“Jesus, I Trust in You”

The traditional placement of the inscription – Jesus, I Trust in You – on the Original Image of Divine Mercy might not be where you think it is!

With the 2016 release of the new documentary film, The Original Image of Divine Mercy, a new conversation has erupted among devotees and sacred art aficionados about the inscription, “Jesus, I trust in You,” which Jesus asked to be included with the image.

“Jesus reminded me of what He had told me the first time; namely, that these three words must be clearly in evidence: ‘Jesus, I trust in You.’ [‘Jezu, Ufam Tobie.’] I understood that Jesus wanted the whole formula to be there, but He gave no direct orders to this effect as He did for these three words. I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: ‘Jesus, I trust in You.’” 328

Official Movie Trailer for the 2016 documentary about Saint Faustina’s Magnum Opus, The Original Image of Divine Mercy, written & directed by Daniel diSilva.

The award-winning film, The Original Image of Divine Mercy, which has been officially endorsed by the Dicastery for Evangelization (the, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization), follows the dramatic history of the original painting by Eugeniusz Kazirowski done under the careful direction of Saint Faustina and in the presence of her spiritual director, Blessed Fr. Michał Sopoćko. In an attempt to artistically and somewhat-academically document the lifeline of the once-lost masterpiece, the film inadvertently uncovers the fact that the inscription was not actually painted or written onto the canvas itself as many have been lead to believe.

Daniel diSilva, who directed and produced the new documentary with an team of international crew members, says that Saint Faustina never instructed that the inscription “Jesus, I Trust in You” be placed on the canvas. In fact, Faustina mentions that Jesus didn;t give more specific instructions about the placement of the signature. After her death in 1938, just four years after the painting was finished, her confessor and spiritual director, Blessed Fr. Michał Sopoćko, took over her work of spreading the Divine Mercy message and devotion, and it turns out that he didn’t have the inscription painted onto the canvas either.

Did Saint Faustina forget to include the inscription – Jesus, I trust in You – that Jesus requested?

“Historically, in Faustina’s day, the inscription – Jesus, I Trust in You – was placed on the frame but not on the painting itself. Having just spent so much time to get every detail correct, Saint Faustina didn’t just write the words on the bottom of the painted canvas. This image - no less than a masterpiece - reveals exactly Christ as He wished to be depicted, and that did not include the words, “Jesus, I Trust in You,” under His feet as that was not part of Saint Faustina’s vision. She did not see a scroll with words on it as is so often depicted. She didn’t see the words at all. Read carefully, “That vessel is this image with the signature: ‘Jesus, I trust in You,’” it is clear that the signature and the image are two separate items, one accompanying the other. The painting was detailed by Jesus through St. Faustina and then through the hands of the painter, Kazimirowski, to be itself admired and studied and venerated, while the signature is our prayer to Jesus,” insists diSilva.

The Original Image of Divine Mercy hanging in a small church in Nowa Ruda, Belarus in a phot taken sometime between 1970 and 1986. No inscription is on the canvas.

A quick search reveals that it is almost impossible to find an image online without the inscription. And therein lies a big hint about how it may have become so popular to see the inscription directly on the canvas. It was only with the advent of computer graphics software that the inscription began to appear on the canvas area of the famous image.

“Unfortunately, the Original Image of Divine Mercy has been betrayed in a certain sense by easy-to-use computer graphics software, and not just with the super-imposing of the inscription – Jesus, I Trust in You. Besides the ‘floating inscription,’ many other alterations to the Original Image are out there and have become widespread. These changes and additions and poor and out-of-focus copies of the Original Image dilute the painting itself. And if there is a message in the painting for us from Jesus, and indeed there is, then these changes obscure that message as well,” says diSilva.

Some attempts to include the inscription below the feet of the Merciful Jesus also include some drastic manipulations of the brightness and contrast of the image all of which change the natural beauty of the original masterpiece by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski.

“This is the only painting [of Divine Mercy] that Saint Faustina ever laid eyes on. Every last detail was important to her. And she was a real stickler when it came to how it was being painted! We know this for sure.”

“This placement (on the canvas under the feet of Christ) necessitates drastic computer manipulation of the painting. Considering that on the Original Image of Divine Mercy, which hangs in the Shrine in Vilnius, there isn’t room for the inscription under the feet of Jesus. The canvas itself seems to insist that the inscription – Jesus, I trust in You – be placed on the frame below. And traditionally, that is where it had always been.”

“Both are very important for the practice of the devotion: the painting and the inscription. Following the tireless instance of Bl. Fr. Michał Sopoćko, we are encouraging a return to the Original Image of Divine Mercy as it was originally painted,” says diSilva.

DiSilva explains that “whenever we see this inscription printed on the canvas or the paper under the feet of the Merciful Jesus we know that the canvas has been changed to accommodate the words. The words are very important, especially because they satisfy the instructions of Jesus Himself. But so is the painting – even the smallest details of the painting are important. At least they were to Saint Faustina, Bl. Fr. Michael Sopocko, and to Jesus, King of Mercy. So we should be as careful with the arrangement of this composition as were the four people most closely involved with bringing it to the world.”

Then where?

So, if this is not the proper, or at least not the traditional place for the inscription, then where should it be placed?

Filmmaker Daniel diSilva says, “If the print is framed, then the inscription should be placed on that part of the frame under the image. If not, then somewhere under the image itself. But it probably shouldn’t cover any part of this important image.”

