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October 5: Saint Faustina Kowalska, Virgin—Memorial wey no be Obligation
1905–1938
Patron Saint for devotion to Divine Mercy
Pope John Paul II declare am Saint on April 30, 2000
Liturgical Colour: White
Version: Full – Short
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Wetin she write:
I suppose write down how my soul dey meet with You, O God, for those times wey You dey visit me in special way. I suppose write about You, O You wey Your mercy towards my poor soul pass wetin person fit understand. Your holy will na wetin dey give my soul life. I receive this order through the person wey be Your representative for me here for earth, wey dey explain Your holy Will to me. Jesus, You dey see how e hard me to write, how I no fit write wetin I dey experience for my soul in clear way. O God, pen fit write down wetin words no dey to describe many times? But na You give the order make I write, O God; that one don reach for me. ~Diary of Saint Faustina, #6
Reflection: Helen Kowalska na the third among ten children wey dem born for Glogowiec village, Poland, wey dey under the Russian Empire that time. Poland get im independence back thirteen years later, for 1918, after World War I. The Kowalska family poor well-well, but their Catholic faith strong, and dem hold their lively Polish culture tight even as Russia dey try wipe am out. As Helen be pikin, she go school for only three years, but she love to pray, she dey devoted to God, she dey obey her papa and mama, and people suffering dey touch her heart. Later, she go write for her Diary, “From when I be seven years old, I experience God’s clear call, the grace of a vocation to laif for religious order.” She talk say na that time she first hear God speak to her inside her soul, and she sense “an invitation to laif wey more perfect.” When she ask her papa and mama about becoming a nun, dem refuse again and again. When Helen reach fourteen years, she leave her family house and become househelp for the city wey near them, to help support her family with money. After her papa and mama refuse again to let her enter religious life when she be eighteen, she talk say, “I give myself over to the empty things of life, and I no pay attention to the call of grace, even though my soul no find satisfaction for any of these things.” Even as she dey reject grace, Jesus no stop to dey call her.
One day, when she be eighteen years old, she follow her sisters go one dance. Everybody dey enjoy for the dance, but Helen dey experience “deep suffering inside.” As she begin dance, she suddenly see Jesus for one vision beside her—blood cover Him, dem don beat Him, pain dey torment Him, and dem don strip His clothes comot. Jesus tell her, “How long I go continue to bear with you, and how long you go continue to put Me off?” Soon after, Helen quietly slip away go the Cathedral of Saint Stanislaus Kostka, where she lie flat face down before the Blessed Sacrament and beg God to show her wetin to do. As she dey pray, she hear these words, “Go Warsaw at once; you go enter convent there.” She go house, tell her sister make she tell their papa and mama goodbye for her, and enter train travel seventy-five miles go Warsaw, with only the dress wey she wear.
As soon as Helen come down from the train, she pray to Mama God, wey direct her go one small town where dem give her place to sleep that night. The next day, as she dey pray for one church wey dey near, she hear Jesus tell her, “Go meet that priest and tell am everything; e go tell you wetin you go do next.” The priest arrange make Helen stay with one holy woman for the parish for that time. For the short time wey she stay there, Helen begin knock for the door of every convent wey she fit find, but all of dem refuse to accept her. At last, she knock for the door of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, where the mother superior send her go chapel make she pray and ask Jesus whether E accept her. Helen then go the chapel to ask Jesus the question, and E answer, “I accept you; you dey inside My Heart.” When Mother Michael ask Helen wetin Jesus answer, Helen tell her say Jesus accept her. Mother Michael then answer, “If the Lord don accept, then I too go accept.” To test Helen vocation, Mother Michael send her away for one year make she work get some money for the clothes wey she go need. Later, Mother Michael write about this meeting for her dayari, and she talk say Helen “no be anybody special.” After Helen work as housemaid near Warsaw for one year, she return to the convent on August 1, 1925, and dem accept her into the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy when she dey twenty years old. Later, she write about that day say, “I feel joy wey plenty well-well; e be like say I don enter the life of Paradise. Na only one prayer dey burst out from my heart: prayer of thanksgiving.”
