JESUS OF MERCY

The icon "Jesus, I trust in You!" has a very long and unusual story. It started in the 30s of the previous century, when before a humble Polish nun, Sister Faustina (Kowalska), appeared Jesus Christ, and told her that she had to paint The Image of His Divine Mercy. He described in detail what he would like to see in the picture: rays of red and white streaming from His pierced heart and bestowing God's Mercy... Moreover, Jesus assured that anyone who would worship this image, again and again going through the Passion of Christ, thanks to the Lord’s Grace would be granted everything about what the one might ask at the time of death...

This revelation did not receive due attention, as Sister Faustina died in 1938, and after her death all her diaries were misinterpreted. However, the humble nun’s life and her writings became interesting to a young Polish seminarian, on whom the story of her life made such a lasting impression that he often went to pray at her grave in Krakow. And one fine day this seminarian became Bishop of Krakow and began the beatification process of Sister Faustina. Later he got promoted and stepped into St. Peters Chair in Rome, and afterwards was chosen Pope John Paul II.

Since the revelations of Sister Faustina three artists (or maybe even more...) tried to find answers in their own paintings... They wanted to reveal the sacred secrets of the Divine Mercy truth... And everyone found own understanding of God's forgiveness in The Image of Jesus Christ: Eugeniusz Kazimirovsky in 1934; Adam Styka in 1957; and Robert O. Skemp in 1982.

In the spring of 2000, the artist of this painting started own journey in search of the truth of forgiveness... Oh, and long it proved to be! It began on the eve of the event, which turned forgiveness into daily practice of millions of people; an event that divided our recent history into "before" and "after"... September 11, 2001...

Three times (as it should be in mysticism), when the painter was behind the schedule, tears appeared on the unfinished picture (perhaps it was the myrrh-streaming, though the painter took it as a reproach)... Finally, the painting was completed, but still it took five years for the painting to roam from one host to another - not finding place for the image of Jesus, as well as two thousand years ago there was no place for His birth... However, in a terrible weather, also a humble, i. e. a modest, guy offered his shoulders and arms to save the painting from oblivion... Ignoring the strong gusts of wind and currents of freezing rain, he carried it "as a duplicate of the precious cargo" through a viaduct towering like a mountain, reminding Jesus when He carried his cross to Golgotha... Why? - So it could tell its truth about forgiveness...

Representatives of different religions, faiths, moral and ethical teachings have different visions of the image of JC (Jesus Christ)... They not godly argue about whose vision is better and more accurate... But there is one and only God! So, here the artist combined the Christian Orthodox tradition of the Resurrection (when the betrayal and pain are left behind, and ahead, Hallelujah, is only forgiveness and enjoyment of a new life grace) with the traditional Catholic form and other religions, reflected in the musical background of the painting, namely in the allusion to Baghdad ("bagh», which in the ancient Persian means "God" and «dad» meaning "a gift", i. e. "God's Gift") - the center of the Islamic world, and Jerusalem, the holiest place of the Jews; and also reflected in the spicy aroma of Guerlain Shalimar, sending us to the Shalimar Gardens of the Mughal Empire...
After all, how can something, really sacred and dear to someone, insult others and "hurt their religious feelings"?!

In this canvas, there is also two rays coming forth from the blessed heart of Jesus: white and red, or, rather, pink – the ray of Truth and the ray of Love... Since "the truth without love is also a lie!"

The painting is big enough... You come closer to see the details, then step back to see it as a whole, and all the time Jesus is following you and the movements of your soul with His eye... He sees all and understands everything! We know that He will forgive, He has already forgiven... However, the propensity to sin somehow weakens: you have not yet sinned, but you already feel shame...

That is the understanding of forgiveness by this artist... It is like parental love, which understands the pain’s depth of a sinned child, and is enthusiastically willing to help him never walk in the way of the evil again... It is always easier and more pleasant to forgive and to love than to feel hurt and to hate! Exactly with this understanding we heal ourselves and others...

And as to the day of 9/11... How to forgive what cannot be forgiven?! - Recall Jesus, His Mercy... and FORGIVE!

Do you remember how it was in the "Thais of Athens" by Ivan Efremov, "... forgive the offenders - all together and each one individually. At this moment you are approaching perfection, almost divine. You forgive not like the ancient gods (they were vindictive), but in the Christian way"?

Nearly 30 million Soviet citizens died during World War II... If you compare these losses with the September 11 attacks, which killed 3000 Americans, it turns out that such attacks would occur every day for 24 years... Russians have not forgotten these heavy losses.., but they have forgiven... in the Christian way...

However, it is easier to forgive an enemy than a friend, even more difficult to forgive a close relative, and the most difficult - to forgive oneself...