The image solicits a response, and that response is, “Jesus, I Trust in You1”

DiSilva insists that the inscription was ultimately intended to become a prayer in the heart of the faithful. “Jesus, I Trust in You,” goes from the person venerating the painting to Jesus, not from the painting, or from Jesus, to the observer.

“Like the Our Father, it is a prayer that Jesus taught us. The most important place for this prayer is on our lips and in our hearts,” says diSilva.

“The image solicits a response. And that response is, especially for those devoted to Divine Mercy, ‘Jesus, I Trust in You!’ The painting itself is an inanimate object. Although art can move one’s heart, persons alone can give voice to that heart, to our prayers, to our desires,” explains diSilva. “The act of painting a work of art is itself to give voice to these emotions and ideas, but with regard to these words, it is me who must say them, and mean them, and repeat them, over and over again. That’s the entire point of them being placed with the image.”

Fine art prints of The Original Image of Divine Mercy with the inscription placed on a beautiful frame are available through the Original Divine Mercy Institute.

Making all things new

We asked director Daniel diSilva for his thoughts about the practical placement of the inscription, “Jesus, I trust in You,” and how people might add it to an image that doesn’t have it? Here is what he told us.

Well, there are an endless number of ways, but here are a few suggestions I can come up with on the spot. But first, it may be important to mention that it is not some sort of sin to not have the inscription with the painting. This work of art can stand alone on its own artistic merit. However, for those devoted to Divine Mercy, here are my suggestions.

1. Have a beautiful ceremony in your home (or parish) – it doesn’t have to be elaborate or solemn, just beautiful – during which each member of the family (or, congregation) writes in their own handwriting, “Jesus, I trust in You,” on a piece of paper. Then, one by one, each person places this piece of paper at the foot of the image as a symbolic placing of themselves at the foot of the Cross. This can happen anytime, but it would be really special to do it on Divine Mercy Sunday. After that, whether you leave the pieces of paper there or not, the words are forever accompanying the painting.

2. If your image is framed without the inscription, add a small “plaque” with “Jesus, I trust in You” to the bottom part of the frame. This can be made by one of the young creative members of the family. It can also be made with stuff from Hobby Lobby, or written on paper and even mounted on artboard to make it stiff. This might be a fun project! You can also order one printed on metal from the Original Divine Mercy Institute.

3. Stand below the image and “become” the inscription yourself. This obviously takes a little imagination and imagination is a useful tool in prayer. We can imagine ourselves with Jesus, although He is real and is indeed with us. We can imagine our guardian angel, although they are always by our side. We can imagine the historical Jesus or what it must have been like in those times to walk and talk with Him. The use of one’s imagination, which is a gift from God, doesn’t cancel out facts. We imagine space, or the other side of the world, or how a soon-to-be-born child in his mother’s womb might look like, but we also know concretely that they are really there. So, we can imagine ourselves at the foot of the Cross, looking up to Jesus and saying, “Jesus, I trust in You!.” The implications are huge. 

Become a “living inscription”

“One thing is for sure regardless how it is done,” adds diSilva. “It should be meaningfully and intentionally placed there by you, both through prayer and literally placed there – physically placed there. Even if the image was purchased with the inscription already on the frame, one should spiritually “participate” in its placement since it represents something of that person. And the prayer of a person cannot be substituted by the physical/visible inscription. I’ll say that again, having the words “Jesus, I Trust in You” on or with the image is not enough - it must be intentionally prayed. The inscription is thereby made visible through prayer. It’s all quite a lesson in sacramentality, isn’t it?”

Returning to the Original Image of Divine Mercy

According to diSilva and as made clear throughout the documentary, which is still playing worldwide, Fr. Sopoćko considered it very important that people venerate this particular image because it most conforms to the mystical visions of Saint Faustina and her description of the Merciful Jesus.

“And as you can see in the film, Fr. Sopoćko was present for the entire painting process of the image. He witnessed and recorded every detail given to the artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski,” says diSilva.

“It can be said that this is the entire purpose of our film,” claims diSilva, “to return the Original Image of Divine Mercy to its proper place of primacy in the devotion of Divine Mercy, as Saint Faustina and Blessed Fr. Michał Sopoćko always intended. There will be pushback and there already is from others who are “invested” in other versions, but, whether after days or centuries, that pushback, and those other versions, will not last.”

Where to buy an Original Image of Divine Mercy

Authorized Fine Art Prints, framed and unframed, in any size, of the Original Image of Divine Mercy can be purchased at the online store of the Original Divine Mercy Institute.

From the website: “This is not a photo! This is a professionally-made digital scan of the Original Image of Divine Mercy which is over 2 meters tall. There has never before been a finer image produced that so accurately replicates this masterpiece by Kazimirowski.”

The Original Divine Mercy Institute was authorized by the Archdiocese of Vilnius, home of the Shrine of the Original Image of Divine Mercy, to offer the Original Image and each print from them is numbered. Contact originaldivinemercy@gmail.com for more info.

Proceeds from sales through the website help to support the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Vilnius, the permanent home of the Original Image of Divine Mercy.

Daniel diSilva is the director of the documentary about Faustina's epic painting, The Original Image of Divine Mercy (2016), and the founder of www.OriginalDivineMercy.com, the online headquarters of the most concerted effort to restore the Original Image of Divine Mercy to it's rightful pride of place. You can submit your questions about the Original Image of Divine Mercy by writing to originaldivinemercy@gmail.com

©2016 The Original Divine Mercy & Springtime Productions. All rights reserved.