But within a few weeks, the plenty work and activities for the convent, and the lack of time to pray, begin frustrate Helen, so she decide to leave. For the night before the day wey she plan to tell Mother Michael about her decision, Jesus appear to her for her small room, with wounds from beating and blood for His body. When she ask Jesus who do this thing to Am, E answer, “Na you go cause Me this pain if you leave this convent. Na this place I call you come, no be any other place; and I don prepare plenty graces for you.” With that, she change her mind, go Krakow to finish her novitiate, and on April 30, 1926, she receive the habit and dem give her the name Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.
Sister Faustina spend the next twelve years of her life for different convents of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy for Warsaw, Vilnius, Płock, and Kraków. Na for Kraków she die on October 5, 1938, when she dey 33 years old. Throughout the time wey she be religious sister, Sister Faustina main work na to cook, care for garden, and keep watch for door. As she dey do her daily duties, she dey also get extraordinary spiritual experiences, where Jesus dey appear to her regularly to give her His message of Divine Mercy. As she dey obey her superiors, from 1934, she carefully write these visions and private revelations inside six notebooks. All these private revelations now dey inside one book wey dem call The Dayari of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy for My Soul. The book and the devotions wey dey inside am dey among the devotions wey people know and practise pass for the Church today.
For her dayari, Saint Faustina explain different ways wey Jesus want make devotion to His Mercy spread. The first way na to meditate on the image of Divine Mercy. This image na of Jesus, with two rays of light wey dey shine from His Heart, one blue and one red, wey represent the Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. Jesus command make dem paint this image and honour am throughout the world, with these words for the bottom: “Jesus, na You I trust.” The second way na to establish the Solemnity of Divine Mercy for the eighth day of Easter. Pope John Paul II add this solemnity to the calendar wey the whole Church dey use for the year 2000, when e canonize Saint Faustina. The third way na to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, wey Jesus Himself teach Saint Faustina. The aim of this chaplet na to receive mercy, trust in Christ mercy, and show mercy to other people. The fourth way na to honour the three o’clock hour every day, the hour wey our Lord die and pour out His Mercy. Finally, Jesus want make plenty apostles of Mercy rise up, wey go both show mercy to other people for the way dem dey live and help spread devotion to His Mercy.
Before twenty years pass after Sister Faustina die, the messages of Divine Mercy don spread far and wide. Her spiritual director, Father Michael Sopoćko, play important part for how the messages first spread. Dem start new religious congregations to spread devotion to Divine Mercy; the image and prayers for the diary reach other continents, and her diary become very popular throughout Poland. Today, the official life story of Saint Faustina wey Vatican release when dem canonize her talk say, “The years wey she spend for convent full of extraordinary gifts, like: revelations, visions, hidden stigmata, sharing for the Passion of the Lord, the gift to dey two places at the same time, the ability to read human souls, the gift of prophecy, or the rare gift of mystical engagement and marriage.” But Vatican actually ban her diary and every devotion wey connect to am for 1959. Vatican talk say e get “serious concerns about the theology” because the diary put “too much focus on Faustina herself.” For 1965, Karol Wojtyła, wey be Cardinal that time, get permission from Vatican to begin the first process to gather information about Kowalska’s life and virtues. Two years later, e submit the good things wey e find. But na only for 1978, the year wey dem elect Cardinal Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II, Vatican remove the ban on Saint Faustina’s writings, and dem begin the process to canonize her. The process end with her canonization on the eighth day of Easter, 2000, when the whole Church celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday for the first time.
For reasons wey we go only understand for Heaven, God choose this poor young woman wey live simple life, dey devoted to God, and dey humble, to carry message go give the world. The message go become one of the most central and important messages wey anybody don ever deliver. We must accept the Divine Mercy of God, think deeply about am, live by am, and share am with other people. Mercy na God’s love; na everything and all things.
As we dey honour this great saint, think deeply about this truth: the message wey God give us through her no be for only one generation wey don pass; na for today. Think about your own devotion to Divine Mercy. You dey pray the Chaplet, honour the image, honour the three o’clock hour, take part for Divine Mercy Sunday, and try to spread this holy devotion as apostle of Divine Mercy? Know say this invitation from God na for everybody; na invitation and strong encouragement wey God give you. Commit yourself to the truths of Divine Mercy, and allow that Mercy wey plenty so to flood your soul.
