These were the words addressed by Jesus to Sister Faustina:
I desire that this image be venerated throughout the whole world. I promise that the soul that shall venerate this image will not perish. I also promise that soul victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I myself will defend it as my own glory.
Jesus Himself explained the spiritual meaning of this devotion:
My daughter, tell the whole world that I am Love and Mercy in person. The wound of my Heart is the fountain of unfathomable Mercy. Tell souls that I give them my Mercy as a shield; for them I combat, confronting the just wrath of my Father. […] My daughter, tell suffering humanity to embrace the Mercy of my Heart and I will fill it with peace. […]. Souls perish despite my bitter Passion. I am offering them the last hope of salvation: that is, the Feast of my Mercy. […]. This image is a sign for the end times, after which will come the day of justice.
Beside His infinite Mercy, the Lord also permitted Sister Faustina to gaze upon hell:
Today, guided by an angel, I have visited the chasms of hell. It is a place of immense torment throughout its dreadfully vast expanse.
These are the various tortures I witnessed: the first torture, which constitutes the very essence of hell, is the loss of God; the second, perpetual remorse of conscience; the third, the knowledge that this condition will never change; the fourth torture is the fire that penetrates the soul without destroying it—a dreadful torment, a purely spiritual fire kindled by God's wrath; the fifth torture is continuous darkness and a suffocating stench, and despite the darkness, devils and damned souls see each other and see all the evil of others and their own; the sixth torture is the constant presence of Satan; the seventh torture is horrible despair, hatred of God, curses, maledictions, and blasphemies. Let the sinner know that he will be tortured for all eternity by those very senses with which he sinned.
I write this at the command of God so that no soul may excuse itself by saying that hell does not exist, or that no one has ever been there and no one knows what it is like. I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God have visited the depths of hell in order to recount it to souls and bear witness that hell truly exists. What I have written is merely a pale shadow of the things I beheld.
Jesus to Saint Faustina: “My daughter, help me to save a dying sinner; recite for him the chaplet that I have taught you”. When I began to recite the chaplet, I beheld the dying man amid agonizing torments and ferocious struggles. His Guardian Angel was defending him, yet stood powerless before the immense misery of that soul. A multitude of demons lay in wait for that soul; but as I prayed the chaplet, I saw Jesus appear exactly as depicted in the painted image.
The luminous rays issuing from the Heart of Jesus enveloped the dying man, and the powers of darkness fled in tumult and great confusion. The dying man breathed his last in profound serenity. When I regained awareness, I understood how vital this chaplet is at the bedside of the dying: it appeases the divine justice. Saint Faustina also recorded that
during Holy Mass, when Jesus was exposed in the Blessed Sacrament, prior to Holy Communion, I saw two rays issuing from the Sacred Host, exactly as they are painted in this image: one red and the other pale.
Text and photographs: international exhibition «The Eucharistic Miracles of the World», by Saint Carlo Acutis. Original panel at miracolieucaristici.org.