Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

M y disciple, that you. are a disciple o f a crucified Master.' (Diary, Notebook V, paras. 1512,1513). S ister F au s tin a obediently followed the pa th indicated to h e r by Jesu s . S im ilar words, often heard now, are, each time, an injection of supe rna tu ra l streng th - they break down the resistance in h e r caused by pain overwhelming h e r body,the b itte rn e ss caused by m isun ­ derstand ing and false app ra isa l, and the sometimes inadequa te care during h e r illness. Everything she experiences, everything she meets, is compared to His life, and the comparison is th e most effective antidote for all kinds of suffering, w he ther physical or m ental. The Lord’s Passion was absorbed by her to such a degree th a t i t was ever-p resen t to h e r senses, and accompanied h e r daily life a t every moment. Even he r p a s t life comes back to h e r only from the point of view of how well she fulfilled th e will of God in it. As she recalled i t in th is way, she saw th a t no t only was God p re sen t a t every moment, b u t also He had p u t his seal on its course. By God’s help and grace S ister F au s tin a had come to such a union and intimacy with Him th a t she could confidently say: 'My Jesus, I see that I have gone through aCt the stages o f my Cife fottozving ‘You; childhood, youth, vocation, apostolic work, rda6or, Qethsemane, and now / am already zvith You on Calvary. I have zvillingly allowed myself to 6e crucified, and I am indeed already crucified; although I can s t i l l w a i t a little, I am stretched out on the cross, and I f e e l distinctly that strength is flozving to me from Your Cross, that You and You alone are my perseverance. Although I often hear the voice o f temptation calling to me, "Come dozvn from the cross!" the power o f Qod strengthens me. Although 329