Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

few days after the revelation which took place imme­ diately before h e r vows, Je su s again appeared to S ister F au s tina when she kne lt in the chapel saying the "Holy Hour". "Lis soon as I entered the chapel, ( jod ’s presence enveloped me. T was distinctly aware that the Lord was near me. Lifter a moment I saw the Lord, a ll covered zvith wounds; and Lie sa id to me, ' Loo hi a t whom you have espoused’. I understood the meaning o f these words and answered the Lord, "Jesus, I love f o u more when I see yo u wounded and crushed zvith suffering like this than i f I saw f o u in majesty". Jesus asked, \Why?’ I replied, “Qreat majesty terrifies me, little nothing that I am, and f o u r wounds draw me to f o u r Jfeart and tell me o f fo u r great love fo r me... " I f i \ e d my gaze upon Llis sacred wounds and f e l t happy to suffer zvith J{im. / suffered, and yet I d id not suffer, because I f e l t happy to know the depth o f Llis love..." (Diary, Notebook I, para . 252). S is te r Faus tina , led by h e r Divine Master, now became used to living always in the shadow of His suffering. Her unders tand ing of th is g rea te s t mystery of God’s Mercy grew ever deeper. She now understood th a t the essence of h e r intimacy w ith the Lord would depend on tak ing p a r t in His Passion, and th a t i t was precisely th is which would be the core of h e r vocation. One day Je su s appeared before h e r "stripped o f Odis clothes, 9dis 6ody completely covered zvith wounds, Llis eyes fb o d e d zvith tears and blood, Jdis face disfigured and covered zvith sp ittb . Lhe Lord then sa id to me, "‘The bride must resemble her ‘Betrothed.’ I 140