{"id":282611,"date":"2016-08-14T07:00:47","date_gmt":"2016-08-14T12:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=282611"},"modified":"2017-01-20T15:33:20","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T21:33:20","slug":"image-divine-mercy-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/08\/image-divine-mercy-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"The Image of Divine Mercy In My Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Saint

Saint Faustina in Prayer<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/b>In the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska when speaking of the image of Divine Mercy, Jesus tells her, <\/span>“My image already is in your soul.”<\/b> (Diary 49) The image of God was present in man from the beginning when God said, <\/span>“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness<\/b>,” (Gen. 1:26) and as the author relates, <\/span>“In the divine image He created him.”<\/span><\/i> (Gen. 1:27) Furthermore, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that <\/span>“The divine image is present in every man.”<\/span><\/i> (1702) <\/span><\/p>\n

The Catechism explains that the divine image of God manifests itself in our souls, <\/span>“…he is most especially in God’s image: [in the] “soul” [which] signifies the spiritual principle in man.” <\/span><\/i>(363) and furthermore, <\/span>“The human body shares in the dignity of “the image of God”: [as] it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul,…”<\/span><\/i> (364) Similarly, St Faustina writes at the beginning of her diary, <\/span>“May praise and glory for this Image never cease to stream from man’s soul.”<\/span><\/i> (1) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Our

Our Lady with Divine Mercy Child<\/p><\/div>\n

The d<\/span>ivine image of God is not just in the body and soul, but also in the person’s will, intellect, and freedom, “<\/span>By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with freedom, an ‘outstanding manifestation of the divine image.'” <\/span><\/i>(CCC 1705)<\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/i>The Vatican II document <\/span>Gaudium Et Spes<\/span><\/i> also concurs, <\/span>“For its part, authentic freedom is an exceptional sign of the divine image within man<\/span><\/i>. (17) Understanding that the divine image of God is present in each person, St. Faustina helps anyone who comes to the door, <\/span>“I love all people because I see the image of God in them.”<\/span><\/i> \u00a0(Diary 373) <\/span><\/p>\n

The divine image of God was distorted when Adam and Eve committed original sin. \u00a0In God’s mercy, the divine image of God in our souls has been repaired and healed to its full loveliness. \u00a0This occurred when Jesus died for us on the cross making us adopted sons and daughters of God. Or, as the Catechism explains<\/span>, “the divine image, disfigured in man by the first sin, has been restored to its original beauty and ennobled by the grace of God.” <\/span><\/i>(1701) \u00a0More specifically the divine image of God in each of us is restored at the <\/span>“sacrament of regeneration”<\/span><\/i> (CCC 1213) as the Rite of Baptism explains, <\/span>“May all who are buried with Christ in the death of baptism rise also with Him to newness of life.”<\/span><\/i> (Rom 6:3-4; cf. Col 2:12)<\/span><\/p>\n

As baptism (CCC 1272), confirmation (CCC 1304), and holy orders (CCC 1582) imprints an indelible mark on the soul at specific times in our lives, so God\u00a0“stamped His image” (CCC 359)\u00a0\u00a0at our conception. \u00a0Hence, when Jesus says, <\/span>“My image already is in your soul.”<\/b> (Diary 49) He is speaking of, <\/span>\u201cChrist the image of the invisible God\u201d<\/span><\/i> (Col 1:15) present in our souls. \u00a0The divine image of God in our souls entails the will, the intellect, freedom, but also the \u201creal\u201d image of divine mercy not painted, <\/span>“not made by hands,”<\/span><\/i> (Heb. 9:11) and <\/span>“not built by human hands,”<\/span><\/i> (2Cor.5:1) and for this reason St. Faustina asks Our Lord in tears after seeing the painting made by human hands, <\/span>“Who will paint You as beautiful as You are?” <\/span><\/i>(Diary 313). \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\"Icon

Icon of Divine Mercy and St Faustina<\/p><\/div>\n

St. Faustina’s spiritual director Blessed Michael Sopocko discerns that the “real” image of Divine Mercy is in her soul, and says, <\/span>“Certainly, paint God’s image in your soul.”<\/span><\/i> (Diary 49) \u00a0The future Pope Benedict XVI says something similar about painting the interior vision, <\/span>\u201cThe sacredness of the image consists precisely in the fact that it comes from an interior vision and thus leads us to such an interior vision.\u201d<\/span><\/i> (Spirit of the Liturgy) \u00a0In other words, St. Faustina has a new kind of seeing in which she perceives the mystery of the Invisible God become visible. \u00a0She is able to see the that we bear within us the image and message of the Resurrection through the “real” image of divine mercy. \u00a0The “real” image of divine mercy reminds us that, <\/span>“The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ.”<\/span><\/i> (CCC 638)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Saint

