Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

We are not su rp rised by th is symptom of disease. I t appears when the re is significant lung decay. The strong fetor of putrefaction coming from the mouth is so nausea ting and unbearable for the p a t ien t th a t , in order a t leas t to mask it, hospitals give a deodorant rinse which disinfects the mouth and to some extent takes away the unp leasan t odour. But S is te r F aus tina did not know this. Among h e r sufferings, th e n igh ts rem a ined the h a rd e s t for S is te r Faus tina , for then the a ttack s of pain in the abdomen were almost regu lar. To ea t became a real torture: “M l highly seasoned dishes caused me such immense pain that I spent many nights zvri thing in pain and in tears, fo r the sake o f sinners. Jfozvever, I asked my confessor zvhat to do: zvhether / should continue to suffer this fo r the sake o f sinners or ask. the superiors fo r an exception hy zvay o f milder food, t ie decided that I should ask. the superiors fo r milder food. ’ (Diary, Notebook V, paras . 1428, 1429). Here we have ano ther confirmation th a t for S ister F aus tina the offering of h e r hea lth to Je su s was still in force. N either he r fading streng th , nor the almost constant pain broke h e r spirit. She always had th is in h e r mind: "When one is i l l and zveaki one must constantly make efforts to measure up to zvhat others are doing as a matter o f course. ‘But even those matter-of-course things cannot alzvays he managed. ^Nevertheless, thank. Cfoa, Jesus, fo r everything, hecause it is not the greatness o f the zvorks, hut the greatness o f the effort that zvill he rezvarded. What is done out o f love is not small. I do 286