Saint Faustina Kowalska and Divine Mercy
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The Dark Night of the Soul Sr. Faustina suffered throughout most of her novitiate period. She had constant interior struggles. She was completely dry. She couldn’t meditate. She could not feel the presence of God within her. She endured great torments and temptations even in the chapel. She writes, "More than once, all through Holy Mass, I had to struggle against blasphemous thoughts which were forcing themselves to my lips. "It seemed to me that by approaching the Holy Sacraments, I was offending God even more...God was working very strangely in my soul. I did not understand anything at all of what my confessor was telling me. The simple truths of the Faith became incomprehensible to me. My soul was in anguish, unable to find comfort anywhere." While Sr. Faustina felt very alone, she had a great support system from her new Novice Mistress, Sr. Joseph Brzoza. She was able to see in Faustina, great gifts from the Lord. At one point, Faustina felt completely rejected by God. Sr. Joseph said to her, "Know, dear Sister, that God has chosen you for great sanctity. This is a sign that God wants to have you very close to Himself in Heaven. Have great trust in the Lord Jesus." The Mother Directress had a great sensitivity where Faustina was concerned. Her confessor was also very supportive, but Faustina had difficulty expressing herself to him. He, too, saw very special qualities in her. He realized her trials were tests from the Lord. He told her, "This is a sign that God loves you very much and that He has great confidence in you, since He is sending you such trials." But then he also confused her in the same period when he told her to pray the Te Deum or Magnificat, and then to run fast around the garden in the evening, or to laugh out loud ten times a day. Sr. Faustina thought either he didn’t understand her, or that he didn’t take her completely seriously. Well, think about it. This is not a normal situation between a novice and her confessor. This young woman has a special relationship with Jesus, and even with that, she is going through some of the greatest spiritual suffering a soul could endure. It would take a very special person to direct her spiritually. The ability to do this would have to come from the Lord. No man would have the right spirit, the right words, on his own. The problem of a Spiritual Director was no different for Saint Sr. Faustina than it was for St. Teresa of Avila, or thousands of other people specially chosen by the Lord and Our Lady to be the recipients of visions or locutions from them. The Vision of Divine Mercy The Lord had an urgency to give Sr. Faustina the message of Divine Mercy with or without a Spiritual Director; and so the day was to come, on February 22, 1931, in Vilnius, when the Lord’s Mission would begin to be revealed to her. She was in her cell; she saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. As she explains it, "One hand was raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching His garment at the breast. From beneath the garment slightly drawn aside at the breast, there was emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence, I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, ‘Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature, Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world.’ "‘I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory.’" Now, Faustina didn’t know what to do with this. She herself didn’t know how to paint. She was assuming that the Lord wanted her to do it. He said, "Paint an image according to the pattern you see..." He didn’t tell her to instruct someone else to paint the image, or go out and have it made. Secondly, and perhaps even more difficult to her way of thinking was, "I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the whole world." How would she go about accomplishing that? Her logical mind dictated that she speak to her confessor. The confessor got the wrong message, or perhaps the Lord did not want to make it too easy for Faustina to execute His wishes. The confessor told her the Lord was referring to her soul. "Paint God’s image in your soul." As she left the confessional, she heard the words, "My image is already in your soul. I desire that there be a Feast of Mercy. I want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy." So much for the Image in your soul theory. Faustina went to her Mother Superior, explained what Jesus wanted, and asked what should she do. The Mother Superior answered that Jesus should give some sign so that they could recognize that it was Him speaking to Sr. Faustina. Jesus told her, "I will make this all clear to the Superior by means of the graces which I will grant through this image." So much for the special sign For More information about Saint Faustina Click here Reference Visionaries, Mystics and Stigmatists
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