Jesus, I Trust In You!
Biography
Born in 1905 in the village of Glogowiec near Lodz, Sister Faustina was the third of ten children. From a very tender age, Faustina was notable in her habits of prayer, her fastidious work, obedience, and her concern for the poor. For her schooling, she received not quite three years of elementary school and later became a domestic servant as a teenager
	At the age of 20, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in which, as Sister Maria Faustina, she spent 13 years. While a seemingly simple and monotonous life, Sister Faustina had an exceptionally profound union with God. Even from her earliest childhood, she desired to become a saint, and she consistently worked with Jesus for the salvation of lost souls, even to the extent of offering her life as a sacrifice for poor sinners. As such, she was given the grace of much suffering, as well as numerous mystical graces. To Sister Faustina, Jesus said,
	“In the Old Covenant I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to my people. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart.”
	This simple, though trusting religious, was to be trusted with one of God’s most amazing declarations!
	Racked and broken by tuberculosis, and from the many sufferings that she bore in the sacrifice for sinners, Sister Faustina died October 5, 1938 at the young age of 33, the same age as our Lord when He died.
	In 1993, on the first Sunday after Easter, in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope John Paul II declared her on of the community of the Blessed. In his statement to his General Audience, the Holy Father said, “God has spoken to us through the spiritual wealth of Sister Faustina Kowalska. She left to the world the great message of Divine Mercy and an incentive to complete self surrender to the Creator. God endowed her with singular grace that enabled her to experience His mercy through mystical encounter and by a special gift of contemplative prayer. Blessed Sister Faustina, thank you for reminding the world of that great mystery of Divine Mercy; that ‘startling mystery,’ that inexpressible mystery of the Father, which today every individual and the whole world need so very much.” Today, the process of her canonization continues, and she will no doubt one day be joined to the communion of saints in which we so frequently seek intercession.
	The Essence of the Divine Mercy
	Trust is so essential to the Divine Mercy devotion that without it the devotion cannot exist; this is because out worship of the Divine Mercy is first and foremost an expression of trust. An attitude of trust alone (even without the practice of other forms of devotion) already assures the trusting soul of grace that it will receive God’s mercy. I desire, Jesus promised, to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Sinners will attain justification, and the just will be confirmed in good. Whoever places his trust in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death.
	Trust is no only the essence or soul of this devotion, but also the condition for obtaining graces. The graces of My mercy, Jesus told Sister Faustina, Jesus told Sister Faustina, are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is trust. The more a souls trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is my desire to give them much, very much. The soul that will trust in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself will take care of it. No soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness.
Mercy expresses the disposition we should have towards every human being. Jesus told Sister Faustina, I demand deeds of mercy, which arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first -- by deed, the second, by word, and the third, by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.
This attitude of an active love of neighbor is also a condition for obtaining graces. Jesus recalled the Gospel maxim when He said, If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain mercy on the day of judgment. Oh if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy. The Lord desires that those who worship Him perform at least one act of mercy every day. My daughter, He told Sister Faustina, know that My Heart is mercy itself. From this sea of mercy graces flow out upon the world.... I desire that your heart be an abiding place of My mercy. I desire that this mercy flow out upon the whole world through your heart. Let know one who approaches you go away without that trust in My mercy which I so ardently desire for souls.
The Image of Divine Mercy
The image of the Divine Mercy originates from a vision that Sister Faustina had in Plock on February 22, 1931. In that vision Christ expressed His desire to have such an image painted and that the words in the signature beneath it be: Jesus, I trust in You. The Image represents the risen Christ, whose hands and feet bear the marks of the Crucifixion. From His pierced Heart, not visible in the image, two rays issue forth: red and pale. When asked about their meaning, Jesus explained, 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 very depths of My tender mercy when my agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. In other words, these two rays signify the Sacraments, and also the Holy Church born of the pierced side of Christ, as well as the gifts of the Holy Spirit, of which water is a symbol in Scripture. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him....I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: ~ Jesus, I trust in You ~ By means of this image, I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every soul have access to it. I promise that the soul that shall venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over (its) enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory.
Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them. Before I come as a just judge, I first open wide the doors of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the doors of My mercy must pass through the doors of My justice.
The Feast of Divine Mercy
According to Jesus’ wish, the Feast of Mercy is to be celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Jesus is showing us the close connection between the Easter mystery of man’s Redemption and this feast. The Liturgy for this day extols God most fully in the mystery of His mercy. The Feast of Mercy is to be but not only a day designated for the singular worship of God’s Mercy, but also a day of grace for all people, particularly for sinners. Jesus attached great promises to this feast, the greatest of which is connected with the reception of Holy Communion on that day. It is the promise of complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. In other words, this grace is equal only to the one we receive in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. The greatness of this feast lies also in the fact that everyone, even those converted that very day, may obtain any grace for the asking, if what they are asking is compatible with God’s will.
I want this image, Jesus told sister Faustina, ...to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are open all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. The Feast of My Mercy has issued forth from My very depths for the consolation of the whole world and is confirmed in the vast depths of My tender mercies
The preparation for this Feast is to be a Novena consisting of the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet for nine days, beginning on Good Friday.
The Sacrament of Penance
Jesus’ Words to Sister Faustina:
When you go to Confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flow down upon your soul and ennoble it. Every time you go to Confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy, souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because my grace turns away from them to humble souls. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy. There the greatest miracles take place and are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery and the miracle of the Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no hope of restoration and and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
The Sacrament of Communion
Jesus’ words to Sister Faustina:
I desire to unite Myself with human souls....When I come to a human heart in Holy Communion, My hands are full of all kinds of graces which I want to give to the soul. But souls do not even pay any attention to Me; they leave Me to Myself and busy themselves with other things. Oh how sad I am that souls do not recognize Love! Oh how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion! I wait for souls, and they are indifferent to Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. The treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy.
The Hour of Mercy
As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole of the world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul.
It is Jesus’ desire that the moment of His Death on the Cross (3:00pm) be venerated every day; the hour which He said was the hour of grace for the whole world -- mercy triumphed over justice. At this hour, we should meditate upon His sorrowful Passion because it reveals most fully the love God has for His people. At this time, Jesus wants us to worship and glorify the Mercy of God, and, by the merits of His Passion, to implore the necessary graces for ourselves and the whole world, especially sinners.
Try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, Jesus instructed, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into that chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.
Prayer for the Intercession of Blessed Sister Faustina:
O Jesus, who filled Blessed Faustina with profound veneration for Your boundless Mercy, deign, if it be Your Holy will, to grant me, through her intercession, the grace for which I fervently pray...
My sins render me unworthy of Your Mercy, but be mindful of Sister Faustina’s spirit of sacrifice and self-denial, and reward her virtue by granting the petition which, with childlike trust, I present to You through her intercession.
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be....
Blessed Faustina, pray for us.