Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

The though t of aim ing for sanctity , of course, was not new to her. I t m u s t have shown itse lf in a form which was conspicuous to those around her, often irrita ting , since h e r companions had given h e r the spiteful and ironic nickname of "Saint". H er though t had not gone beyond general conventions, which assume th a t sanctity is th e sum of v irtues a tta ined . In h e r diary for preced­ ing years, there are several visions reported of h e r being raised to the a lta r , scenes which are h a l f real, h a l f symbolic, and which are no t always clear. Only now, as she is so deeply un ited with God, sanctity as the n a tu ra l re su l t of th is relationship en ters h e r though ts in the form of more thorough meditations, and th is affects the cha rac ter of th e re trea t . S ister F au s tina began with a detailed analysis of herself. She examined h e r soul with care, b u t she did so in an atmosphere of deep in te rio r peace. Nothing spoiled the sweetness of h e r communion with God. Under His watchful eye, she knew t h a t she would no t fall into error, and th a t she would achieve h e r goal. ‘M y daughter, this retreat zv ill be an uninterrupted contemplation... Close to M y merciful ‘Heart, you zv ill meditate upon a ll the graces your heart has received’. (Diary, Notebook V, para . 1327). With precise detail, S is te r F au s t in a records the course of those e igh t days, and th is alone indicates how im po rtan t they were to her. "(Profound silence engulfs my soul. Ho t a single cloud hides the sun from me. I lay myself entirely open to its rays, that His love may effect a complete transformation in me." (Diary, Notebook V, para . 1333). '‘May f o u r Spirit guide me, O Qod, into the most profound depth o f knowledge o f fo u r s elf, and o f my ozvn 331