MyCatholicSource.com - 'Quick Help' Page: Do Faustina's Writings Differ Much From Other Female Mystics?

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Having read the diary of Faustina as well as writings by other females who were mystics (particularly St. Teresa of Avila & St. Margaret Mary Alacoque), I would say that the 'overall thrust' with respect to the authors themselves seems rather different between Faustina & the other women, even if some specific events and graces referenced may be similar. For example, consider the following quote of St. Teresa of Avila (as noted in the publication 'What's Up With Faustina's Divine Mercy Devotion (2)? Another Approach For Getting To The Truth')...

"I entreat him, for the love of our Lord, to publish abroad what I have thus far said of my wretched life, and of my sins. I give him leave to do so; and to all my confessors, also - of whom he is one - to whom this is to be sent, if it be their pleasure, even during my life, so that I may no longer deceive people who think there must be some good in me. Certainly, I speak in all sincerity, so far as I understand myself. Such publication will give me great comfort." (St. Teresa of Avila, The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus)

In her humility, the great St. Theresa of Avila considered herself "so wicked", and even stated that...

"It is very true that I am the most wicked and the basest of all who are born of women" (St. Teresa of Avila, The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus)

This great & truly humble saint even wanted to submit herself to the Inquisition...

"[St. Teresa] went to the Inquisitor, Don Francisco Soto de Salazar–he was afterwards Bishop of Salamanca–and said to him: 'My lord, I am subject to certain extraordinary processes in prayer, such as ecstasies, raptures, and revelations, and do not wish to be deluded or deceived by Satan, or to do anything that is not absolutely safe. I give myself up to the Inquisition to try me, and examine my ways of going on, submitting myself to its orders.'" (The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus)

Similarity, the extraordinarily humble St. Margaret Mary Alacoque writes of herself as follows...

"I confess sincerely that I am very much wanting in humility to speak to you this way. I am really such a wicked and poor sinner, a mere composite of every kind of misery, capable only of drawing down the wrath of God and of stopping the flow of His mercy." (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

"You must be on your guard against me and not have anything to do with me. I assure you that if you knew me for what I am, your charitable heart could not help but take compassion on my misery and earnestly ask the Sacred Heart of our good Master for my conversion." (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

"I cannot say that I have ever been anything but an obstacle to Him by my great poverty and ignorance. These make me a composite of every kind of stupidity and misery. I think that is one of the reasons why he makes use of so weak an instrument as myself, much as He used clay to put on the eyes of the man born blind. Indeed, had He been able to find a more miserable and unworthy subject out of which to make a composite of His great mercies, He would have chosen it. I warn you, then, not to be deceived by what I tell you." (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

"I would rather have accused myself of my sins before the whole world than speak of these graces on account of my extreme unworthiness. It would have been a great consolation to me had I been permitted to read aloud my general confession in the refectory, in order thereby to make known the depth of corruption which is in me, so that none of the favors I received might be attributed to me." (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, The Autobiography of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

"My heart finds it difficult, beloved Sister, to forgive your heart for all the sentiments of esteem which Your Charity has fostered, without reason, for such a wretched and wicked sinner as myself. I neither desire nor ought I want to be known except to be humiliated and despised by everybody. But I pardon you this, because you do not know that I am a mere lump of every kind of misery." (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

She was also very insistent upon not being known by others...

"It will be a great relief to me, dear Mother, if Your Charity reassures me that she is going to keep the promise she made of burning my letters so that nothing may be seen or known of them here. For I am as eager to remain buried in contempt and oblivion as well after my death as during my life." (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

"If you only knew, my good Mother, how difficult it is for me to say all this. The thought that I am nothing but a hypocrite deceiving people by a false show of piety makes me suffer much. Believe me, I see myself so far removed from that disinterestedness God expects of me that I think all my actions condemn me. That is why I so earnestly beg you to burn all my letters. I do not want anything so miserable a sinner has written to remain behind to recall her memory after death. I wish to remain blotted out and buried in eternal oblivion." (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

"You must never speak of me in such a way as to reveal my identity either while I am alive or after my death. I want to remain annihilated and unknown, buried in eternal oblivion. So you will do me the favor of burning all my letters in order that, in so far as the glory of my divine Master permits, there shall remain behind no remembrance of so wicked a creature." (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

The 'seraphic virgin' St. Catherine of Sienna also writes humbly of herself...

"I am she who is not, and if I spoke as being anything of myself, I should be lying by my own head, and should be a lying daughter of the Devil, who is the father of lies, because Thou alone art He who is. And my being and every further grace that Thou hast bestowed upon me, I have from Thee, who givest them to me through love, and not as my due." (St. Catherine of Siena, Dialogue)

Likewise, St. Gertrude the Great had intense humility...

