Know that if you neglect the matter of the painting of the Image and the whole work of mercy , you will have to answer for a multitude of souls on the day of judgment ” ( Diary , # 154 )… Even those who should be proclaiming My mercy and teaching people about it often do not know about it themselves . That is why I want the Image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter , and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it ( Diary , # 341 )… I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming to the Fountain of mercy . That vessel is this Image with the signature : ‘ Jesus I trust in You ’ ( Diary , # 327 ).
The Divine Mercy Image is a tangible “ reminder ” of God ’ s command to the Christian to practice charity toward his neighbor ( Diary , xxiii ). As Jesus told Sr . Faustina , “ It ( this Image ) is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works ” ( Diary , # 742 ).
The Divine Mercy Image has unique features and Jesus explained its significance to Sr . Faustina . On His gaze , “ My gaze from this Image is My gaze from the Cross ” ( Diary , # 326 ). On the “ Signature , Jesus I trust in You ,” it was to be a concrete reminder to the Christian that he had no other recourse but to trust in God ; with great graces for doing so ( Diary , xxiii ). As Jesus told Sr . Faustina , “ I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy . I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy ( Diary , # 687 ). On the two rays in the Divine Mercy Image , Jesus told Sr . Faustina : “ 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 ” ( Diary , # 299 ).
The two rays in the Divine Mercy Image also have scriptural and liturgical significance . The “ pale ray ” is symbolic of the “ Holy Sacraments ” of which Jesus is the “ Author ,” in
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