Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

pCeteCy. ‘Throughout a tt this time I had been in a sort o f swoon. ‘Every beat o f Jesus ' Efeart zvas reffected in my heart and pierced my souC... I zvas dying zvith TCim, and ye t I couCd not die. 'But I zvould not have e?(changed that martyrdom fo r a tt the pleasures o f the zvhtoie zvorCd. In the course o f this suffering, my Covegrezv immeasurab- Cy. I knozv that the Lord zvas supporting me zvith This omnipotence, fo r otherzvise I zvouCd not have been abCe to endure it fo r even a moment." (Diary, Notebook III, para. 1054). In addition to the symptoms of suffering here de­ scribed, there were hidden pa ins with the fea tures of stigm a ta (Diary, II, para . 759, II para . 942, III para. 1054, V para. 1399, V para. 1425, VI para. 1619, VI para. 1724). Because the symptoms of h e r illness appeared to have become more severe,Dr Silberg decided to keep S ister F aus tina in hospital un til April. I wonder if he had not a t leas t in p a r t realized th e ir origin, for, despite the fact th a t these symptoms remained, he gave permission for S ister Fau s tina to leave hospital a t the appointed time. She arrived home for E a s te r itself. The sisters were convinced th a t she had been cured, b u t th e doctor’s view was probably no t so optimistic. Dr Silberg evident­ ly considered th a t the disintegrative process had been halted. There m igh t be additional hidden reasons why he gave permission for S is ter F au s t in a to leave hospi­ tal. We are compelled to speculate. The only indication is in his method of tre a t in g th is patien t. We know th a t he took seriously her sp iritual needs. We can find such motives in h is numerous rem arks to nurses , S ister F au s tina ’s companions and h e r religious superiors. She he rse lf also described certain incidents in which two factors, religious and therapeu tic , played a pa rt. 278