More than twenty years ago, I met Ely Elegino, a painter who was on the verge of going blind. He sold his art in a shopping mall kiosk; he made a meager living. As I watched him paint, though, it was like watching the Hand of God bring a blank canvas to life. In his near-blind state, Ely did not paint with great exacting strokes or with fine detail; his art was rather simplistic and easy to understand.
He worked with an open Bible sat at his side, so I asked him if he was a Christian which he confirmed. I asked Ely how he could paint without seeing very well and how he read Holy Scripture. He explained that his beloved wife would read to him and his brain would form the passages into pictures; the interior images flowed into his hand, and the picture came together again on the canvas. Right in front of my eyes, he painted “The Garden of Gethsemane” in about twenty minutes while I stood in awe.
While
checking out the rest of his artwork, my eyes fell on a painting of
two roads. 
I was intrigued by its simplicity and yet its message was
strong and clear. Ely told me that this particular painting was
inspired by verses 13 and 14 in the seventh Chapter of the Gospel
according to Matthew. That passage reads: “Enter
by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to destruction is wide
and spacious and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard
road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
We can certainly find more evidence of “the way” in Holy Scripture:
“For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and humanity, Himself a human being, Christ Jesus”(1 Timothy 2:5)
“I am the Gate. Anyone who enters through Me will be safe: such a one will go in and out and will find pasture.” (John 10:9)
“So for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old order is gone and a new being is there to see.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The road on the left side of Ely's canvas was wide, straight and paved; in the distance, it ended in the eternal fire. There were all kinds of people, carelessly continuing their ways and, without realizing it, falling over the edge of this road of pleasure. Fortunately, there were also a few souls who recognized their mistakes and turned around to seek the other road.
The road on the right side of the canvas is, of course, narrow and steep, strewn with boulders. Despite the obvious suffering endured by the people on this road, they are flanked with beautiful greenery, flowers and a life-giving waterfall. At the end of the road, eternal life awaits. Not too many souls seem to walk on this road and some, unfortunately, finding the road too demanding, turn around and head for the wider road.
After hanging the picture at the Divine Mercy Centre, there were many comments; but, over time, it seemed to be taken a bit for granted ... or perhaps totally forgotten. One day, during an evening of Diary Study, the painting suddenly had an obvious connection to the Divine Mercy devotion.
In entry 153 of Divine Mercy in My Soul, Saint Faustina recorded the following: “One day, I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music and all sorts of pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great that it was impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or rather, a path, for it was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled will all sorts of happiness and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all their sufferings.”
What a beautiful and stunning revelation! This “Road to Heaven” calls us to avoid complacency and to persevere, always vigilant as we travel on this path towards sanctity. While walking on the rocky road of life, we need only remember the awesome gift of Paradise that awaits us for all eternity!