Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

wish to give an immediate sign, a lthough He promised th a t He would give i t to the superiors "by means of the graces which I will grant through this image". So both the confessor and the superior, awaiting fu r th e r evidence of th e genuine n a tu re of th e revela­ tions, took up for th e moment an expectant and ra th e r doubting a ttitude . S is te r F au s tin a , left more or less to herself, and for the f irs t tim e in serious doubt of the voice of God in h e r soul, w an ted "to run away from these interior inspirations". Bu t God again cate­ gorically pro tested and said "that on the day of judgment He would demand of me a great number of souls." S is te r F au s t in a was totally confused. She hes ita ted between two con trary emotions: once she tr ied to avoid being with Je su s , and again an overwhelming ins tinc t in h e r soul propelled h e r towards Him. Despite the difficulties, she tried h e rse lf to solve th e problem of the pa in ting of the picture. Since she h e rse lf did no t know how to pa in t, perhaps ano the r S is te r m igh t do i t a t he r reque s t and u nd e r h e r direction. Bu t who? At th is time a s is te r of th e f ir s t choir, Bozena P., was given to h e r to help h e r in h e r work in th e bakery and shop. I t is worth hea r ing w ha t she has to say about S ister F au s tin a a t th is time: "The work was hard, and, it seemed, beyond her strength, bu t she knew how to organize it. In helping her I carried large baskets o f loaves. While doing this once I haemorrhaged from the mouth. S ister Faustina was most concerned and wanted to tell the superior, but I asked her not to d isturb the Mother Superior dur ing the retreat. From tha t time on, she spared me: we p u t the loaves into other baskets, carrying h a l f the weight. S is ter Faustina behaved very lovingly and k ind ly to me, w ithout grum b ling tha t she had received such a feeble helper." The work they did together, du ring which the s isters both said much on sp iritua l m a tte rs , b rough t them 115