I was looking at some old pictures from my journey through Poland some years back and wanted to take some time to reminisce. My experience in Poland is something I will never forget. I remember it being so cold that everything was covered in ice. I experienced the worst of humanity through my time visiting the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, one of the largest Nazi death camps, where over 1 million victims were murdered. I also experienced the best of humanity and the vastness of God’s mercy through my visit to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow Poland. After visiting the Shrine, I took the train to Warsaw Poland, following in the footsteps that St. Faustina took nearly 100a years prior. October 5th is the Feast Day of St. Faustina, so I apologize that this is a couple days late, but I wanted to share a little bit of my experience and her story with you. St. Faustina was only 19 when she received her call by God to join a convent in Warsaw, Poland.
This call by God happened while she was attending a dance at a park in Lodz, Poland. During the dance she saw a vision of Jesus who told her to take the train to Warsaw and join a convent there. The city of Warsaw has since been rebuilt after it was destroyed during World War II. During St. Faustina’s time in the convent, she was visited and had conversations with Jesus. One of the visions we now know to be the Divine Mercy image, where red and white light are emanating from the sides of Jesus. St. Faustina was told by Jesus to share this image with the world and his message to trust in God’s mercy and show mercy to others. With the help of her confessor Michael Sopocko, a local artist and professor Eugene Kazimierowski was commissioned to paint the Divine Mercy image and Christ’s message of mercy was spread throughout the world. This famous painting was first displayed on April 28th 1935 and has since been venerated by Catholics throughout the world. During her conversations with Jesus, St. Faustina was told that there would be a terrible war that would devastate the world, a foreshadowing of World War II and the reign of Nazism. St. Faustina was born August 25th 1905 and died on October 5th 1938 at the age of 33. Do you believe God comes to us in visions? Do you have experience with God speaking to you? Share your story and thoughts in the comments below!
I always think of Fr. Michael in relation to the divine mercy chaplet also. He had a great devotion to Jesus and His divine mercy. In fact, when this weirdness started with the coronavirus, I made a promise to God to pray it every day for repentance and healing for our nation specifically and also for a few other people I know of in other countries: the people of Sri Lanka, the Congo, Poland, and Australia. We must trust in God’s mercy; without it life can seem so very bleak.
When the world gets too heavy, there are few things more comforting than to place my trust fully in Gods infinite mercy while reciting the prayers of the chaplet. Whether it be my own sinfulness, the constant thorn in my side, or of this world - it is always a source of hope and blessing. I have a fond memory of praying the chaplet with Fr. Michael, just me and him in an empty church - it proved to be a defining moment of healing in my life.