Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

to pray a ll the tim e”, was the accusation of those who supervised h e r in the household. Such an opinion, once established, affected the reprimands, often unjust, which she received, for S ister F au s tina was a conscien­ tious and qualified worker. In the community she worked mainly in two areas, the kitchen or th e garden. In both she had been tra ined in the convent and had a tta ined g rea t skills in the work. She was considered a consummate and exquisite cook and a clever and productive gardener. She liked both tasks; she could find in each an ou tlet for h e r apostolic temperament. She cooked tas ty meals because she fe lt th a t care over food would be more likely to draw the stubborn and un ru ly wards towards God. For the same reason she took care th a t fru it and vegetables in th e convent garden should give large crops. The flowers she grew so beautifully went to the a l ta r in the chapel. When S ister F au s tina was asked how she managed h e r duties, she said happily th a t "Jesus gives so much o f everything." (Arch. S.F., Recoil.). Her skills did not come a t once. She acquired them gradually as she performed h e r duties. This "further training" had its thorny moments a t times: i t was sometimes associated with painful experiences. This was no school adapted specially to teach. The work had its specific requirements, and deadlines had to be met. So the instructions given to S ister F au s tina were often ab rup t and impatient, though she was sensitive and anxious to do well. The hum ility she learned in the convent was unable to suppress these tra i ts . While indeed she received reproofs w ithou t discussion and with the words, "I’m sorry, I sha ll try to do better next time", she was painfully h u r t and shed many tea rs , especially if the reproofs were ab ru p t or un just. She did not know how to control h e r resen tm en t, though she did no t grumble either to h e r superiors or other sisters. She went to complain to Jesus . 408