Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

The main p a r t of every day in the h a rd life of the Kowalskis was taken up with work. The children had to share the ir pa ren ts’ work, so they did not have a lot of time for play. When they reached five years of age, they began to help with the chores. The younger ones gradually took over tasks from the elder, who, when grown up, "went into service", to b ring in a little money. The work was divided up according to a plan. The girls had to take the cows to p as tu re and help the ir mother a t home, and they looked after the younger ones. Helenka helped h e r fa th e r to farm until the boys grew and could take over from her. Every age in the hum an being has its own special rights, needs and demands. The most n a tu ra l and basic righ t of a child is play. In play the child develops and shows its firs t individual in te re s ts and abilities, which is why the child tries to play, instinctively, in any way open to it. So the Kowalski children would try to avoid the chores they had been given, th ink ing up all sorts of tricks to get time for play. I t was only Helenka - though she too had h e r favourite games - who trea ted he r responsibilities seriously. Lies and tricks are the weapon of the weak, who a re incapable of open opposi­ tion. In any case, revolt in the Kowalski family ‘was v irtually impossible. Their fa th e r was too severe and punished disobedience heavily. Nothing was to be gained by defiance. E ither you did w ha t he wanted, or you resorted to deceit. Only one child, Helenka, was not cowed by h e r father. She never learned to lie, or even to cover up embarrassing m a tte rs . Quite the opposite. Her fa the r’s hard-handed methods made h e r a stronger character, although she was by na tu re honest and direct. Very early on, she learned to adap t he rse lf to the will of others, while keeping h e r inner freedom. She did not avoid the necessity for obedience, b u t ne ither did she hide her personal preferences, tas tes , and aspirations. She was open and frank, working exactly as h e r paren ts had ordered her, and she no t only willingly did as she was told, b u t often went out of he r 24