Pillars of Fire In My Soul

Although it is tempting to limit purity’s scope to the physical, in fact, purity goes far beyond this. It is extremely important to note, however, that St. Faustina’s vocation was as a virgin, a woman religious dedicated body, soul, and heart to our Lord. She delighted in her vocation and was convinced that God holds a special place for those whose gifts include voluntary celibacy in service to the Lord. Her complete contentment and joy with her vocation and gifts makes St. Faustina an inspiring example for us as we struggle to discern our own vocations and gifts. St. Faustina was decidedly not a one-dimensional person, however, and she brought the quality of purity to the whole of her life from the time of her childhood. Until World War I, the section of Poland where Helen lived was under the oppressive rule of the Russians. An indication of the gravity of the oppres- sion was that the Russians prohibited the Polish people from conducting schools in their own language, and so for most Poles in that sector of the country there was no formal educa- tion. Once the war was under way, however, Russian rule was dismantled, and the people started to school their children in Polish. Starting in 1917 Helen went to school for three terms, beginning in the second grade since she had learned to read at home. However, in order to make room for younger children, she and other older children had to leave school in 1919. During this brief period of formal education, Helen demon- strated the purity of deed and intention that marked her life in general. She took positive advantage of the educational opportu- nities being offered to her, and devoted herself to her studies with zest and dedication. She even won a school prize by doing a fine recitation of AdamMickiewicz’s poem "Powrot Taty" ("Daddy’s Return Home"). Her teacher was very sorry that Helen had to leave school, feeling that she showed great promise. Although her time in school was limited, Helen made good use of it. She showed gratitude for the chance to better herself, and made intelligent use of the time she had to learn as much 150 Pillars of Fire in My Soul