Episode Transcript  

One

Who is St. Faustyna 

Jesus asked St. Faustyna to begin a Novena to the Divine Mercy on Good Friday and conclude on the first Sunday after Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. But first, it is important to get to know St. Faustyna, for she is a close friend of mine.

Faustyna was born on August 25th, 1905, in Poland. From the age of seven, she heard the definite call of God to become a religious sister. However, she writes, “I was not always obedient to the call of grace.” And sadly, she relates, “I came across no one who would have explained these things to me.” At seventeen, she begged her parents for permission to enter the convent. She got a flat refusal. So she turned herself over to the vain things of life, paying no attention to the call of grace even though she found no satisfaction in things of the world. 

When she was eighteen, she was at a dance (probably in Lodz) with one of her sisters. About what happened next, she writes, “While everybody was having a good time, my soul was experiencing deep torments. As I began to dance, I suddenly saw Jesus at my side, Jesus racked with pain, stripped of His clothing, all covered with wounds, who spoke these words to me: "How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting Me off?" At that moment the charming music stopped, (and) the company I was with vanished from my sight; there remained Jesus and I.”

Jesus could say the same thing to me, “Michael, how long shall I put up with you, and how long will you keep putting me off?” 

Two

Entrance to Religious Life 

Immediately after Jesus appeared to Faustyna at the dance, she slipped out unnoticed, leaving her sister and her friends behind, and went straight to the Cathedral. Falling prostrate before the Blessed Sacrament, she begged God to tell her what to do next. Then she heard these words, “Go at once to Warsaw; you will enter a convent there.”

She went home, confided to her sister what took place within her soul and asked her sister to say good-bye to her parents. Then, in her one and only dress, with no other belongings, she hopped a train to Warsaw. When she got off the train she was overcome with fear. Not knowing what to do next she prayed, “Mary, lead me, guide me.”

Ultimately, Jesus and Mary led her to the convent of Our Lady of Mercy in Warsaw. From 1925 until her death in 1938, she lived what looked like an ordinary life of a nun as a cook, gardener, and door-keeper. Except for this: Jesus, Mary, her Guardian Angel, St. Michael, and many saints and souls in purgatory, as well as demons, visited and spoke with Faustyna on a continual basis. 

For example, in her diary from September 29th, 1936, she writes, “On the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, I saw by my side that great Leader, who spoke these words to me:  “The Lord has ordered me to take special care of you.  Know that you are hated by evil; but do not fear – “”Who is like God!‟ “ And he disappeared.  But I feel his presence and assistance.” (Diary 706)

Three

Her mission 

Jesus gave Faustyna the mission of telling the whole world about His infinite Goodness and encouraging them to trust in His Mercy before the Day of Justice arrives. The Day of Justice doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the world; it could mean the end of this age, but it certainly means the Day of Justice, otherwise known as our particular judgment that we will face at our death.

Jesus said to Faustyna, “I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My merciful Heart…Before the Day of Justice I am sending the Day of Mercy.” (Diary, 1588). 

To accomplish this mission, Jesus commanded Faustyna to keep a diary of all their conversations, calling her the secretary of his Mercy. At one point, Faustyna threw the Diary in the fireplace and burned it because she feared she was being deceived by the devil. But Jesus ordered her to rewrite it. He would at times read the notebooks and then say, “You have not written everything in the notebook about My goodness towards humankind; I desire that you omit nothing.” (459) 

The Diary reveals a deep personal friendship between Jesus and Faustyna. As I read the Diary, I too was drawn into a deep friendship with Christ. If you read the Diary prayerfully, I’m sure the same will happen to you.

Four

Let Jesus do it

God wants to give you His mercy, not after you’ve cleaned yourself up, but right now, just as you are. We often think, “I’ll get my life together first, then I’ll go to God.” But that’s backwards. We cannot make ourselves pure, only Jesus can.

At the Last Supper, when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He showed us the heart of His mission: to descend into our mess, take the lowest place, and cleanse us. That humble act reveals His entire saving work, from the Incarnation to the Cross to the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confession. He kneels before us, not with condemnation, but with love, washing our feet, our souls, so that we can take our place at the banquet of God.

Trying to purify ourselves without Him is impossible. Holiness isn’t something we achieve on our own. It’s God living in us, transforming us, and acting through us. Yes, we must respond and cooperate, but only God can give us His divine life. Only God can make us like Himself. All we must do is let Him.

That’s why Jesus said to St. Faustyna, “Tell all people that I am Love and Mercy itself.” 1074

Stop trying to do this on your own. Receive Jesus in the Eucharist and then assimilate Him in prayer and cooperate by doing what He inspires you to do through your resolution and the duties of your life. Jesus is constantly begging us, “Let Me do it.”

Five

Day Four of the Novena to Divine Mercy 

1216, “Today bring to Me the pagans and those who do not yet know Me.  I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart.  Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.”

1217, “Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world.  Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of pagans who as yet do not know You.  Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.”

“May the light of Your love Enlighten the souls in darkness; Grant that these souls will know You And, together with us, praise Your mercy.” 

“Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of pagans and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate heart of Jesus.  Draw them to the light of the Gospel.  These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You.  Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages.  Amen.”

Suggested Resolutions:

Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you.

• Make the resolution not to put God off or wait until you’re clean to go to God, knowing that only he can help you.

• Whether or not you’ve followed along since Good Friday, start the Divine Mercy Novena now and pick up the habit of praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

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