Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

Mercy and the sinful world. This question absorbed her totally, with all h e r physical and sp iritua l faculties. I t is easy to picture S ister F au s tin a clearly and in th ree dimensions from the d a ta supplied on the one hand by h e r Diary and on the other by the many recollections of the Sisters. H er Diary shows us h e r from the inside, w ha t and how she experienced events, w ha t nourished h e r soul and w ha t difficulties she had on h e r sp iritual journey. But i t would be a m istake to lim it our knowledge of S is te r F au s tin a to the Diary, by imagining th a t i t is the most au tho rita tive and au th en ­ tic source. The Diary is a pa rtia l w itness and may mislead us if we do no t supplement i t w ith other information from outside, i.e. from those who lived with S ister F aus tina and knew h e r from everyday life. Also, the Diary is not a jou rna l in the exact meaning of th e word. A true journa l would m irror th e life, though ts and feelings of the person writing, h e r opinions, outlook, duties and pleasures, thus giving a more or less complete picture. This diary was w ritten by S ister F au s tin a a t the reques t of he r confessor, for a purpose exactly defined by him and only for h is use. She does no t record in it all, or even very important, elements in h e r life, bu t only describes w ha t concerns h e r intimacy with Jesus , which includes Divine visions and h e r struggles to do all th a t the Lord has commanded her, h e r prayers, he r expressions of love and adoration, and h e r conscious­ ness of h e r own littleness and wretchedness. We also find in it some elements of fa ith : moral problems which troubled her, failings in charity, resen tm en ts and b itterness a t the receipt of some unjustified reprimands or unsu itab le tre a tm en t a t the hand s of o thers, and others’ lack of unders tand ing of th e sta te of h e r hea lth . She uncovers everything before h e r confessor w ithout seeking any justification, with a frankness so absolute and guileless th a t it inspires in the reade r adm iration and respect for h e r hum ility. 412