Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

prevailed a t th e time: fear, or courage. Bu t Je su s acted w ithou t haste , allowing the new seed He had sown w ithin h e r soul to grow. And, although He did not promise an easy task , and showed h e r the difficulties and obstacles, He ordered h e r to t ru s t unconditionally, as He H imself would be th e gu a ran to r of th is work. And so, in the struggle with herself, S is te r F au s tin a found he rse lf developing a new unde rs tand ing of fulfilling the will of God. This lesson continued on two pa ths , as was u sua l with her: th e n a tu ra l , as ta u g h t by the priest, and th e sup e rn a tu ra l , direct from Jesus . Usually, th e f irs t of the lessons was given by the confessor, and then the Lord J e su s supplemented and enriched it. Here is a charac teristic example: "On one occasion I heard these words, 'f desire that you hive according to 9dy zvitt, in the most secret depths o f your soul.' I reflected on these words, which spoke very much to my heart, Lhis was on the day o f confes­ sions fo r the community. When I went to confession and had accused myself o f my sins, the priest [Fa ther Sopocko] repeated to me the same words that the Lord had previously spoken. <The priest spoke these profound words to me, "‘Ihere are three degrees in the accomplish­ ment o f god 's zvill: in the firs t, the sou l carries out a ll rules and statutes pertaining to external observance; in the second degree, the sou l accepts interior inspirations and carries them out fa ith fu lly; in the third degree, the soul, abandoned to the zvill o f (fed, allows “Him to dispose o f i t freely, and (fod does zvith it as We pleases, and it is a docile tool in Wis hands. Lind the priest said that I was a t the second degree in the accomplishment o f fo d 's zvill and that I had not yet reached the third degree, but that I should strive to attain it." (Diary, Notebook I, paras . 443, 444). 229