St. Faustyna
One
By his prayer and sacrifice, Jesus opened the way to Heaven. By Baptism He makes us children of God. God the Father wants to give all His children the joy of participating with Jesus in the work of redemption. He wants us all to play our part in helping others to receive the Mercy of God.
Jesus said to Faustyna, “My daughter, I want to instruct you on how you are to rescue souls through sacrifice and prayer. You will save more souls through prayer and suffering than will a missionary through his teachings and sermons alone.” 1767
So on March 29th, 1934, she offered her life as a sacrifice for souls. Jesus responded, “I am giving you a share in the redemption of mankind.” 310
August 11th, 1934, Mary came to visit her. She was sad. Her eyes were cast down but she made it clear that she wanted to say something. And yet… it was if she did not. Faustyna begged Mary to tell her and Mary looked at her with a warm smile and said, “You are going to experience certain sufferings because of an illness and the doctors. You will also suffer much because of the image. But do not be afraid of anything.” 316
The next day, August 12th, 1934, Faustyna fell ill with Tuberculosis, (Diary 321). From that moment until the end of her life, four years later, on October 5th, 1938, suffering was her constant companion but she wasted none of it. In her Diary she wrote, “Illness also is a great grace. I have been ill for four months, but I do not recall having wasted so much as a minute of it. All has been for God and souls.”
Two
Jesus told Faustina, “I need your suffering to rescue sinners.” (1612)
“That night,” she writes, “almost all night I had such violent pains that it seemed all my intestines were torn to pieces. I threw up the medicine I had taken. When I bowed my head down to the ground, I lost consciousness and I stayed like that for some time, with my head on the floor. When I came to, I became aware that my whole body was pressing on my head and face, and that I was covered with vomit. I thought it would be the end of me…O my Jesus, do with me as You please. Only give me the strength to suffer. Since Your strength supports me, I shall bear everything. O souls, how I love you!” 1613
I was at Faustyna’s convent in Poland, speaking to one of the sisters about this (this sister actually looked a lot like Faustyna), and I asked her, “How could Faustyna do this? How did she have so much courage?” She cocked her head a little, looked at me, and said, “You can do anything for the one you love.”
I wanted to punch this good sister because with this reply she put the dagger in me, she cut to the heart of my issue, I do not love as I should. Faustyna loved Jesus and she loved souls.
Three
Our Mission
In Colossians 1:24 St. Paul wrote, “It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up all that is lacking in the suffering of Christ for the sake of his body, the Church.”
What could be lacking in the suffering of Christ? Only our participation. Jesus is inviting us to participate with him to save souls by prayer and suffering.
God the Father has given all His children a way to help Him save souls. If we offer up, that is, give our prayer, work, joy, and suffering to Jesus, He uses it for the conversion of our loved ones and strangers. Jesus unites it to His sacrifice of the Cross and uses it to bring the grace of conversion to those in need.
At the beginning of the day, do the morning offering. Say to God, “Father, I place all my prayer, work, joy and suffering of this day on the altar where the sacrifice of Jesus is made present. I offer it for the conversion of all sinners especially the loved ones I mention now.”
Then, throughout the day, instead of complaining, renew your offering by giving to Jesus whatever you face and he will uses it for the conversion of souls.
Four
Offer Up Everything
In the second apparition of the Angel at Fatima in the Summer of 1916, suddenly the Angel appeared and asked, "What are you doing? Pray, pray very much! The Most Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer prayers and sacrifice constantly to the Most High. The hearts of Jesus and Mary have a mission for you."
Lucy asked the Angel, “How are we to make sacrifices?”
"Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners.”
Offer up everything we did not choose, do not like, and cannot change. Accept it with trust. Give it to Jesus to help others. As Mother Teresa said, “Accept what He gives and give what He takes with a big smile.”
Five
Jesus also wants to use our prayer to save souls.
We all have family and friends who show little or no interest in God and we have great concern for them. Faustyna was no different. Listen to her experience with her sister.
“My sister Wanda came to see me today. When she told me of her plans, I was horror stricken. How is such a thing possible? Such a beautiful little soul before the Lord, and yet, great darkness had come over her, and she did not know how to help herself. She had a dark view of everything. The good God entrusted her to my care, and for two weeks I was able to work with her. But how many sacrifices this soul cost me is known only to God. For no other soul did I bring so many sacrifices and sufferings and prayers before the throne of God as I did for her soul. I felt that I had forced God to grant her grace. When I reflect on all this, I see that it was truly a miracle. Now I can see how much power intercessory prayer has before God.”
Jesus said to Faustyna, “When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer: ‘O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.’” 187