Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

In observing Mother Michael a t a distance, i t is difficult to re s is t the impression th a t in the work of the new devotion to the Divine Mercy she also had an im po rtan t role to play, and t h a t she was prepared for th is by God. For i t was to her, as Superior General, th a t was en tru s ted care for th e gradually dawning comprehension, in S is ter Fau s tina , of how she was to accomplish th a t which God was demanding of her. This required of Mother Michael a p a tien t and calm aw a it­ ing of explanation, and subsequent help in bringing about th is work. I t is also th ank s to he r th a t Je su s ’ mission began to filter into th e Congregation during the la s t years of S ister F au s tina ’s life, and directly after he r death. Mother Michael m u s t have been a sp iritua lly m a tu re soul, and with a rich in te rio r life of h e r own. This appears in the calm and prudence with which she was able to meet the needs of the Congregation and a t the same time those of the ex traord inary mystic-contempla­ tive personality of S is ter F au s t in a with its apostolic mission.Such divergence could have sp lit th is group of God’s handmaids, and th a t th is did not happen was probably because S ister F au s t in a ’s sp iritua lity was deeply rooted in the sp iritua lity of the Congregation, and th a t in tu rn gave h e r th e foundations on which God’s grace bu ilt her new life. She was a flower which blossomed in th e garden of th e community, and which ornamented i t in its own n a tu ra l way, although the flower shot up to such a he igh t th a t in time it overshadowed the en tire Congregation. Bu t the flower developed slowly, and i t is only because of th is th a t various pa rticu la r sayings, h in ts , or even the behaviour of S is ter F au s tin a give no impression of something un n a tu ra l or spiritually alien in her community. I t is true th a t they said of h e r th a t she was "different", b u t by th is they understood t h a t she was en tire ly and completely absorbed in God. This is not common, even among nuns. 96