24 Marian Helper • Winter 2023-24 • Marian.org Robert knew that images can influence faith. One day, his Catholic wife had tucked a Divine Mercy card into his wallet (above), telling him, “Carry Jesus with you.” Robert had never heard of Sr. Faustina or the Divine Mercy message. “But I did enjoy looking at this beautiful and calming image,” he admits, “Jesus with a serene countenance and dazzling rays flowing out from His Sacred Heart above the words, ‘Jesus, en Ti Confio’ (Jesus, I trust in You).” Rosary, interrupted Although not Catholic, Robert regularly attended Mass and prayed the Rosary with his family. During the Rosary one evening, Robert’s thoughts wandered to the party he and his wife planned to attend. As his wife began the third decade, Robert interrupted to tell her they needed to go, or they would be late. Rather than leave the Rosary unfinished, his wife told him she would stay home. By Marian Friedrichs Kidnapped in Mexico! A true story of a Divine Mercy rescue It was autumn, 1997. In a few months, December would bring its festivities to Mexico City, including fireworks at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Robert (not his real name) was looking forward to it. As an American Protestant working in Mexico, he admired the sincere piety of the many devout Catholic Mexicans who would make a pilgrimage to the Basilica, often walking from many miles away to approach, some on their knees, the sacred image of Our Lady preserved on St. Juan Diego’s tilma.
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