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Divine Mercy In my soul
ORIGINAL PREFACE TO THE POLISH EDITION, 1981
In presenting this edition of the Diary of Sister
Faustina Kowalska I am fully aware that I am introducing a document of Catholic
mysticism of exceptional worth, not only for the Church in Poland, but also for
the Universal Church. This publication is the critical edition, and thus
reliable. It is the work of the Postulator of Sister Faustina, under the
direction of the authority of the Archdiocese of Cracow.
The Diary, whose object is devotion to The Divine
Mercy, has acquired tremendous interest lately for two reasons:
Firstly: the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, in its revision more than two years ago [1978], withdrew the
censures and reservations advanced earlier by the Holy See in relation to the
writings of Sister Faustina. The withdrawal of the “Notification” caused the
devotion to The Divine Mercy, as presented in the Diary, to grow in renewed
vitality on all continents, as is evidenced by the numerous testimonies
received by the Postulator and the Congregation of which Sister Faustina was a
member.
Secondly: The recent encyclical of Pope John Paul II, Dives
in Misericordia, happily fixed the attention of
the Church, and even of the secular world, on this most wonderful attribute of
God and extraordinary aspect of the economy of salvation, which is The Divine
Mercy.
A comprehensive study in order to indicate the
affinity of ideas found in the Diary of Sister Faustina and this encyclical
[not to mention their probable interdependence] would be most welcome. These
salient points certainly are numerous, for they draw their inspiration from the
same source; namely, from the revelation of God and the teaching of Christ.
Furthermore, they come from the same spiritual environment, from Cracow, the
city which, as far as I know, possesses the oldest Church dedicated to the
honor of The Divine Mercy. It is likewise necessary to stress that it was Karol
Cardinal Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Cracow at that
time, who made efforts to begin the Process of Beatification of Sister Faustina
Kowalska and did inaugurate that process.
In this Light, the Diary of Sister
Faustina took on exceptional meaning for the Catholic spirituality; and that is
why it was fitting to prepare a credible edition, in order to prevent
distortion of the text by persons who perhaps are acting in good faith, but who
are not adequately prepared for such work. Thus, publications containing
differences and even contradictions, such as took place with the spiritual
diary of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, The Story of a Soul, can be
avoided.
The reader, after
just a superficial skimming of the Diary, may be struck by the simplicity of
the language and even by the spelling and stylistic errors, but he should not forget that the author of the Diary had but a Limited
elementary education. The theology alone which is found in the Dairy awakens in
the reader a conviction of its uniqueness; and if one considers the contrast
between Sister Faustina’s education and the loftiness of her theology, the
contrast alone indicates the special influence of Divine Grace.
I would like to mention here my meeting with a well known contemporary mystic, Sister Speranza,
who in Collevalenza, not far from Todi
[Italy], founded the sanctuary of “The Most Merciful Love,” the site of numerous
pilgrimages. I asked Sister Speranza whether she had
heard of the writings of Sister Faustina and what she thought of them. She
answered me with simplicity: “The writings contain a wonderful teaching. But
reading them one must remember that God speaks to philosophers in the Language
of philosophers and to simple souls in the language of the simple ones, and
only to these last does He reveal truths hidden from the wise and prudent of
this world.”
To conclude this preface, permit me to mention yet one
more personal recollection from the year 1952, when for the first time I took
part in a solemn beatification ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica. After the
festivity I was asked by some persons who also participated, “Who exactly was
this blessed one?” The question embarrassed me very much, because at the moment
I could not recall who those blessed were, although I knew full well that the
real purpose of a beatification is to present to the People of God a model to
consider and imitate in their lives.
Among the candidates for beatification and
canonization, Poland has presently two persons familiar to the whole world,
which knows who they are, what they accomplished in their Lifetime and what
sort of message their Lives proclaim. They are Blessed
[now Saint] Maximilian Kolbe, the martyr of Love, and Sister Faustina Kowalska,
[now Saint] the Apostle of The Divine Mercy.
Rome, December 20, 1980
+ Andrew M. Deskur
Titular
Archbishop of Tene
Diary, St. Maria
Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy In My Soul
(c) Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate
Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263.
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