Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

"Mercy is the essence o f our congregation. I f we remove mercy, we cease to be ourselves." The wards formed the nucleus of the community. I t is therefore no t su rp rising th a t th e community worked out a rule and regu la tions for them more quickly th an it did its own Constitutions. Such regulations arose according to "the merciful intentions o f the Saviour", Who came "not to call the ju s t , b u t sinners", and Who sought "mercy and no t sacrifice". So th e community’s method was th e same: J e su s ’. The sisters understood th e ir apostolic ta sk s as a vocation given them by God "in order to jo in w ith H im in the work o f converting and sanctifying souls". They believed they should become an extension of the loving arm s of God. So, tak ing Christ as the ir model, they lived alongside the "penitents", educating them and in s truc ting them in the v irtues, and simultaneously employing all possible methods open to them to make repara tion to God for the sins formerly committed by th e i r wards. Thus it was also a pen iten tia l congregation, and th is factor played a role as im po rtan t as th e ir apostolate, since only by combining the two were they partic ipa ting in a fully Christ-like activity. For these purposes, the Congregation lived in p e rm anen t contemplation of the life of Christ, and in p a r ticu la r of His Passion. The Constitutions s ta te th a t "the degree o f comm itmen t to the love o f God and the im itation o f H is desire to save sinners decides the degree o f comm itment to the spirit o f the Congregation and also o f the greatness o f the personal sanctity o f each o f the Sisters". Fu rthe r , they state: "In accordance w ith the sp ir it o f their vocation [the sisters] will offer for the intentions o f the souls 395