The Shrine of St.Faustina
The mercy of God is greater than my biggest sin
Diary Reflections
“Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.” (57)
“Love must be reciprocal. If Jesus tasted the fullness of bitterness for me, then I, His bride, will accept all bitterness as proof of my love for Him.” (389)
“I will enclose myself in the chalice of Jesus so that I may comfort Him continually. I will do everything within my power to save souls, and I will do it through prayer and suffering.” (735)
“In difficult moments, I will fix my gaze upon the silent Heart of Jesus, stretched upon the Cross, and from the exploding flames of His merciful Heart, will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.” (906)
“O you small, everyday sacrifices, you are to me like wild flowers which I strew over the feet of my beloved Jesus. I sometimes compare these trifles to the heroic virtues, and that is because their enduring nature demands heroism.” (208)
The Relic
The first class relic of St Faustina (part of her bone) was installed for public veneration by a decree.
The Shrine
The Divine Retreat Centre at Somersby is designated as a diocesan shrine in veneration of St Faustina Kowalska by the Bishop of Broken Bay diocese, His Excellency Most Reverend Anthony Randazzo.
“There is but one price at which souls are bought,
and that is suffering united to My suffering on the cross.”
~ Words of Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 324)
The Lord makes clear in Scripture that when He returns He’s not going to deal with sin, because He’s done that once and for all. When He comes again, it’s “to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him” (Heb 9:28).
So why is the message of Divine Mercy important for the world today? the answer is simple: Through the message of Divine Mercy, our Lord is preparing us for His final coming.
He told the great prophet of Divine Mercy, St. Maria Faustina, in one of a series of revelations in the 1930s: “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 300).
Helena Kowalska, known today throughout the world as St. Maria Faustina (1905-38), was designated by Our Lord Himself as the “Secretary” and “Apostle” of His Mercy. The Lord told her: “You will prepare the world for My final coming” (Diary, 429).
The mission the Lord gave her was not only to remind the world of the great mercy of God as revealed in Sacred Scripture, but also to teach us new forms of devotion to The Divine Mercy and to initiate a movement of apostles of The Divine Mercy who show a childlike trust in God and love of neighbour.
