Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

earth, the Mother o f Qod, do thed in a Bright robe. She zvas graying zvith 9ber hands foCded on tier bosom, Oder eyes fi?(ed on Obeaven. from Oder Obeart issued fo r th fiery rays, some o f zvhich zvere turned tozvard Odeaven while the others zvere covering our country.' (Diary, Notebook I, para . 33). In 1936 there occurred the f irs t dram atic vision of the pun ishm en t awaiting Poland, which was prevented only - as we would say - by the in terven tion of the "Queen of Poland". Bu t S ister F au s tin a writes: In the evening, I sazv the Mother o f Qod, zvith Ober breast bared and pierced zvith a szvord. She zvas shedding bitter tears and shielding us against Qod's terrible punishment. Qod zvants to inflict terrible punishment on us, but Ode cannot because the Mother o f Qod is shielding us... I kept praying incessantly f o r ‘Poland, fo r my dear Poland, which is so lacking in gratitude fo r the Mother o f Qod... I intensified my prayers and sacrifices fo r our dear native land, but I see that I am a drop before the wave o f evil. Obow can a drop stop a wave? (Diary, Notebook II, para . 686). I t is obvious th a t the Mother of God was, for S ister Faustina , not only he r M istress in th e a r t of personal perfection, b u t to the same degree h e r Guide in the g rea t mission left to h e r by Jesu s . I t was Our Lady who made her realize th a t "the graces Qod was granting me were not fo r me abone, but fo r other souls as welC (Diary, Notebook II, para . 561). This was la te r repea ted to her m any times by Jesus . The warn ing was once more repea ted in 1936, when the Mother of God finally defined the mission of S is ter Faustina : 352