“I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of my tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fountain of my mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the Divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened.” ~Jesus to Saint Faustina Kowalska

On Divine Mercy Sunday, April 12, 2015, the newly commissioned Sacred Artwork of "The Virgin Mary of Nazareth, Ark of The New Covenant, Throne of The Divine Mercy Incarnate" was unvelied by the Knights of Columbus and blessed by Fr. Joseph Sredzinski at the historic Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Polish Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The church is one of the first churches in the United States to hold the Divine Mercy Novena.

The Virgin Mary of Nazareth
Ark of The New Covenant
Throne of The Divine Mercy Incarnate

Rachamim is the Hebrew word most often translated into English as “mercy.” It is the plural form of the word racham – “womb.” It bespeaks a mother’s tenderness for her infant. The Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity-become-man in Jesus of Nazareth is the fruit of two wombs, the one in eternity from the divine Father: I have begotten you from the womb before the morning (Psalm 109 (110):3), the other in time from a human mother: ...you will conceive in [the] womb and bear a son (Luke 1:31): In his Person He is The Divine Mercy in the Flesh.

In a vision, Jesus explained to Sister Faustina that the rays shining forth from the wound to his side and heart represent the Blood and Water that gushed forth from them when they were pierced by a lance after he died. It is only upon a person’s death that the blood separates into its two component fluids—one red, the other, pale. The pale ray - the Water - symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s purifying action, as that element removes the metabolized toxins from the living body; the red ray – the Blood – symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s nourishing action, as that element supplies the nourishing oxygen to each living cell in the body. These functions are carried out through the sacraments of the Bride of Christ - Mother Church – taken out from the Bridegroom, the Last Adam asleep on the Cross, as mother Eve was brought forth from the side of the First Adam in deep sleep.

It was the blood of the atonement, taken from the sacrificed animals, that once-a-year the high priest of the Old Covenant sprinkled on the cover of pure gold on the ark of the covenant known as the “propitiatory” and as the seat, or throne, of mercy, "To turn aside God’s wrath, [by] taking away the peoples’ sins" -- (1 John 2:2), symbolized by the tablets of the broken law kept in the ark under the golden cover.

That atonement cover for the ark had to be hammered into its shape, together with the Guarding Cherubs at each end, from one lump of pure gold — (Exodus 37:7-8). This foreshadowed the Messiah, God’s Anointed, who was to bear mankind’s suffering according to the prophecy of Isaiah 50:6 — “I gave my back to the smiters,” and of Psalm 129:3 – “The plowers plowed upon my back.” For the true “propitiatory” was the Lord’s body — (Romans 3:25), sprinkled with his own blood of the New Covenant — (Jeremiah 31:31ff).

It was by this personal sacrifice of Jesus, foreseen by God in the “eternal now,” that the Mother of Jesus was preserved from every stain to become a worthy dwelling for His Son, whom she encompassed in her womb. This truth of our faith is depicted by the figure of Our Lady penetrated by the Rays of Mercy emanating from Christ’s pierced breast, for the elements of the blood separate only upon one’s death. Mary’s pure womb and lap were the true Mercy Seat that shared the Suffering Servant's sacrifice foretold at His first offering in the Temple: "And a sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:35).

The symbolism of this icon is expressed more directly in the hymns of the Eastern Byzantine branch of the Church celebrating the liturgical feast instituted by the Church to be observed each year on the First Sunday of Lent in commemoration of the Church’s victory in 842 over the heresy of iconoclasm—the destruction of sacred images, on account of which the Church suffered greatly for over a hundred years.

The hymn that sets the tune for the Odes which follow it in the Morning Prayer poetically sings: I will sacrifice to You, O Lord, with the voice of thanksgiving, the Church cries out to You: for she has been cleansed from the defilement of the demons by the Blood which flowed in mercy from your side.

Then the Ninth Ode of the feast’s ‘Early prayer’ is a hymn of praise to the Theotokos, the Mother-of-God. The Church ordained that the hymn be sung after each verse of Mary’s Magnificat, referring to the immeasurable glory and the station beyond words which she attained by the unity with her of the Word of God—the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. The ode always follows the hymns addressed to her Son, thus signifying the unity of the Theotokos with Christ through her motherhood, and his unity with her through his sonship.

Referring to the Book of Exodus 25:22), the Theotokion of the Feast of Holy Icons proclaims: He who of old commanded Moses to set up the ark of the testimony, came to dwell in you, O Virgin, as in a spiritual ark: He alone is glorified, and He makes your temple glorious with miracles.

A final hymn for the Feast then attests: The grace of truth has shone forth upon us; the mysteries darkly prefigured in the times of old have now been openly fulfilled. For behold, the Church is clothed in a beauty that surpasses all things earthly through the icon of the Incarnate Christ that was foreshadowed by the ark of testimony.

+ Fr. S. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC
Former Vice Postulator for North America
in the Canonization Cause of St. M. Faustina Kowalska

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De Montfort: Mary in the Struggle Against Satan

St. Louis De Montfort’s definitive work, True Devotion to Mary contains a great number of priceless gems. Included is a key teaching about the “Providential function of Mary in the latter times.” This prophecy about Mary’s role is relevant to arming ourselves with the truth of God’s provision for us in the daily spiritual battle against the flesh, the world, and the devil. Full Text

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Newly rendered replica statue of Mary, Ark of The New Covenant and comissioned Sacred Artwork of Mary, Ark of The New Covenant and Jesus - The Divine Mercy were unveiled and blessed by Father Angelus Shaughnessy, OFM, Cap. on Sunday, February 22, 2015 in the Gloria Chapel at Little Sisters of the Poor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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NEW IMAGES COMMISSIONED

The long-awaited answer to prayer was received as renowned artist, James Sulkowski, met with Bernadette Conklin and Pat Polachek and the commission was given to James to paint the new images of Jesus - The Divine Mercy and Mary, Ark of The New Covenant. One of the primary purposes of the new images will be to have them displayed and venerated during the Family Eucharistic Holy Hour (FEHH) programs.