God has a strange way of choosing those seemingly least suited for the task of giving others the message of His glory and goodness. Like this Polish nun.
Faustina was born into a poor family of twelve. She completed only three classes of primary school before starting to work various jobs as a housekeeper and a childminder. She strongly desired to enter a convent, but faced rejection after rejection. Her parents did not support the idea and multiple religious congregations that Faustina approached refused to accept her because of her insufficient material resources.
Once she saved up enough money, Faustina joined The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. She had many mystic visions of Christ, all of which she has written down in her Diary, on the advice of her confessor. It wasn't an easy experience for her. Initially, there have been doubts about how genuine Faustina was, she was examined by a psychiatrist and also suffered greatly from tuberculosis.
What I find amazing about Faustina is that we have received such a wealth of spirituality from a simple woman. The theology of Divine Mercy has been a source of hope, inspiration for many people in the last few decades. The Divine Mercy Image is one of my favourite. Jesus is dressed in a white garment and two rays of light come out of His Heart: signifying the Blood and the Water flowing out of Jesus' side after His death on the cross. Mercy is the greatest attribute of God. At the feet of Jesus, there is an inscription "Jesus, I trust in You." This attitude of trust is the very centre of the devotion to Divine Mercy. Trust can be demonstrated in a variety of ways: not despairing in difficult times, following the Commandments, living out the Beatitudes, living a life of prayer and showing mercy towards others. Faustina lived all of these out, without complaining about all the obstacles that she faced, always trusting in God's plan and unceasingly glorifying Him through spreading the good news of God's infinite mercy.
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
"Apart from the mercy of God there is no other source of hope for mankind" John Paul II
No comments:
Post a Comment