Heart of Mercy

By Leanne Bowen

Artist Statement:

I began painting this piece after a group of seminarians came to stay with our family for a week. They needed a consistent place to pray, so they brought a temporary tabernacle and transformed a space into a chapel within our home. As I would fall asleep, I could feel Jesus's physical presence so tangibly. It was so hard to sleep because His presence was so potent- so alive and welcoming. It stirred a deep longing and curiosity about the Eucharist and how present our Lord is in the Sacrifice of the Mass. As our cohort began, some of the group members spoke of deep heart within their hearts. As I prayed for them, I felt His Heart of Mercy pouring out on mankind and saw Jesus holding the priest tenderly in his own sacrifices as he held up the Eucharistic host. The Eucharistic Prayer III asks "that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ."

About the Artist

Leanne Bowen is a Catholic Watercolor Artist with a dream to make the Merciful Heart of Jesus known. Her deepest desire is to make His mercy known to all who long for Him by putting beauty into the hands of God's people.