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ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SAINTS: SAINT MARIA FAUSTINA OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT (written by Willy Effinger)
Saint Faustina has become one of my most favourite modern-day Saints; she was born in a small village in Poland on August 25th in 1905 and baptized two days later as Helenka Kowalska. One question that has come to me over and over again is this: “Was she an ordinary child or had she been destined to become a Saint before she was born?” The answer, I think, is two-fold. She was destined to become a Saint but she also had to hear and answer the call, work at it very hard and keep herself open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
At a very early age, by the grace of God, she cultivated a very special love for Him to whom she turned with all of her problems, for all of her needs. That is perhaps why her parents didn't know Helenka Kowalska as parents usually know their children. She never troubled her parents or relatives with her griefs or sorrows – she went directly to God. This, too, explains her lack of close friendships among her peers – male or female. Her only love was Jesus Christ! This does not mean that she could not show emotions or love towards others; on the contrary, she was always helpful, loving, caring and kind. Everyone recalls an extremely calm child who forgave everyone who annoyed her in any way.
Her first “direct” encounter with God was at the age of seven; in her diary “Divine Mercy in My Soul”, she later recorded the experience: “From the age of seven, I experienced the definite call of God, the grace of a vocation to the religious life. It was in the seventh year of my life that, for the first time, I heard God's voice in my soul; that is, an invitation to a more perfect life. But I was not always obedient to the call of grace. I came across no one who would have explained these things to me.” (entry #7)
In my humble opinion, the “real Saint” was born on her First Communion Day when she was enveloped in a love that lifted her to another realm of being. As Helen walked home, separately from the others, a neighbour commented on her being alone. She answered that she was not alone, but that God was with her! This close union with God became the focal point of her life and instilled in her a hunger for self-sacrificing love.
Even Helen had to learn to become a Saint, step by step, to find the formula of total, all-encompassing trust in God. At the age of 12, she started her primary education, only to abandon it a few years later so that she could work to help her parents financially. In 1922, after working for a year, she approached her parents about her deep desire to become a nun. They refused to allow her to enter the Convent. Being a loving and obedient daughter, she returned to work.
In July of 1924, while Helen was at a dance, the Lord appeared to her, asking her how much longer He had to wait for her; He told her to go to Warsaw to enter a Convent there. (see Diary entries 9 &10 for more details). Without any further delay, she packed a few belongings and was off as the Lord had directed her. After knocking on several convent doors and being refused, she reached the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Mother Superior directed her to work for a year to earn the needed dowry. On the first of August in 1925, Mother Superior advised Helen to go to the Chapel to ask the Lord of the House if He accepted her – as we all know, that was the beginning of her religious life!
Since she had no education to speak of, Helen had to perform manual labour – porter, kitchen duties, gardening, etc. Her frequent moves to different houses made it difficult for her to get attached to anyone in particular – but that was all in the Master's Plan! With the constant change in work, she became increasingly aware of the needs and problems afflicting those with whom she worked.
On April 30th of 1926, she received her habit and took the religious name Sister Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament. To everyone, Sister Faustina was just an ordinary nun. However, her Mother Superior in Vilnius later stated: “There was something intangible in her which radiated from her person ...” (an excerpt from page 12 of Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her Life and Mission written by Maria Tarnawska)
This was to be the beginning of Sister Faustina's mission. She was permitted to gain an extraordinary knowledge of people's hearts and souls which enabled her to counsel troubled souls – this sometimes caused her problems from some of the more educated Sisters. In all things, Sister Faustina tried to fulfill the will of God and to love Him more and more. These words from her Diary give us inner glimpse of this kind of love: “O my Jesus, You are the life of my life. You know only too well that I long for nothing but the glory of Your Name and that souls come to know Your goodness. Why do souls avoid You, Jesus? I don't understand that. Oh, if I could only cut my heart into tiny pieces and in this way offer to You, O Jesus, each piece as a heart whole and entire, to make up in part for the hearts that do not love You! I love You, Jesus, with every drop of my blood, and I would gladly shed my blood for You to give You a proof of the sincerity of my love. O God, the more I know You the less I can comprehend You, but this “non-comprehension” lets me realize how great You are! And it is this impossibility of comprehending You which inflames my heart anew for You, O Lord. From the moment when You let me fix the eyes of my soul on You, O Jesus, I have been at peace and desired nothing else. I found my destiny at the moment when I lost my soul itself in You, the only object of my love. In comparison with You, everything is nothing. Sufferings, adversities, humiliations, failures and suspicions that have come my way are splinters that keep alive the fire of my love for You, O Jesus ...” (Diary entry #57)
On February 22nd of 1931, after finishing her daily work and prayers, Sister Faustina was blessed with an overwhelming vision of the Lord clothed in a white garment with the rays emanating from the area of His Heart. Jesus then spoke to her: “Paint an Image according to the pattern that you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this Image be venerated, first in Your Chapel and then throughout the world.” (Diary entry #48)
This poor, uneducated young nun was chosen by God to become the Secretary of His Divine Mercy – to teach the whole world about the fathomless mercy of God. On the advice of her spiritual director, Reverend Father Michael Sopocko, Sister Faustina began to write “Divine Mercy in My Soul”; for four years, she recorded these messages and mystical experiences for our spiritual benefit.
Sister Faustina suffered from tuberculosis; despite her incredible pain and suffering, she never lost an opportunity to pray, particularly for dying souls and for the souls in Purgatory. She went to her eternal reward on October 5th in 1938 at the age of thirty-three. Pope John Paul II canonized Saint Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament on April 30th of 2000 during the Great Jubilee Year, one of the first Saints of the Third Millennium.
Much more could be written about this Saint but I want you to direct your thoughts to what she means in your life. I am convinced that, through the works and words of this beloved Saint, we are all being called to become living Saints. We are ordinary people, called to become extraordinary Apostles of Divine Mercy!
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