In Part 5, drawing from the experiences of both mystics, I illustrated the harm that can stem from an attitude of excessive reliance upon oneself or upon others, rather than on God Himself. A large portion of this section was devoted to the fascinating history of the Diary and of the two Journals in question.
What unites both works—and what is truly remarkable—is that readers feel as though the words are addressed directly to them and, at the same time, do not feel anxious when reading these often-challenging passages.
HELENA: ETERNITY’S THRESHOLD
Sister Faustina spent the final days of her life in an isolation room. She was shockingly emaciated—almost skeletal. When one of the Sisters wanted to help her find a better position as she lay in bed, she found that there was hardly any flesh left on her body. She could only feel her bones. During the night she often vomited and suffered such intense pain that she would lose consciousness.
“She was always a woman of very few words,” Sr. Chryzostoma recalled. “Whenever she asked her: ‘How are you feeling today?’ she would simply answer, ‘Well,’ even though she had not slept all night because of her suffering. ‘Shall I bring you some pain medication?’ ‘There’s no need,’ she would reply.”
Amid her great suffering she never thought of herself but only of Jesus and the salvation of souls. Once Sr. Klemensa inquired, “Sister, aren’t you afraid of death?” “Afraid of what?” she replied.
Long before that, Sr. Faustina had discovered the salvific mystery of suffering. Two compelling excerpts from her Diary clearly illustrate this:
If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things; one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering. (1804)
A soul who suffers with submission to the will of God draws down more blessings on the whole convent than all the Sisters who are working. (1268)
ALICJA: THE VALUE OF SUFFERING
God gradually accustomed Alicja, who lived outside the cloister walls, to suffering.
(May 30, 1987, 10:40 p.m.)
+ Suffering is neither punishment nor evil. It is the sign of my special love and of a call to intimacy with Me. You should rejoice in suffering because it purifies and enriches your soul.
(August 29, 1987, 12:15 a.m.)
+ Suffering is a medicine, and essentially that is its meaning, because when offered for the sake of others it proves to be a remedy of multiplied power. The sufferer who offers it up receives great healing and, at the same time, the offering also produces healing in others. Rejected suffering, on the other hand, cannot only contribute nothing but may also end up multiplying evil—especially when people curse or accuse others; in such cases they sink even deeper into grave error and sin.
HELENA: PROPHETIC INSIGHT
Returning to Sister Faustina, the nun possessed the gift of foreseeing future events. Once, while talking with her fellow sisters about what might happen after her death, she predicted a terrible war. Doubting her words, Sr. Klemensa replied, “If there is a war, it will be short—people will poison one another with gas, and that will be the end of it.”
“Oh no,” Faustina answered. “The war will last a long, long, long time. There will be terrible misfortune, and immense suffering will fall upon the people.”
“And will Poland still exist?” someone asked. “Oh, Poland will exist, but there will be few people, for many will perish, and they will long to see one another.” At these words, Sr. Klemensa laughed and seemed entirely unconcerned.
Faustina assured Sr. Anna, “the sisters will remain here in Jozefow, but we will need to pray fervently for this.”
Soon after, World War II broke out, and the German occupation began. “We were constantly threatened with expulsion from the convent,” recalled Sr. Felicja, “just like other religious orders.” Three times the threat seemed imminent; but each time all the sisters went to Faustina’s grave to implore Divine Mercy. Each time, the danger passed, and throughout the entire war they were never forced to leave their premises.
ALICJA: PROPHETIC GRACES
Alicja finds it hard to embrace suffering fully. In her Journals, she laments to God that she does not wish to be an apostle of the coming Chastisement. We can reflect upon three of her visions as we accompany her to the very end.
(July 24, 1987, 9:00 a.m.)
+ I must terrify you and cause you great pain so that you will be willing to open your eyes and turn back from the path of perdition. I must do this to save thousands of My children who are devoured by Satan every day. You do not see this, because it is more convenient for you to remain blind, but I see it all. I hear the cries, and I see the despair and the terror of those who are perishing—a cry of pain that will never cease—just as the joy and happiness of those who remain with Me will never end.
(October 29, 1987, 10:45 p.m.)
— Today during Holy Mass, You showed me, Lord, a Host exuding drops of blood.
+ I feel sorrow for My sick children, and My heart bleeds—I know what will happen to each one of them. I know the pain and suffering of everyone: what is now and what will be, on earth and in eternity.
When you see those drops of blood falling, when the earth trembles and the time of purification begins—tell this to those children who are able to understand. Let them keep watch; let them be ready, with faith in their hearts, to welcome the Bridegroom, who will come when His Blood washes the earth.
I will come in whiteness and in sunshine to wed the souls faithful to My Love, and I will pour out a sea of Love to wash away the traces of blood, suffering, and tears. […]
— I will not be here then…
+ You will watch this from My arms.
(October 18, 1988, 10:15 a.m.)
+ I want to prepare you so that you may cling to Me and remain faithful to Me in the days when the sky shall burn and the earth shall bring destruction. I want you to know how to love Me and trust in Me when My temples lie in ruins and My priests are scattered. I want you then to be able to accept every tribulation and suffering for My Love, to persevere faithfully in prayer, and I desire that you offer in your hearts the Eucharistic Sacrifice of My Son. […]
Fear not, you who desire to be My light in the days of darkness. Fear not but entrust yourselves and allow Me to be in you and, through you, the salvation for souls who are frightened, lost, and helpless, when new life will be born in the agony of the passing of all that was and all that is already nearing its end. Fear not, My daughter, to pass on these Words; do not be afraid to speak of what I have made known to you. Luke 21: 5-36.
Contemplating the lives of Alicja and Sr. Faustina in this essay, I turn to the former, to the last but not least message she received:
+ You find yourselves on the verge of the Apocalypse, which is coming to heal above all My Church, whose ailments have been afflicting the entire world for centuries. (December 10, 1987, 12:00 p.m.)
Photo by Nick Russill on Unsplash
