For your sake I bless the entire country
Through the life and writing of Saint Faustina Kowalska, we learn of the profound impact chosen souls can have in the world, particularly as they advance in holiness. By following St. Faustina’s example and nurturing our personal holiness we are bound to grow in the way of perfection and become brighter lights in the hand of the Lord, illuminating the darkness of the world:
The Lord has given me to know how much He desires the perfection of chosen souls. Chosen souls are, in My hand, lights which I cast into the darkness of the world and with which I illumine it. As stars illumine the night, so chosen souls illumine the earth. And the more perfect a soul is, the stronger and the more far-reaching is the light shed by it. It can be hidden and unknown, even to those closest to it, and yet its holiness is reflected in souls even to the most distant extremities of the world. (Diary, 1601)
Saint Faustina’s holiness is certainly reflected in several remarkable stories in her Diary. Once while praying for her country, the Lord appeared in the sky and made a big sign of the cross over the country and said, For your sake I bless the entire country (39). Another time a short prayerful meditation resulted in one thousand souls receiving grace (1783). These examples should fill us with hope, and motivate us to strive for sanctity as did St. Faustina. The following passage shows us how important this is:
December 16, 1936. I have offered this day for Russia. I have offered all my sufferings and prayers for that poor country. After Holy Communion, Jesus said to me, I cannot suffer that country any longer. Do not tie my hands, My daughter. I understood that if it had not been for the prayers of souls that are pleasing to God, that whole nation would have already been reduced to nothingness. Oh, how I suffer for that nation which has banished God from its borders! (818)
Let us then enter the School of St. Faustina where with due diligence and by God’s grace we are sure to grow in holiness. May all that we think, say and do be pleasing to God – for the sake of our country and for the sake of the whole world:
Today during meditation, God gave me inner light and the understanding as to what sanctity is and of what it consists. Although I have heard these things many times in conferences, the soul understands them in a different way when it comes to know of them through the light of God which illumines it.
Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are merely ornaments of the soul, but constitute neither its essence nor its perfection. My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God. God never violates our free will. It is up to us whether we want to receive God’s grace or not. It is up to us whether we will cooperate with it or waste it. (1107)
Follow these links to continue Growing in Holiness in the School of St. Faustina
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Devotion to the Holy Eucharist
Sincere and Frequent Confession
Meditating on the Passion of Jesus
Spiritual Reading
Participating in Small Faith Groups and Retreats
All references to Diary: Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul © 1987 Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M, Stockbridge, MA 01263. All rights reserved. www.marian.org