Saint Faustina<\/p><\/div>\n

Finally, as mankind searches for love and identity through engraved tattoos, body piercings, and gender changes, <\/span>“May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,”<\/span><\/i> (Eph.1:18) that <\/span>“we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus.”<\/span><\/i> (Eph.2:10) \u00a0The “real” image of divine mercy in our souls reminds us of our true dignity, and through it He lets us know that He loves us and claims us as His own as when a child is born with a precious family birth mark. \u00a0More importantly, <\/span>“The risen Christ lives in the hearts of his faithful,” <\/span><\/i>(CCC 655) so we are to always see His “real” image of divine mercy in everyone as St. Faustina writes,<\/span> “O God, give me a deeper faith that I may always see in every sister Your Holy Image which has been engraved in her soul.”<\/span><\/i> (Diary 1522) ST. FAUSTINA PRAY FOR US.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Divine

Divine Mercy Images<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska when speaking of the image of Divine Mercy, Jesus tells her, “My image already is in your soul.” (Diary 49) The image of God was present in man from the beginning when God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” (Gen. 1:26) and… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[671,90],"tags":[2339,3205,3162],"class_list":["post-282611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-column","category-faith-blog","tag-divine-mercy","tag-faustina","tag-image","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":231909,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/04\/divine-mercy-image-heavenly-sign\/","url_meta":{"origin":282611,"position":0},"title":"The Divine Mercy Image: A Heavenly Sign","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"April 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Throughout history, Christians have always had a heavenly sign to lead them. Seventeen hundred years ago, the Emperor Constantine\u2019s insignia was the Sign of the Cross from a heavenly sign in the sky, which put a stop to the persecution and martyrdom of Christians. Five hundred years ago the heavenly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"AHeavenlySign","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/AHeavenlySign-550x275.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/AHeavenlySign-550x275.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/AHeavenlySign-550x275.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":183566,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/a-jubilee-of-mercy-by-deed-word-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":282611,"position":1},"title":"A Jubilee of Mercy by Deed, Word, and Prayer","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"December 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We are about to embark on one of the most important years of our present lifetime, the Jubilee Year of Mercy. \u00a0This year imparts a special grace that cannot be received twice. \u00a0These types of years don't come often in the church's history except every 25 or 50 years, so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Year of Mercy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/AnnouncingHolyYearOfMercy-286x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":270555,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/gods-jn-1034\/","url_meta":{"origin":282611,"position":2},"title":"You are gods (Jn 10:34)","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"July 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Jesus says, \"You are gods.\" (Jn. 10:34) How is this possible? At baptism, we become \"partakers of the divine nature,\" (CCC 1265 or 2Pt.1:4) or as St. Athanasius states that we are, \"becoming by grace what God is by nature.\" The Catechism quotes St. Athanasius to explain this teaching, \"For\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"youaregods","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/youaregods-550x329.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/youaregods-550x329.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/youaregods-550x329.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":288290,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/08\/seek-face-psalm1054\/","url_meta":{"origin":282611,"position":3},"title":"Seek His Face (Psalm105:4)","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"August 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis states, \"Introduce everyone to the great mystery of God\u2019s mercy by contemplating the face of Christ,\" (25) and similarly on June 29, 2016, he states in the newly released apostolic constitution, \u201cSeeking the face of God has always been a part of human history.\u201d (Vultum\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Seek His Face","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SeekHisFace-550x288.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SeekHisFace-550x288.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SeekHisFace-550x288.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":882373,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/the-corpus-christi-procession-and-divine-mercy\/","url_meta":{"origin":282611,"position":4},"title":"The Corpus Christi Procession and Divine Mercy","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"May 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (the feast of Corpus Christi) is the celebration of Christ's Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. As Our Lord is carried through the streets of cities and villages around the world, the faithful give public witness to their faith\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/events-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/image8-550x385.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/image8-550x385.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/image8-550x385.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":261187,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/06\/gazing-image-icon-divine-mercy\/","url_meta":{"origin":282611,"position":5},"title":"Gazing at the Image or Icon of Divine Mercy","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"June 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 What does gazing at an image or icon of Divine Mercy do for my mind, body, and soul? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, \u201cThe beauty of images moves me [us] to contemplation...\u201d (1162) So what is contemplation? \u201cContemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus, \u2018I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gazing at the Icon of Divine Mercy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/GazingAttheIconofDivineMercy-550x289.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/GazingAttheIconofDivineMercy-550x289.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/GazingAttheIconofDivineMercy-550x289.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282611\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}