Flora Cantábrica

Faustina Kowalska,´ENGLISH,6 —

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HE NEW CONGREGATION

Sister Faustina tried to discern God’s plan to originate a new religious Congregation. For this intention, she offered to God numerous prayers and sufferings. In June 1935 in Vilnius, she wrote:

“God demands that there be a Congregation which will proclaim the mercy of God to the world and, by its prayers, obtain it for the world” (Diary, 436).

“Unceasingly, they will intercede for Divine Mercy for themselves and for the whole world. And every act of mercy will flow from God’s love, that love with which they will be filled to overflowing. They will strive to make their own this great attribute of God, and to live by it and to bring others to know it and to trust in the goodness of the Lord” (Diary, 664).

“I saw the convent of the new Congregation. It was a large and spacious building. I went from room to room, observing everything. I saw that God’s Providence had provided for all that was necessary.

(…) During Mass, I received a clear and profound understanding concerning this whole work, and not a shadow of a doubt remained in my soul. The Lord gave me knowledge of His will under three aspects, so to speak, but it all comes down to one.

The first is that souls separated from the world will burn as an offering before God’s throne and beg for mercy for the whole world… and through their efforts they will obtain blessings for priests, and through their prayers prepare the world for the final coming of Jesus.

The second is prayer together with the act of mercy. In particular, they will defend the souls of children against the spirit of evil. Prayer and merciful deeds are all that will be required of these souls (…). And in this egoistic world they will try to rouse love – the mercy of Jesus

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The third is prayer and deeds of mercy, without any obligation of taking vows. By doing this, these people will have a share in all the merits and privileges of the whole [congregation]. Everyone in the world can belong to this group.

A member of this group ought to perform at least one act of mercy a day; at least one, but there can be many more, for such deeds can easily be carried out by anyone, even the very poorest. For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy:

first, the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting;

second, if you can offer no word, then pray – that too is mercy;

and third, through deeds of mercy.

And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict” (Diary, 1154-1158).

n the last few weeks before Sister Faustina’s death, Father Sopoćko met her twice in Cracow. During these meetings he received her last instructions, her last will, which he carried out after her death.

Father Sopoćko “Memoirs”:

“I went to visit her during the week and, amongst other things, I spoke with her about that congregation which she wanted to found, and now she is dying, stressing the fact that all that was probably just an illusion, and so have all the other things which she spoke about. Sister Faustina promised to talk about this matter with the Lord Jesus during her prayers.

The next day, as I was offering Holy Mass for the intention of Sister Faustina, a thought came to my mind, that just as she had been unable to paint that picture herself, and only instructed others, she would have also been unable to start a new congregation, but only provide general instructions. Meanwhile, the urgings signify the necessity of this new congregation in the terrible times which are to come. The next time I came to the hospital and I asked her whether she had something to tell me in this matter, she replied that she did not need to speak anymore, as the Lord Jesus had already enlightened me during Holy Mass.

When leaving, while saying goodbye, she told me three things that were important.

1. I should not stop spreading the cult of Divine Mercy, and especially not stop working on establishing its feast day on the first Sunday after Easter. I must never say that I’ve done enough. Should difficulties appear insurmountable, even if it would seem that God Himself does not want this, I must not stop. For the depth of the Divine Mercy is inexhaustible and our life is not enough to extol it. The world will not exist for much longer and God still wants to give graces to people before the end, so that no one will be able to say during the Judgment, that he did not know about the goodness of God and did not hear about His Mercy.
2. I am to be indifferent to the matters of the congregation, which will start with meager, humble affairs, and when the initiative comes from others. (…) God Himself will bring a person from the world, who will bear certain signs allowing us to recognize him as the one.

• I am to have pure intentions in this whole matter and works. I am not to search for myself, but only for the glory of God and the salvation of our neighbours.
  (…) Even if the congregation is founded, others are to govern it, not myself; I am to be prepared for the greatest difficulties and abandonment, disappointments, ingratitude and persecution (…) When after a moment I returned to her cell to give her a few more pictures, I found her in ecstasy, praying, as though not an earthly being. I felt such great pain and bitterness in my soul at having to bid farewell to this unusual being, at being so very much abandoned by everyone. But I understood that above all, it is me who had to put trust in the Divine Mercy”.