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Divine Mercy - St. Francis of Assisi Parish

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The Divine Mercy
© Cecilia Lawrence
April 7th 2015
18 x 30 inches
34 Hours
Acrylic on Wood


Happy Divine Mercy Sunday everyone! This is an image I have been working on feverishly all during Lent and especially during Holy Week, so I'm excited about finally being able to post it up here. This image of Divine Mercy was done as a commission for the parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Feast of Divine Mercy. The Feast of Divine Mercy was established by the Church as a refuge for souls in response to the wish of Christ made known to St. Faustina. He told her: “I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day the very depths of my tender mercy are open. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment." (Diary of St. Faustina 699) "Souls perish in spite of my bitter Passion. I am giving them the hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy." (Diary of St. Faustina 965) and: “tell aching humanity to snuggle close to my merciful Heart and I will fill it with peace.” (Diary of St. Faustina 1074)

There is a great deal of rich symbolism in the image of Divine Mercy. In this image, Christ stands before a door in reference to Revelations 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” His right hand is upraised in blessing while the other lifts up His robe to reveal His Sacred Heart which issues the rays of Divine Mercy. Christ Himself explained to St. Faustina the meaning of the rays: "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." For this particular commission I was asked to make two stained glass panels on either side with different Christian symbols. There is the Alpha and Omega in reference to Revelations 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."; as well as vines and grapes from John 15:5: "I am the vine; you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing."; and a shell with a cross and water symbolizing Baptism; the Shield of the Blessed Trinity; the Holy Spirit with twelve tongues of fire representing the Holy Feast of Pentecost and the birth of the Church; a golden church symbolizing Mother Church and the New Jerusalem; Christ as the Pascal Lamb with a shepherd's crook, symbolizing both His Resurrection and Christ as the Good Shepherd; a Jerusalem Cross; and lastly three lilies which symbolize the Resurrection and the Annunciation and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless
and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible,
look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us,
that in difficult moments we might not despair
nor become despondent, but with great confidence
submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.


Jesus, I trust in you!
Image size
1315x2193px 1.64 MB
Make
NIKON
Model
COOLPIX S6500
Shutter Speed
10/130 second
Aperture
F/3.8
Focal Length
8 mm
ISO Speed
400
Date Taken
Apr 9, 2015, 1:07:00 PM
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Comments60
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Your work is so very beautiful and inspirational. I am a cradle Catholic and teach Music and Art in a Catholic school in Fort Worth, Texas. I would like to purchase a print of Divine Mercy should you make any avaliable. Blessings to you this day. Sheila