If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love – John 15:7-9 (RSVCE)
As at His first coming Our Lord appeared as the shining Light of the world to overcome sin and lead His people out of darkness, so He appeared again to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s to continue His illuminating work. And like at His first coming, Jesus found a worthy Apostle in the form of a lowly Polish nun to publish and herald His Gospel of Divine Mercy to the world.
On this Divine Mercy Sunday, a day which Our Lord instituted through St. Faustina, we commemorate the saving Mercies of Christ, as well as draw our attention to the Image of Divine Mercy which was also created through the Polish saint. Painted by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski in 1934 under the guidance of St. Faustina, the image has its origin in one of the many mystical visions she experienced during her life in the convent. As recorded in her diary, Our Lord instructed that the scene which she had seen with her own eyes be placed on canvas so that the whole world may too look upon the image of the Saviour. This calls to mind the words of Christ when He said: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness [that whoever looked upon the image of the serpent was healed, cf. Numbers 21:4-9], so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (Jn 3:14-15).
It is fitting that Divine Mercy Sunday comes at the end of the Easter Octave, since the devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus is a kind of summary and re-presentation of the redemptive work accomplished through His Cross and resurrection. The red and white beams which emanate from the Heart of Jesus signify the blood and water which spilled out of Christ’s side on the Cross (Jn 19:34). The blood and water itself represent the Sacraments of the Church, blood for the Eucharist, and water for baptism. So it is said that the Church is born from the side of Christ, just as Eve was created from Adam’s side. The image of Divine Mercy also gives a sense of the Risen Christ, both His physical appearance and of His continuing redemptive work within the Church. Christ, now in glory after the scandal and pain of His death, continues to invite people to come to Him so that He may draw all men to myself (Jn 12:32): Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mt 11:28, 30).
On the Cross, Jesus suffered so as to enter into His glory, and accomplished the redemption of mankind through His atoning death as the one and only sacrifice for sin. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself (Hebrews 7:27). However, the sufferings of the Cross were short lived in the face of the glory which He gained afterwards. This should be a consolation for us who experience trial and temptation, that even while it may seem painful at the time, a far greater reward is being prepared for us. In the words of St. Francis of Assisi: “The sufferings of this world are trifling, but the glory of the life to come is of infinite worth” (Little Flowers of St. Francis, ch. 18).
Divine Mercy Sunday reminds us, in the words of the concluding prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, to always have recourse to the infinite mercies of Christ “that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.” Especially in these difficult times of separation, loss, and perhaps even despair, we need to listen to the Gospel of mercy, so that we may be able to say with St. Paul; I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).
Jesus, I trust in You.
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