In her Diary, on Feb. 12, 1937, St. Faustina wrote a beautiful poem entitled "God's Love is the flower - Mercy the fruit." Saint Faustina wrote, "Let the doubting soul read these considerations on Divine Mercy and become trusting" (949). Let's consider this poem line by line that we might become more trusting of Jesus, the Divine Mercy.
By Melanie Williams
Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.
We read in John's Gospel that on Good Friday, the Jews wanted to quicken the death of Jesus due to the celebration of Passover, which was about to begin. They ordered that His legs be broken so that He would suffocate faster on the Cross and die. But when the soldiers came to Jesus, they saw He was already dead. He had already said, "It is finished," bowed His head, and died. So, to confirm that He was indeed dead, "one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out" (Jn 19:34). Jesus was already dead, but God allowed His Son's Heart to be further pierced as a sign of His never-ending love - a love that pours itself out to the very end.
Robert Stackpole, STD, expounds upon this in his book Divine Mercy: A Guide from Genesis to Benedict XVI (Marian Press) and quotes a dialogue between St. Catherine of Siena and Jesus on this very topic.
She asks our Lord: "Why, gentle spotless Lamb, since you were dead when your side was opened, did you want your heart to be pierced and parted?" (75). Jesus replied:
There were plenty of reasons, but I shall tell you one of the chief. My longing for humankind was infinite, but the actual deed of bearing pain and torment was finite and could never show all the love I had. This is why I wanted you to see my inmost heart, so that you would see that I loved you more than finite suffering could show.
In the Image of Divine Mercy, He reveals to us that Divine Mercy continues to flow out of the open wound of His Heart. Even after the Resurrection, Jesus retains His wounds. God could have chosen to heal Jesus' wounds in the Resurrection, but He didn't. He leaves the wounds in His hands and His side open for all eternity as a sign of His love and what He has done for us.
Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of Jesus for us, and especially for sinners, I trust in You.
Jesus' mercy never ends and never runs out, especially for sinners. He said to St. Faustina time and again that if a sinner but accepts His grace and turns to Him with trust, He will rush into their soul and do the rest. "Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul," He said to her (Diary, 1777). His Heart is a treasure trove of Divine Mercy that is available for us if we but ask for it.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You.
A further sign of His unending love for us is the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Who would imagine that God would choose to veil Himself under the appearance of bread in the Sacred Host so that He could remain with us on this earth as we make our pilgrim journey to Heaven. This is Divine Mercy - love that goes down to the lowest point, as Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, puts it.
Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy Church, I trust in You.
Jesus founded His Church to be our ship to guide us home to Heaven. In her, we receive the Sacraments that grant us God's healing and salvation to our souls. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, the saints, in the Church. This is all part of God's Divine Mercy. What a great blessing it is to be Catholic and to be able to receive God's Divine Mercy, especially through the Sacraments of Confession, Holy Eucharist, and Anointing of the Sick!
Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua). ... Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission (1213).
What a wonderful gift from God! In our baptismal promises, when we renew them (at Easter, for example), we renounce sin, the glamour of evil, and Satan; we proclaim our belief in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and all that we profess in our Creed. By these promises we live our lives as children of God and recipients of Divine Mercy.
We will continue this series next month.