St Faustina and the Conversion of Sinners

One of the recurrent themes concerning the Diary of St Faustina is surely her close relationship with the conversion of sinners. In fact, from what we read from the Diary it clearly appears that she was called to offer her entire existence as a sacrificial prayer for the conversion of these brothers and sisters.

One would rightly ask: But why is this so? Suffice to read some messages Jesus himself gave her concerning poor sinners. As a matter of fact, when he spoke to her about Divine Mercy Sunday Our Lord told her: My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy [139] be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy (no.699). Jesus’ rationale is so simple and effective: The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy (no.723).

As part of her novitiate, St Faustina was already helped to offer penances for the salvation of sinners from the time she entered the novitiate. Her Novice Directoress would choose a day for every novice to pray before Jesus in the Eucharist and offer the work and all her sufferings to the Lord for sinners. During this special time of St Faustina’s formation for consecrated life we find one of her most beautiful prayers which amply shows her deep love for the salvation of sinners, an attitude not only taught to her by Jesus personally but also from the formation she got from the Convent.

O Jesus, eternal Truth, our Life, I call upon You and I beg Your mercy for poor sinners. O sweetest Heart of my Lord, full of pity and unfathomable mercy, I plead with You for poor sinners. O Most Sacred Heart, Fount of Mercy from which gush forth rays of inconceivable graces upon the entire human race, I beg of You light for poor sinners. O Jesus, be mindful of Your own bitter Passion and do not permit the loss of souls redeemed at so dear a price of Your most precious Blood. O Jesus, when I consider the great price of Your Blood, I rejoice at its immensity, for one drop alone would have been enough for the salvation of all sinners. Although sin is an abyss of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equalled. Therefore, let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God’s mercy will never be exhausted. Oh, what immense joy burns in my heart when I contemplate Your incomprehensible goodness, O Jesus! I desire to bring all sinners to Your feet that they may glorify Your mercy throughout endless ages (no.72).

As we already mentioned, Faustina’s ardent desire for the salvation of sinners was not just the result of what her Novice Directoress instilled in her. First and foremost, it was the calling of Jesus himself. In fact, in entry 186 of the Diary, Jesus told her: I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. Then, as the Teacher of teachers, he told her which kind of prayer she was to pray so that the sinner involved will attain the grace of conversion: This is the prayer: (no. 186) “O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.” (no.187). This is also the second and conclusive part of the 3’o o’clock prayer of the Divine Mercy. 

The Diary keeps constantly showing that it was Jesus who wanted St Faustina to give herself as a loving sacrifice for the conversion of sinners. He told her on Holy Thursday of 1934 in entry 308: I desire that you make an offering of yourself for sinners and especially far those souls who have lost hope in God’s mercy. The same insistent cry of Jesus for Faustina to keep praying for sinners is evident in other parts of the Diary. For instance, in etry 975: Pray for souls that they be not afraid to approach the tribunal of My mercy. Do not grow weary of praying for sinners. You know what a burden their souls are to My Heart. Relieve My deathly sorrow; dispense My mercy. Then, in entry 1032, the Lord Jesus nailed upon the cross in those unimaginable torments, in a soft moan coming directly from His agonizing heart told her: I thirst. I thirst for the salvation of souls. Help Me, My daughter, to save souls. Join your sufferings to My Passion and offer them to the heavenly Father for sinners.

Moreover, other instances where Jesus clearly shows how much prayer for conversion of sinners is close to His heart and two entries of the Diary, 1320 and 1397. In 1320 Jesus reminds Faustina and us too: At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion...(no.1320). Whereas in 1397 Jesus gives the reason why He is making such an insistent plea with Faustina: The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.

Obviously, Satan was not happy at all when Faustina prayed for sinners. She recounts the following experience: Taking the form of an apparition he [Satan] said,” Do not pray for sinners, but for yourself, for you will be damned.” Paying no attention to Satan, I continued to pray with redoubled fervor for sinners. The Evil Spirit howled with fury, “Oh, if I had power over you!” and disappeared. I saw that my suffering and prayer shackled Satan and snatched many souls from his clutches (Diary, 1465). Hence, this is a very compelling truth that we ought to pray more and more for the conversion of sinners, including ourselves.

The natural conclusion of such a small journey with Faustina and her ardent prayer for the conversion of sinners is that it is so wise to pray and fast for sinners. It is not only the prayer most pleasing to Jesus but also this prayer is always heard and answered. So let us encourage others to do likewise.