Prayer: Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, as God speak to you, you listen and answer. Through you, the message of Mercy don reveal in deep way, and invitation don come for us to live inside God’s mercy. Abeg, pray for me, make I open myself to that Ocean of Mercy wey dey pour from Heaven, so that e go flood my soul and touch plenty other people through me. Saint Faustina, pray for me. Jesus, na You I trust.
Things to Think Deeply About Divine Mercy Every Day:
365 Days with Saint Faustina
E dey available as eBook & Paperback
Read More:
Catholic Saint Dem & Feast Dem
Informeshon About Saint dem for Katolik Church
All di Saint Dem for di Liturgical Year
(Short Version)
October 5: Saint Faustina Kowalska, Virgin—Memorial wey no be Obligation
1905–1938
Patron Saint of the devotion to Divine Mercy
Pope John Paul II canonize her on April 30, 2000
Helen Kowalska na the third among ten children wey dem born for one poor family for Glogowiec, Poland. Even though na only three years she go school, she love to pray, obey her parents, and dey feel other people suffering for heart. From when she dey seven years old, she sense say God dey call her to religious life. Her parents, even though dem dey devoted to God, no gree give her permission. When Helen reach eighteen, she give herself “to the empty things of life.”
One day, Helen experience “deep torments as she dey one dance with her sisters.” As she begin dance, she see Jesus for vision beside her, with blood for Im body and signs say dem beat Am. Jesus ask her how long she plan to keep Am waiting. She quietly comot go the Cathedral of Saint Stanislaus Kostka, where she lie flat with face down before the Blessed Sacrament and beg God to show her wetin to do. As she dey pray, she hear, “Go Warsaw now-now; you go enter convent for there.” With only the dress wey she wear, she leave go Warsaw.
For Warsaw, Helen knock for the door of every convent, but all of dem refuse to accept her. At last, the mother superior for the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy accept her, but write for her diary say Helen “no be anybody special.” When Helen dey twenty years old, dem accept her into the Congregation, and she “happy well-well.” No long after, all the work and activities for the convent and the way she no get enough time to pray begin frustrate her, so Helen decide to leave. Jesus appear to her again and tell her say na that convent be the place wey E call her come. Helen change her mind, finish her novitiate, and on April 30, 1926, she receive the religious habit, and dem give her the name Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.
Sister Faustina spend di next twelve years for di convents of di Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy for Poland and Lithuania. She die for Kraków on October 5, 1938, when she dey thirty-three years old. As nun, Sister Faustina work as cook, gardener and gatekeeper. Her everyday duties join together with extraordinary spiritual experiences wey Jesus use give her His message of Divine Mercy. To obey her superiors, she begin write down these visions and private revelations for six notebooks from 1934. Na these writings now dey inside Di Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy for My Soul.
Faustina diary explain how Jesus want make devotion to His Mercy spread. Di first way na to meditate on di Divine Mercy image of Jesus, with blue rays (Baptism) and red rays (di Eucharist) wey dey shine from His Heart, and di words wey dem write there, “Jesus, na You I trust.” Di second way na to establish di Solemnity of Divine Mercy on di eighth day of Easter. Di third way na to pray di Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Di fourth way na to honour di three o’clock hour, when Jesus die and pour out His Mercy. Jesus also want apostles of Mercy, wey go live with mercy and spread devotion to His Mercy.
Before twenty years pass after Sister Faustina death, di Divine Mercy messages don spread from Poland reach other continents. But for 1959, di Vatican ban her diary and di devotions wey follow am, because of “serious concerns about di theology,” especially because of “too much attention on Faustina herself.” For 1965, Karol Wojtyła, wey be Cardinal that time, get permission from di Vatican to examine Faustina life and virtues. Two years later, he submit di good things wey he find. For 1978, when dem elect Cardinal Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II, di Vatican remove di ban. Dem canonize Faustina on di eighth day of Easter, 2000, when di whole Church celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday for di first time.
Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska of di Blessed Sacrament, you listen and respond as God dey speak to you. Through you, God reveal His invitation make we live inside His mercy. Abeg, pray make di Ocean of Mercy wey dey pour from Heaven fill my soul and touch plenty other people through me. Saint Faustina, pray for me. Jesus, na You I trust.