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I recently noticed that my church has a picture of St. Faustina. It caused me to explore her life and find out if she has some sort of connection to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In fact, she is linked very closely to the Sacred Heart. Her visions and conversations with Jesus give us the beautiful image of Jesus with the two beams extending from his heart, one white and one red. The two beams, of course, represent the water and the blood that St. John described poured out of Jesus at his crucifixion when he was speared with the lance. But what else does the devotion to the Sacred Heart represent to us? Pope John Paul II tells us that the Divine Mercy reaches human beings through the heart of Christ crucified, "My daughter, say that I am love and mercy personified" Jesus told St. Faustina. Christ pours out this mercy on humanity through the sending of the Spirit who, in the Trinity, is the Person-Love. And is not mercy love's "second name, understood in it deepest and most tender aspect, in its ability to take upon itself the burden of any need and, especially, in its immense capacity for forgiveness? Jesus told St. Faustina, "Humanity will not find peace until it turns trustfully to divine mercy." I see so many people seeking peace in their lives. I know I am as well. I am looking for a simpler life that does not concern itself with the worldly things but instead wants to forge a closer relationship with the Holy Trinity. We also have the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy devotion because of St. Faustina. She teaches us through her life and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that even in times of deep trouble, we need to praise and lift up our Lord and Savior so that all will know his mercy and love.

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