St. Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament

By TOM DENNEHY

Saint Faustina’s full religious name was Sister Marie Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Her whole life resolved around the Holy Eucharist. Almost every page of her diary makes reference to the Eucharist. In talking about her life to a friend, she said, “The most solemn moment of my life is the moment I receive Holy Communion and for every Holy Communion I give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity.” (Diary 1804) She had a special relationship with the Eucharist because Jesus gave her a clear understanding of this mystery. She describes it as “the wonderful gift of His presence on Earth.” During Mass, “I thanked the Lord Jesus for having redeemed us and for giving us the greatest of all gifts, the Holy Eucharist”. “You wanted to stay with us, and so you left us yourself in the Sacrament of the altar and you opened wide your mercy to us. You opened an inexhaustible spring of mercy for us, giving us your dearest possession, the Blood and Water that gushed forth from Your Heart” (Diary 1747)

During a Holy Hour of Adoration, St. Faustina saw the institution of the Holy Eucharist. She came to understand that, “At the moment of consecration, the sacrifice was fully consummated. Never in my whole life had I understood this mystery so profoundly as during that hour of Adoration.” (Diary 684)

She asked God to let the world understand the unfathomable mystery and mercy of the Eucharist - “Who will ever conceive and understand the depth of mercy that gushed forth from His Heart? “ It is only in eternity that we will know the great mystery given to us in Holy Communion. One day we will know what God is doing for us in each mass and what gift he is preparing through it for us. These times of union are a taste of Eternity, she said. Holy Communion was the strength and support of St. Faustina in her everyday struggle of life. The Lord told her; In the Host is the power; it will defend you always. (Diary 616)

A regular experience for St. Faustina was the vision of the Lord Jesus during Holy Mass. Over sixty visions are recorded in her diary. Many times she records seeing the rays of mercy as in the image of the Merciful Saviour coming from the Eucharist at times covering the whole world.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is Eucharistic. It is an offering of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the Father, in atonement for the sins of the world. Just as in the Mass, we join our offering with Jesus to God the Father.

Promises given by Jesus by praying the Chaplet:

• When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul.

• It pleases me to grant everything they ask of me by saying this chaplet if what they ask is compatible with my will.

• By saying this chaplet, you are bringing humankind closer to Me.

• The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their life time and especially at the hour of their death.

• The soul that approaches the fount of Mercy on the Feast of Divine Mercy will be granted complete remission of their sins and punishment.

Saint Faustina was born in Poland in 1905. She came from a poor family and had little education. At the age of seven, she felt drawn to religious life, but her parents did not allow her to enter a convent. After many years, she heard God call her to Himself in a vision of the suffering Christ and she immediately left home for the city of Warsaw. There, in 1926, she joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. As a religious sister, St. Faustina was assigned the simplest tasks, but received extraordinary visions of Jesus. During one of her visions, Jesus instructed her to paint what she saw, which is now known as the image of Divine Mercy. Jesus asked her to keep a record of all these mystical revelations and her writings titled “Divine Mercy in my Soul” have inspired devotion to the Divine Mercy throughout the world. St. Faustina’s legacy is a message of hope and trust in God. She taught us that God’s mercy is infinite and that He is always willing to forgive us, no matter how great our sins are. She was canonized by St. Pope John Paul 11 on April 30th 2000 on Divine Mercy Sunday. Her feast day is October 5th.