The origins of this image are connected with the vision that Sister Faustina (Faustyna Kowalska) of the Congregation of Our Lady of mercy had in the Convent at Plock, Poland, on February 22, 1931. "In the evening, when I was in my cell," she wrote in her Diary, "I saw the Lord Jesus in a white garment. He had one hand raised in blessing, and the other was touching His garment at the breast. From the fold in His garment... there were two large rays: one red, and the other pale. After a while, Jesus said, 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 you chapel, and then throughout the world (Diary, 47).
The characteristic features of this image are the two rays. Our Lord, when asked what they meant said, The pale ray stands for the water which justifies souls. The red ray stands for the blood which is the life of souls... Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter (Diary, 299). It is the sacrament of baptism and the sacrament of reconciliation that purify the soul, and the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist that most fully nourishes it. Thus the two rays signify the sacraments and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, of which water is a symbol in Scripture.
The image portrays God's great mercy which was fully revealed in Christ's Paschal Mystery. It also reminds Christians of their obligation to place their trust in Him and to love their neighbor. The words contained in the signature beneath the image, "Jesus, I trust in You," emphasize the attitude of trust. The image, as Jesus related, is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, for even the strongest faith is of no avail without works (Diary, 742).
Our Lord promised the grace of eternal salvation to those who venerate this image with complete trust in God and charity for their neighbor: The soul that venerates this image shall not perish (Diary, 48) - it shall live forever! He also promised great progress on the road to Christian perfection, the grace of a happy death, and many ohter graces and temporal blessings which people who practice mercy will ask Him for with trust. By means of this image I shall be granting many graces to souls, so let every soul have access to it (Diary, 570).
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy (For recitation on ordinary rosary beads)
Begin with:
Our Father..., Hail Mary..., The Creed
On the five large beads:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
On the ten small beads:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Conclude with (3 times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
This is the prayer that Jesus dectated to Sister Faustina in Vilnius on September 13 and 14, 1935 (Diary, 474-476). He spoke about this prayer on as many as 14 occasions, explaining its purpose and the promises attached to it.
In the chaplet of the Divine Mercy we are offering to Got the Father "the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity" of Jesus Christ the Son of God, His Divine Person, and His humanity, to "beg the remission fo our sins and those of the whole world". We are uniting with the sacrifice of Jesus offered up on the cross for the salvation of the world. We are appealing to the love which God the Father bestows on His Son, and though Him on all mankind, for in this prayer we are offering up the beloved Son of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
By praying for "mercy for us and for the whole world" we are performing an act of mercy. If we pray the chaplet with trust, and nurture the disposition necessary for prayer (that is, humility, perseverance and acceptance of the will of God), we may expect the fulfillment of Christ's promises which He attached to the recitation of this chaplet.
It pleases Me to grant everything [people] ask of Me, Jesus told Sister Faustina, by saying this chaplet (Diary, 1541)... if what you ask for is compatible with My will (Diary, 1731). God's will expresses His love for man; and hence anything that contradicts the will of God is either bad or harmful and cannot be granted by a loving Father. Very special promises relate to the hour of death; the grace of conversion and of a peaceful death for those who pray this chaplet, and for the dying at whose beddside others will say this prayer. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy (Diary, 687). Jesus promised to grant grace to those who recite this prayer at least once in their lifetime, providing it is said with an attitude of complete trust, humility, and a sincere, deep sorrow for sin.
By saying this chaplet, said Jesus, you will be bringing mankind closer to Me (Diary, 929). This prayer is for the appeasement of My wrath (Diary, 476).