Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

matters, and I learn a lot from her." Indeed, some­ times they were ta lk ing so seriously tha t when I was visiting the pa tien t I d id not dare to interrupt." (Archives of S.F., Recoil.) We have no da ta on S is te r F au s t in a ’s trea tm en t . She h e rse lf speaks only of being on a veranda. This could no t have been usua l, for du ring the f irs t two months she had several considerable rises in tem pe ra tu re , and she th en had to keep to h e r bed. Only a t the end of J a n u a ry 1937 was a certa in improvement obvious: 'January 27, 1937. I f e d considerable improvement in my health. Jesus is bringing me from the gates o f death to Cife, because there zvas so Cittle [eft bat fo r me to die, and ho, the Lord grants me the fuCCness o f Cife. [Although I am s t i t t to remain in the sanatorium, I am aCmost completely zvett. (Diary, Notebook II, para. 897). The p a t ien t was deceived into th ink ing th a t there was a fundam en ta l improvement, th a t th e disease was cured, and th a t therefore only obedience was keeping h e r in th e hospital. But half-way through Feb ruary the pains re tu rn ed to both lungs and in testines . S ister F au s tin a writes: "[February 15, 1937. Loday my suffering increased somezvhat: I not only f e e l greater pain a tt through my lungs, but also some strange pains in my intestines (Diary, Notebook II, para . 953). Two or th ree days a fte r th e pains had re tu rned , S is te r F au s tin a described som ething which, although triv ia l from a medical po in t of view, does shed some necessary ligh t on th e problems of tre a t in g her. She h ad gone to the chapel for m ed ita tion . During th is, she fell into ecstasy: 275