Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

ance of the mission en tru s ted to him. For i t was not S ister F au s t in a who had to carry out fu r th e r a ttem p ts to p u t into practice God’s in ten tions - now i t was the tu rn of the confessor. I t is w ithin a priest’s competence to decide w he ther a p ic ture may be hung in a church, and i t was h is will which he re made th e decision. This is why Je su s , constantly p romp ting S ister Fau s tina , now changes h e r task , as rega rds the practical side. She is to t ran sm i t His desires to F a th e r Sopocko: "Ask of My faithful servant... Tell him..." etc. T h a t F a th e r Sopocko indeed was in need of helpful suggestions is shown by h is own words: "There are tru ths o f the fa ith which we are sup­ posed to know and which we frequently refer to, hut we do not understand them very well, nor do we live by them. I t was so w ith me, concerning the Divine Mercy. I had thought o f th is tru th so many times in meditations, especially dur ing retreats, I had spoken o f it so often in sermons and repeated it in the liturgical prayers, hut I had not gone to the core o f its substance and. its significance for the spiritual life; in particular, I had not understood, and for the moment I could not even agree, tha t the Divine Mercy is the highest attribute o f God, the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. I t was only when I encountered a simple holy soul who was in close communion w ith God, who, as I believe, w ith divine inspiration told me o f it, that she impelled me to read, research and reflect on this subject." I t is clear th a t F a th e r Sopocko was confused no t only by h is continuing checks as to w he ther w ha t S ister F au s tina told him was tru e , and w he ther these were really revelations from Je su s , b u t by the question of Divine Mercy, which had not been though t through by him; these difficulties had to be overcome, h is doubts removed, before he could commit himself. The words of Jesu s , repea ted to him by S is te r Fau s tina , wen t to the very h e a r t of the problem which was torm en ting him, 167