Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

m a t te r had been though t through , overcome and prayed over; h e r decision had been tak en consciously and with full responsibility. F u r th e r pages of th e d iary confirm th is . Three months la te r , as Advent approached, S ister F au s tin a writes: "yesterday I received a tetter from fa th e r Sopocko. I teamed that Qod's zvork. is progressing, hozvever stozvty. I am very happy ahout this, and I have redouhted my prayers fo r this entire zvork . I have come to team that, fo r the present, so f a r as my participation in the zvork. is concerned, the Lord is asking f o r prayer and sacrifice. Slction on my part coutd indeed thzvart Qod's ptans, as fa th e r Sopocko zvrote in yesterday's tetter." (Diary, Notebook V, para . 1401). I f we seek an additional stim u lus which m igh t have affected th is decisive act of S is te r F au s tin a ’s, we m u s t look a t th e f irs t successes of th e newly-born work. The joy which accompanied these m igh t have re leased new streng th s essential before th e maximum sacrifice could be a ttem p ted , i f only to support and fortify the new work. How much easier i t would have been to find the fo rtitude for th a t sacrifice, when the f irs t fru its were becoming visible! From the moment she accepted th e will of God, the m a t te r of founding the new Congregation ceased to concern her. This does no t m ean th a t S is te r F au s tin a already knew w ha t was to be done. When she finally understood t h a t Je su s w ished h e r to rem a in where she was, th a t i t was no t h e r ta sk to se t up th e new Congregation, and how th e process of realization occurred, we shall never know. The revelations concern­ ing th is m a t te r have rem a ined shrouded in secrecy. The words of Je su s to S ister F au s t in a when He asked for the new Congregation a re no t known, and th e end of th e m a t te r is still more obscure. This most dramatic 303