Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

adopted a critical a ttitude , and who though t th a t "Sister Faustina spoiled herself, hadn ’t enough energy, and was giving in to her illness" etc. (Archives of S.F., Recollections) indicated th a t she would not have an easy life. I t is tru e th a t a t th e beginning of December S ister F au s tin a went to hosp ita l, b u t th a t la s t month of he r stay in the convent was full of additional torment. This ex tra cross was h a rd to bear: a t times inadequa te nu rs ing and hum iliations. I t was said of her th a t S ister F au s tina was hyper-sensitive, little able to bea r pain, etc. Such a judgm en t is fairly typical of hea lthy people who have had little to do w ith th e ill and apply the ir own s tanda rd s to them . In a qualified nu rse th is a ttitud e is h a rd to justify. I t m u s t indicate some k ind of basic lack of comprehension of the men­ ta lity of the sick, and also incompetence in the correct recognition of the symptoms of suffering. Indeed, some of the sisters who were no t expert in m a t te rs of illness realized the sufferings of S is te r F au s tin a and were angry a t h e r t re a tm en t a t th e hand s of the Infirmarian . She herself, however, accepted everything quietly. When once S ister 0 . in h e r presence criticized the In fir­ marian , S is te r F au s tina cu t sho r t the conversation with th e remark: "All tha t I have on th is earth is my suffering." This sentence sums up h e r point of view on the m a tter. There was to be, an unexpected g rea t change in the circumstances of the pa tien t. A t the beginning of October th e physician warned the community th a t S ister F au s tin a ’s illness was a t the infectious stage, and recommended th a t she be separa ted from other sisters, and two months la te r proposed th a t she be taken to the sana torium for trea tm en t . The superiors agreed a t once, and on 9th December she was taken to the hospital. She went unwillingly and anxiously. She no longer felt h e rse lf able to cope with new surroundings and conditions. Also, she was en tering lay surroundings which were totally foreign to her. She had never, thu s far, been inside a hospital. This all seemed to h e r too g rea t a change, and therefore effort. 270