“My gaze from this Image is like My gaze from the Cross.”- Diary of Saint Faustina, para 326
What do you see when you look at someone you love and who loves you?
We go today to the place of an intimate encounter with love.
The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy on the outskirts of Kraków, Poland. This is the church that St. Faustina often prayed at and received many of her visions and insights from Jesus and the Blessed Mother. In the main church of the Congregation at the main altar stands a statue of “Our Lady of Mercy”, the Patron of the Congregation, to her left stands St. Stanisław (patron of young religious) and on the right St. Mary Magdalene – the patroness of penitents. The altar to the left of the chancel has the miraculous image of Merciful Jesus, This is the central focus of my whole pilgrimage to Poland, and the focus of today’s reflection.
As many know already from prior posts, I went to Poland specifically to visit this site, the resting place of St. Faustina, to bring my very personal intentions directly to her. Along the way I was drawn by God to ask for intentions of my brothers and sisters in Emmaus at home and bring these to her as well. I had a very specific list of needs, I got so much more than I imagined.
I touched my crucifix to the 1st class relic of St Faustina, completing the ‘making of my relic of mercy’ – having already touched relics from St John Paul II and St Maximillian Kolbe and now St Faustina – the three mercy saints of our day. Then knelt before St Faustina’s coffin to bring my intercessions – that’s me, always looking for more from God. “St Faustina, please intercede for my daughter, Kristina, bring a miraculous healing to her life and most especially bring to her peace..bring her name to the Throne of Mercy to the King of Mercy to Whom you are so close…”
The response I received was overwhelming and so heart filling, I heard the voice of the King of Mercy, “Ed, my son, do you trust me?” I was so overwhelmed by this voice, the power, the majesty, the love within…I looked up quickly and my eyes fell on the image signature “Jezu Ufam Tobie” (Jesus I trust in You). I look up into the eyes of the Merciful Jesus and back to the signature and knew He had clearly answered me. I looked back up into His eyes, knowing my answer To His question was in the signature, “yes, my Lord, I trust in You”
That was the answer to my intercessory prayers – not a yes or no answer, but “do you trust Me?”, do you believe I AM God?. And, I just realized typing this reflection that there is more peace in this answer in subtler ways – “I’m listening and heard you”, “I am with you always.” And, this realization, this guidance by God has brought tears to my eyes like that day. And my reply is the same “yes, I do trust You!”
God is God – He is All-powerful and All-knowing. He is love itself made flesh in Jesus and everything about Him is Love (1 John 4:8). What is there not to trust but our own fallen state.
As I gaze into the eyes of love in the image, I see the eyes of a man pleading for me to trust Him, the eyes of Jesus saying He loves me and pouring His mercy and power upon me, if I but trust Him, and the eyes of the Father (John 10:30). And through His Son I hear the voice of the Father asking and guiding my heart to Trust His presence and love.
As I walked away from the coffin, I was elated. I got the message very clearly and felt His presence. But then I heard a female voice, in polish, ask me, “brother, Will you allow me the honor of being your guide, your patroness?” I knew instantly this was St Faustina speaking and I was humbled that she would ask this because for the past years this was the feeling I had in my heart toward her. She has been my guide to grow with God through trust and Divine Mercy. I realized after that she had spoken in polish but somehow I knew her question, what a grace!
The greatest school to hear and listen and be obedient to God’s Divine Will is that of Trust.
The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is – trust.” Paragraph # 1578