Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

Helenka, inheriting th a t folk cu lture , was too young when she left home to be able h e rse lf to have all the qualities and skills enum era ted by Professor Pigon. But she was b rough t up su rrounded by them , and, like every child, she absorbed th e lifestyle of h e r environ­ ment. This lifestyle formed her, firstly by its own atmosphere, and only la te r , and gradually, in various skills. There is no doubt th a t , help ing h e r fa th e r in the farm work and h e r m o ther in housework and with the livestock, she already h ad a store of general knowledge. Most importan tly however, she had absorbed those m so e r n P ta ig l o c n ha li r s a t c s: teristics of the small fa rm e r t h a t Profes­ "a sense o f duty, an inner seriousness, strict moral rigour and a range o f interests and sk ills which together make up a specific philosophy o f life." All these t ra i ts are clearly visible in Helenka. This formative influence of country life rem a ined so strongly with h e r th a t the charac ter delineated by i t was the e lem entary framework upon which, to the end of h e r life, she was to build h e r special v irtues or skills. When she entered religious life she was a distinctive in ­ dividual: strong, ha rdy and independent. Her charac ter was up righ t and direct. Two special t ra i ts may be emphasized, as they h ad a basic significance for the religious life awaiting her: a disciplined obedience, and asceticism. She had been b rough t up to obedience as a little child. She well understood its worth and the need of it, and subm itted to its rigours w ithout in terio r revolt. She fulfilled commands given to h e r responsibly and w ithout evasions. The factor which streng thened h e r inna te tendency to be obedient was h e r kindliness for those around her, which was expressed not so much in seeking an occasion to give someone pleasure as in filling th a t person’s daily needs and wishes. Thus, obedience on the one h an d formed w ithin h e r a sense of au thority , and on the o ther developed h e r ability to see the point of view of ano the r hum an being. 55