Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

way oblige them . Her sensitive h e a r t was unable to watch unaffected while h e r p a ren ts toiled. With a child’s little hands she tried to b ring them some help, thereby developing h e r in itia tive and inventiveness: of h e r own will she would tidy up something a t home, or feed the pigs or poultry, and happily wa it for he r pa ren ts to find th e surprise. Sometimes she was disappointed in th is. Despite h e r expectations, h e r pa ren ts often accepted th is gift of voluntary work as something to be expected, only emphasising i t when i t was a good example to the o ther children. This was probably h e r f irs t experience of the h a rd school of life. Sometimes i t m u s t have been painful, b u t because the lesson was learned a t home from h e r paren ts , of whose feelings for h e r she was certain , and whom she very much loved, th e re was no a f te r ta s te of bitterness . In fact i t was very good tra in ing for the life she was to choose. She quickly understood th a t i t is no use in life to expect a reward, or even recognition for perfectly performed duties or kindliness. One may be praised, b u t - and how often i t happens! - one may simply be ignored. Only God will make i t up to you, h e r mother explained when teach ing the a tten tive Helenka h e r fa ith . One day the re will be a rew ard from God, Who knows everything, sees everything and remembers everything. Two typical moments from th is time in h e r life may throw more ligh t on Helenka’s k ind of goodness. Her eldest s is te r Joseph ine says, "When Helenka was about ten years old, she decided to obtain money for the poor in the same way tha t they do. She dressed in rags and went around the village from house to house saying a prayer and ask ing for alms. She came back home very depressed saying, T h e poor have a terrible life. How much they have to bear ge tting food for themselves .’ Helenka’s bro ther Stanley h a s ano ther story about her. When she was twelve or th irteen , "she decided to organize a raffle for the poor. She went around our neighbours asking for sma ll gifts, wrote out the lottery 25