This is the restored version of the original Divine Mercy image painted by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski under St. Faustina's direction. Click on the image for more information.

Origin

On February 22, 1931, while staying in Plock, Poland, Jesus ordered Sister Faustina to paint a picture according to the vision He showed her:

"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world. (Diary, 47)"

"I desire that this image be displayed in public on the first Sunday after Easter. That Sunday is the Feast of Mercy. Through the Word Incarnate I make known the bottomless depth of My mercy. (Diary, 88)"

"On Good Friday, at three o'clock in the afternoon, when I entered the chapel, I heard these words: I desire that the image be publicly honored. Then I saw the Lord Jesus dying on the Cross amidst great suffering, and out of the Heart of Jesus came the same two rays as are in the image. (Diary, 414)"

Meaning of Contents

"When, on one occasion, my confessor told me to ask the Lord Jesus the meaning of the two rays in the image, I answered, 'Very well, I will ask the Lord.' During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and Water. 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. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy. (Diary, 299)"

White Ray - Out with the bad. Red Ray - In with the good. The pale ray represents the sacraments wish wash away sin: baptism, confession, extreme unction. The red ray represents the 'life of souls': the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

Why the first Sunday after Easter? Well, as you can imagine, Jesus has just risen and He can now give the fruit of his Passion to the world - that fruit of His love which is His Mercy. More specifically, ever since the Council of Trent (which probably had this idea in mind), on the first Sunday after Easter the Church reads the Gospel story about the appearance of the risen Lord Jesus in the upper room (Jn 20:19-29). This reading is associated with the Divine Mercy Image (and Divine Mercy in general) in at least 2 ways:

1. In this reading occurs the institution of the sacrament of penance, aka, the Tribunal of Mercy.
2. Doubting Thomas puts his finger in the wound in Jesus' side, the wound through which Jesus' heart was pierced, from which, in the Image, the rays of Mercy eminate.

Purpose

1. A vessel of grace for all souls.
2. A reminder to do works of mercy.

"By means of this Image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every soul have access to it. (Diary, 570)"

"Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. (Diary, 742)"

"Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace. (Diary, 313)"

Trust, trust, trust. Jesus makes it very clear that the more trust we have in His Mercy, the more grace we will receive. He wants us to approach this image, and His Mercy in general, with great trust.

"Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore My mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy. I desire that these souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will need to attain sanctity. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is-trust. The more a soul 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 much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts. (Diary, 1578)"

"Today the Lord said to me, Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles 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. (Diary, 1602)"

Promises

"I promise that the soul that will 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. (Diary, 48)"

"I will save those cities and houses in which this Image will be found. I will likewise protect the persons who will honor and trust in My Mercy. (Dictated by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko)"