Jesus, Mercy Incarnate

You.” It is no wonder that the Image is such a powerful one in the new evangelization, for it is a little summary of the basic gospel message: God’s gracious offer to us of free, unconditional, merci- ful love, through Jesus Christ. On one occasion, St. Faustina had a vision of the Heart of Jesus which confirmed for her the role of His Heart as the source of Mercy: After the renewal of vows (in the year 1932) and Holy Communion, I suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who said to me with great kindness, “My daughter, look at My Merciful Heart.” As I fixed my gaze on the Most Sacred Heart, the same rays of light, as are represented in the image as blood and water, came from it, and I understood how great is the Lord’s mercy. Again, the enthronement of the Image of The Divine Mercy is also an enthronement of the Sacred Heart, but that Heart seen under a different aspect. The focus is on the merciful love that flows to us from His Heart , for in that image, what stands out most dis- tinctly are the red and pale rays that shine out from His breast. These rays represent the healing and sanctifying graces, especially of Baptism and the Eucharist, that flow from the Sacred Heart of Jesus toward us. This makes the Mercy image especially suitable for the desperate needs of somany families in our time, families all too often broken and wounded by evil: apostasy, adultery, divorce and division, contraception, fornication, greed, shallow con- sumerist materialism, and murder of the unborn. These assaults of evil, often promoted by modern culture, are simply overwhelming many Catholic families. The rays of the Mercy image show us the healing, sanctifying graces that our Savior is longing to pour into every human heart, if only we will receive them with trust: My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world.... I let My Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. 39 118 Jesus, Mercy Incarnate