Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

As a creative ta len t , S ister F au s t in a is an in te res ting phenomenon. She undoubtedly possessed g rea t artis tic sensitivity. Beauty was no mean element in h e r piety. But i t was always the beau ty of God’s creation, and not beau ty created by man. The la t te r did not in te re s t he r a t all. The most beau tifu l churches were resp lenden t with the beau ty of God p resen t w ithin them, and not in the ir exterior appearance. This child of the country­ side never took th e le a s t notice of even th e most splendid churches of God in cities so rich in them as are Cracow and Vilnius. The beau ty which a ttrac ted h e r soul was th a t with which God has H imself su r­ round us. She was, and rem a ined uniformly to the end of h e r life, enchanted with Creation. Bu t le t us re tu rn to the m en ta l s ta te which gave rise to h e r poetry. This mood of inner cheerfulness and harmony which most pa rticu la rly characterizes th e la s t months of S ister F au s tin a ’s life was something so ex traord inary th a t i t m u s t have been noticed by those around her, the more so t h a t when she had la s t been working, and struggling with th e work she had been given by Jesu s , she was sometimes seen to be in a s ta te of nervous tension. This h ad now totally vanished. Her behaviour became equable and a deep peace en tered th a t soul which was now drowned in God. E tern ity was fa s t approaching, and she went to m eet it with open arms. This is confirmed by S ister D., who in the spring of 1938 wen t to see S is te r Faus tina , who told her, For six months I have been feeling as i f I were in eternity. Those who surrounded S ister F au s t in a did no t know of h e r preceding sp iritua l difficulties, b u t th e sufferings resu lting from h e r progressing illness were highly visible to all. The change in the a ttitude of the sick woman was all the more obvious to everyone about her, and they began to say, while she was still alive, th a t she was a saint. 363