Oct. 13, 2003.
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