Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

resurrection^ sen t His apostles and disciples out into the world to preach His teachings. There is such g rea t sim ilarity of approach t h a t we are overwhelmed with th e impression th a t both th en and now th e same Person is speaking. In both cases the commands are given in a short, laconic formulation of the aim itself. The methods by which th is is to be accomplished are completely left out, as if they did no t concern th e Lord Who speaks. Bu t the method of performing the ta sk and the means to use a re perhaps as im po rtan t as the command. Yes, b u t they a re en tire ly left to the in itia ­ tive and forethought of th e one who is to perform God’s command, for Jesus , in giving the aim, a t the same time indicated a sphere of independen t action for any hum an being who is to b ring into fruition God’s business. God did no t make any suggestions on how to carry out His plan. This is the sphere in which the free will of man is to act. Je su s tre a ted S ister F au s t in a as He did His apostles. For them , detailed indications on w ha t and how to do things cease with the moment of His resurrection. From then on, they receive only sho rt commands: "Go and. teach." To S is te r F au s tina He spoke similarly: "Paint the picture", and see "that the picture is venera­ ted". S ister F au s tin a was astounded. She was faced with a problem which appeared insoluble: 1. she didn’t know how to pa in t - how, then , could she reproduce the image which she had seen of th e Lord? 2. She was a nun enclosed in a community and obliged to follow a s tric t inner rule and by h e r obedience - how, then, could she propagate veneration for th is picture through­ out the world? Bu t the command had been given, so though t had to be given to fulfilling it. For the moment, according to S ister F au s tina ’s usua l principle of action, a ll he r a tten tion was concentrated on the f irs t stage of the work, the pa in ting of the picture. She la id the problem before h e r confessor, expecting an explanation of the 112