Pillars of Fire In My Soul

completed, there was nothing found in them to stand in the way of proceeding further with her Cause. The Cause of Sister Faustina, therefore, began to move forward. On March 7, 1992, in the presence of the Holy Father, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints promulgated the Decree of Heroic Virtues, by which the Church acknowledges that Sister Faustina practiced all the Christian virtues to an heroic degree. As a result, she then received the title “Venerable” Servant of God. Convincing evidence of miracles attributed to Sr. Faustina’s intercession removed the last obstacle to the recognition of her sanctity by the Universal Church. And so, on the Sunday after Easter, Mercy Sunday, 1993, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, and then on Mercy Sunday, 2000, she became the first canonized saint of the new millennium. On these joyful occasions, the Holy Father spoke the following words, which sum up the significance of St. Faustina’s life and witness for our troubled world: “Her mission continues, and is yielding astonishing fruit. It is truly marvelous how her devotion to the merciful Jesus is spreading in our contemporary world, and gaining so many human hearts! This is undoubtedly a sign of the times — a sign of our 20th century. The balance of this century, which is now ending ... presents a deep restlessness and fear of the future. Where, if not in The Divine Mercy, can the world find refuge and the light of hope? Believers understand that perfectly ... What will the years ahead bring us? ... We are not given to know. ... But the light of Divine Mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sr. Faustina’s charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium.” Divine Mercy … We Trust in You! 19