Saint
Faustina
Divine
Mercy Sunday—April 23, 2006
On October 5, 1938,
a young religious by the name Sister Faustina (Helen Kowalska) died
in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in
Cracow, Poland. She came from a very poor family that had struggled
hard on their little farm during the terrible years of WWI. Sister
had had only three years of very simple education. Hers were the humblest
of tasks in the convent, usually in the kitchen or the vegetable garden,
or as a porter.
On February 22, 1931, Our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ appeared to this simple nun, bringing with Him
a wonderful message of Mercy for all mankind. Saint Faustina tells us
in her diary under this date:
"In the evening, when
I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white
garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the
garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast
there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence
I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but
also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image
according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust
in You.'"
Some time later, Our Lord again
spoke to her:
"The pale ray
stands for the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands
for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth
from the depths of My most tender Mercy at that time when My agonizing
Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross....Fortunate is the one who
will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay
hold of him."
More on Divine
Mercy
What is Divine
Mercy Sunday?
