Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

Both the supe rna tu ra l promises of aid - th a t of St. Ignatius and th a t of the Blessed Virgin - gave S ister F au s tina inner s treng th , b u t they gave no practical indications on how to s ta r t to act. Je su s spoke in a sim ilar way. I t was as i f th e en tire supe rna tu ra l activity of heaven was concentrated upon one task , th a t S ister F au s tina gain in fortitude, before she a ttem p ted any action. The heavenly powers partic ipa ting do not ins is t on has te . The righ t time to make a decision would come. "On one occasion , the Lord said to me, "‘Why are you fearfu l and why do you tremble when you are united to Ode? / am displeased when a sou t yields to vain terrors. Who w ill dare to touch you when you are w ith Ode? M ost dear to Me is the sou l tha t strongly believes in M y goodness and has complete trust in Me. I heap M y confidence upon it and g ive it a ll it asks." (Diary, Notebook I, para. 453). During th is difficult time, the two re tre a ts th a t S ister Faus tina a ttended had g rea t significance for her. The firs t was in Vilnius, between 12th and 16th August, and the second was the annua l re t re a t between 20th and 28th October, for which she went to Cracow. The re tre a t in Vilnius was given th is time by Rev. Emil Zyczkowski S.J., a well-educated p ries t of wide in terests , the rector, and la te r the Provincial, of the J e su i t Fa thers . His instruction , according to w ha t Jesus told her, was to confirm,, by the official teach ing of the Church, her private revelations. She writes: "On the evening o f the introductory day o f the retreat , as I listened to the points fo r the meditation, I heard these words: 'During this retreat I zv ill speak, to you through the mouth o f this priest to strengthen you and assure you o f the truth o f the words which I address to 232