Jesus, Mercy Incarnate

What we long to do is to plant faith deep in families, and love for the Sacred Heart. If Jesus Christ is in the roots, the whole tree will be Jesus Christ. 32 However, there is also a movement now for the solemn enthronement of the Image of The Divine Mercy in every home. It has its roots in Christ’s words to St. Faustina, “I am King of Mercy,” 33 and in her own poem about the Image, in which she wrote: “O sweet Jesus, it is here that You estab- lished the throne of Your mercy.” Although Jesus never explicitly asked for acts of “consecration” to His Merciful Heart, it seems to be implied in the complete act of “trust” called for by the signature on the Image — “Jesus, I trust in You” — and Pope John Paul II himself “entrusted” his entire Petrine ministry to the merciful Christ before the same Image. 35 This enthronement movement has received ecclesi- astical approval from several sources, and the aims of this movement are quite similar to those of the enthronement movement of the Sacred Heart: Enthronement (of the Image of Mercy) provides a special welcome for Jesus to come into our hearts and homes to claim them for Himself. He alone is theWay, the Truth, and the Life. When the grace of God reigns in the members of a family, the presence of the Holy Spirit increases the divine life in them, immersing them in the sacraments of His mercy. 36 The questions naturally arise: are these two enthronement movements in competition ? Is there any need in the Church for both? Should the new movement simply replace the old? The best answer would seem to be that both movements are actually enthroning the same Sacred Heart of Jesus, but that Heart seen under different aspects . These aspects are true, and comple- mentary, and therefore there is need, and room in the life of the Church for both enthronement movements to flourish . If we are enthroning a more traditional image of the Sacred Heart, then we are honoring Christ’s physical Heart as the best 116 Jesus, Mercy Incarnate