Pillars of Fire In My Soul

this is found in the words of Jesus related to His formal demand for the veneration of the image described in the ini- tial revelation of February 22, 1931: “I demand the worship of Mercy... through the veneration of this image.” 4 The words of Jesus, cited above, distinguish two objects of the Devotion, namely, its essential or proper object, and it inessential, incidental, and material object. The words “through the veneration of this image” unmistakenly indicate that the image whose painting and veneration Jesus demand- ed was to be only a means for honoring Mercy, consequently, only its material, inessential object. The proper object, in other words, the object to which all acts and forms of devo- tion are in reality directed, is Mercy alone. As we have already emphasized, this mercy is the Divine, infinite and unfathomable Mercy of God, one-in-Holy Trinity, the mercy of God the Father, but most especially and most often the mercy of Jesus Christ or His Divine-human Heart. Although, the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus simply and directly signifies the human, created mercy by which His Heart was guided and lived for us, nevertheless on the basis of the unity of personality, it also signifies His Divine Mercy. Concerning His Sacred Heart, Jesus speaks to Sister Helen Faustina: “My Heart is Mercy Itself” (Diary §1777). But He also states the same thing about Himself. Therefore, Jesus as the incarnation of Divine Mercy is also the proper object of the devotion. It follows that this Devotion may equally well be called Devotion to the Divine Mercy and Devotion to the Merciful Jesus, with both names expressing exactly the essence of the Devotion in reference to its object. Jesus, the Divine Mercy Incarnate, occupies, however, a privileged place in this Devotion. He is not only the proper object of it, but He is the main object, in the sense that all acts of this Devotion actually have Jesus as the proper aim, even those acts which are directed to the other Persons of God. For instance, the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy is clearly directed to 98 Pillars of Fire in My Soul