"Her humility was so profound that she wondered how the earth could support so sinful a creature as herself... The works of St. Gertrude were all written in Latin, which she used with facility and grace. The 'Legatus Divinae Pietatis' (Herald of Divine Love) comprises five books containing the life of St. Gertrude, and recording many of the favours granted her by God. Book II alone is the work of the saint, the rest being compiled by members of the Helfta community. They were written for her Sisters in religion, and we feel she has here a free hand unhampered by the deep humility which made it so repugnant for her to disclose favours personal to herself." (Catholic Encyclopedia)

In contrast, although Faustina does write some 'humble things' in her journal, her wordy diary also contains various passages troubling to Catholic sensibilities such as...

"Then I heard these words: With no other soul do I unite Myself as closely and in such a way as I do with you [Faustina]" (#587)

"My dearest child [Faustina], your every stirring is reflected in My Heart. My gaze rests kindly upon you before any other creature." (#1700)

"...I am uniting Myself with you [Faustina] so intimately as with no other creature." (#707)

"I see your love, so pure and true that I give you [Faustina] first place among the virgins." (#282)

"I heard this voice in my soul: From today on, do not fear God's judgment, for you [Faustina] will not be judged." (#374)

"During one conference, Jesus said to me [Faustina], You are a sweet grape in a chosen cluster; I want others to have a share in the juice that is flowing within you." (#393)

"You [Faustina] are the delight of My Heart" (#137)

"You [Faustina] are the honor and glory of My Passion." (#282)

"During the June devotions, the Lord said to me, My daughter, My favor rests in your heart. When on Holy Thursday I left Myself in the Blessed Sacrament, you [Faustina] were very much on My mind." (#1774)

"I saw the Lord Jesus, tortured, but not nailed to the Cross. It was still before the crucifixion, and He said to me [Faustina], You are My Heart." (#1666)

"My daughter [Faustina], your heart is My heaven." (#238)

"It seems to me that the whole world serves me and depends on me [Faustina]." (#195)

"...I see your love [Faustina] so pure, purer [!] than that of the angels" (#1061)

"...in one moment, I [Faustina] come to know the entire essence of God." (#770)

"I [Faustina] often receive light and the knowledge of the interior life of God and of God's intimate disposition" (#1102)

"...they often take advantage of my goodness." (#1446)

"...on one occasion a certain person suffered because of my sanctity" (#1571)

"...my heart became so wonderfully attracted to these virtues (humility, purity, love of God); and I [Faustina] practice them faithfully. They are as though engraved in my heart." (#1415)

"You [God] grant me [Faustina] the grace of Your omnipotence." (#2)

Etc.

The voices in Faustina's head (or her supposed visions) certainly think she's special! Seriously, the 'excessive praise' concerning the person of Faustina and the startling claims about herself from her interior voices ('voices' in her own head/soul that she thinks are from God) or alleged visions seem rather unique to Faustina among those canonized. I do think one would be hard pressed to find many similar (self) laudatory quotes in the writings of other saints, especially to the same degree as are found in Faustina's diary. Other saints expressed their unworthiness for graces they had received and deflected praise away from themselves in their humility. I have difficulty even imagining what their reactions might be if they thought they heard voices in their heads frequently telling them they were closer to God than all others or better than other people. Perhaps they would faint? Maybe request holy water or an exorcism? Certainly I think they would protest their littleness compared to God and to others. One thing I'm confident they would NOT do in their great humility is simply jot down the self-praise from the 'voices' in their heads or their alleged visions, over and over again, uncontested & without any objection, in their diaries as if it was some mundane occurrence. Plus there are so many issues with Faustina's diary (try here) and image (try here), and there is the troubling fact that she herself frequently could not distinguish between her imagination and reality, according to her 'greatest champion'...

"Especially as regards past memories, [Faustina] frequently could not distinguish what she imagined [!] from what was a supernatural action." (Fr. Sopocko's Memoirs Concerning Faustina, emphasis added) [Note: Fr. Sopocko was Faustina's 'greatest champion'. He was also the person who sat for her dark, heartless 'Divine Mercy' image (that was first painted by a Freemason - an individual who later painted himself as Judas Iscariot). Faustina had claimed the Lord told her that the priest, Fr. Sopocko, would suffer martyrdom, but her alleged 'Jesus' was mistaken, as the priest instead died a natural death. Fr. Sopocko was also the priest who tried, but failed, to make Faustina's vision come true regarding the location of a future religious community that the (erring) Faustina had "unshakable certitude" about based on supposed 'words in her soul'.]

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