A Divine Mercy Meditation Novena – Day 6

Day 6 – Jesus, I Trust in You

When you page through the Gospels, if there was one human behavior or personal trait that Jesus loved the most, it was deep faith. When the Roman centurion expressed his faith in Jesus’s power to heal, Jesus was visibly moved. I have often wondered why. Why is our faith in him so pleasing to Jesus?

The one message Jesus wanted to give us in the Divine Mercy image was a special prayer. He told St. Faustina:

 I am offering a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: “Jesus, I trust in You”(Divine Mercy in My Soul #327).

By giving us those words, he is actually placing on our lips the words that he wants to hear, words that are special to him in some way.

With Divine Mercy, something new was afoot. In some ways it is remarkable that a young woman like St. Faustina brought such spiritual novelty to the Church. There was nothing initially apparent about St. Faustina that would give any indication of her unique road ahead. Through her spiritual experiences, St. Faustina inadvertently questioned and challenged the accepted spiritual currents of the times. Among these was a more wrathful and distant view of God the Father.

The Divine Mercy revelation helps chase away any false images of God. God is mercy, not wrath. St. Faustina does speak about the wrath of God and so do the Scriptures. The change, however, is in focus. God did not create the human soul as an afterthought. St. Faustina wrote about a God who was passionately in love with the human soul. The fruit of understanding Divine Mercy in your own life will be a love-centered approach to the spiritual life, a turn towards the truest image of God revealed by Jesus, that of Father.

I painted the words “Jesus, I Trust in You” at the bottom of the painting.  It is painted in gold, representing the highest and most central message of Divine Mercy.

Jesus wants us to trust him. Even though in our lives there will be lots of shadows and human messiness, trusting in Jesus through the storms is essential to a greater life of faith. To become a friend of Christ, you must become a friend of his Passion. Embracing this faith in God amid the uncertainties and unanswered prayers of life is a step forward to becoming a true friend of Christ.

PRAYER:

Today Jesus asks us to pray for the meek and humble of heart, especially children.

“Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors’ souls and come to their rescue.

Help me, O Lord, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors’ needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings.

Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.” (Divine Mercy in My Soul #163)