Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

A DREAM COME TRUE Her dream had come true: Helena’ had obtained what she had wanted, and was now in the convent. After all the obstacles, we have a t la s t a typical happy ending. The pa th to the service of God was now open before h e r and nothing separa ted h e r from Him. Is i t therefore possible to draw a veil over h e r self, and concern ourselves solely with h e r mission from Je su s which she received to pass on to us? I t certainly is not. T h a t k ind of happy ending in which m arriage crowns the love of two young people and ends the ir story, happens only in novels. In rea lity the wedding is only the crossing of the f irs t thresho ld in th e ir new life together. Their whole life lies before them . W hether th e ir m arriage is a happy ending for the two of them , only the fu tu re will show. I t is sim ilar with en try into a convent. This is ju s t th e firs t step. The new candidate s tands before a g rea t Unknown. The lifestyle in a religious community is quite different from th a t in th e world, and has its own specific requ irem en ts and customs. Now it h a s to be learned, adopted, and come to be loved. I t needs p repara tion and teaching. This is why every candidate for the religious life begins with the postulancy in which he or she learns of f irs t duties in religion. This ‘T ran s la to r’s footnote: I t now seems tim e to stop calling S is te r F au s t in a by h e r childhood name of Helenka, and to use Helena. The American edition of h e r D iary calls h e r Helen. 57