Throughout history, countless beautiful pieces of art have been created by Catholic artists, with talented and unique artists behind every one of them. However, none of these pieces of artwork can compare to the Image of the Divine Mercy, which depicts Jesus giving a blessing while his heart emits two lights, one red and one blue, with the phrase “Jesus I trust in You” written beneath his feet.
The saint who inspired this image painted by Polish artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski is St. Faustina, who is one of the greatest Catholic women in terms of devotion to the Divine Mercy. Born on Aug. 25, 1905, she found herself in a big yet poor family living in the small village of Glogowiec, Poland.
From a young age, she had always wanted to join the convent to serve God, but her parents never allowed her, leading her to instead become a housekeeper in an attempt to support her family. However, she never gave up on her calling, and would continue towards her dream of becoming a nun.
This goal was a difficult one to achieve, as many convents would reject her for a multitude of reasons, ranging from her appearance to her poverty. Eventually, in 1925, she was accepted into a convent, and changed her name from Helena to Sr. Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.
She had a typical, quiet life as a nun, but she was known to have many extraordinary visions, with one of these visions inspiring this famous piece of artwork.
The painting in question is said to be directly inspired by a vision St. Faustina had: she was in her room when she witnessed Jesus in the room with her, with one hand being raised as if he were giving a blessing.
From his hand, two lights came out, one that was red and one that was blue. In St. Faustina’s diary, she states that Jesus told her to ‘paint the image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You’.
It is said that this painting represents the Resurrection of Jesus after the crucifixion. The rays of light that go through his chest, specifically coming from where his heart is, are meant to signify both the sacraments of Mercy, which are Baptism and Penance, and the Eucharist.
The blue light represents the sacraments of Mercy, as the blue is meant to symbolize water, which cleanses the soul during these practices and is a direct parallel to the practice of Baptism.
The red represents the Eucharist, as it symbolizes the blood of Christ pouring out. This particular scene directly parallels John 19:34, in which Jesus is stabbed through the heart with a spear while he is on the cross, leading to both blood and water gushing out of the wound.
This image is paired with the prayer called the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which is often prayed similarly to the rosary, and issaid to give one great mercy at the hour of one’s death. It should also be mentioned that this image should be venerated on the Feast of the Divine Mercy, which is the first Sunday after Easter.
When an image is venerated, it means that it should be treated with great respect. Despite her simple life, St. Faustina is a woman who has shown tremendous strength and love to God.
She made it her life’s mission to dedicate her life to God, even when this seemed out of reach for most of her early life. I would highly recommend reading her diary to learn more about her.