Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

OUR LADY IN THE LIFE OF SISTER FAUSTINA I t would be an incomplete p ic ture of the sp iritua l life of S ister F au s tin a th a t did no t include the role th a t Our Lady played in it. Everyone who m e t S ister F au s t in a was struck by the fact th a t h e r faith was so very Christocentric. The Incarna te God - from cradle to Cross - occupied he r whole h e a r t and left no room for other thoughts. Connected with Him by h e r vows, like some careful housewife she fervently m inded His business. But precisely because the Incarna te God was the focus of h e r fascination, Mary th e Mother who brought Him into th is world was also included. True love embraces everything connected with the beloved. So, therefore, S ister F au s tin a loved the Mother of Je su s very much. In h e r h e a r t , Our Lady had h e r own place and express honour; she accompanied S ister F au s tina throughou t h e r whole life, from the cradle to he r deathbed. As a child, Helenka became used to the figure of Our Lady in the daily religious practices of h e r home, tak ing an active p a r t in th e "Little Office" sung by h e r fa ther, and in the rosary the family said together. So the Mother of God had an honoured place in h e r prayers from babyhood. Although h e r g re a te s t longing was always to belong only to the Lord Je su s , a t the same time she perfectly understood th a t i f He were to dwell fully in h e r h ea r t , she needed the help ing hand of His Mother. No one could p repa re souls as she could, 341