St. Faustina’s Diary is a collection of six notebooks; they contain her personal reflections, chronicle visits from Jesus and Mary, and cover usual diary sorts of things, like the goings on of her convent.  St. Faustina’s notes on prayer are of special value, for she not only has great wisdom in the spiritual life but a great love of Jesus. 

1. “Oh if only the suffering soul knew how it is loved by God, it would die of joy and excess of happiness!  Some day, we will know the value of suffering, but then we will no longer be able to suffer.  The present moment is ours.”  (No. 963)*

Every human being has an inherent dignity, having been created in God’s image and likeness.  Even more than having dignity, every human being is loved by God from the moment of their conception (Jer 1:5).  Prayer isn’t there to make us feel better when we’re anxious; it’s not there as an obligation.  It is a communion of love, between a lover and the beloved.  St. Faustina is a reliable witness on this point: she spoke to Our Lord about this many times, and He always expressed His infinite love for humanity. 

2. “While I was saying the chaplet [of Divine Mercy], I heard a voice which said, Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet.”  (No. 848)

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a great means of prayer; it can be said on normal rosary beads and it takes about ten minutes.  It is so powerful because it focuses on the Passion of Our Lord—the means of our salvation.  The Chaplet isn’t just one among many devotions, and I would argue that it’s one we have to have in our spiritual lives.  Jesus specifically appeared to St. Faustina and asked her to promote this devotion.  We need to listen!

3. “My daughter, those words of your heart are pleasing to Me, and by saying the chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to Me.”  (No. 929)

St. Faustina had been recounting to Jesus her joys, sufferings, and other things on her mind.  She described Jesus as listening “to these outpourings of my heart with gravity and interest, as if He had known nothing about them.”  Take a minute to ponder this in your heart: the omniscient Lord of the universe listened to one of His creatures.  Jesus wants to listen to us just as He did to St. Faustina.  Such is the character of His love!

4. “During Holy Mass, I saw the Lord Jesus nailed upon the cross amidst great torments.  A soft moan issued from His Heart.  After some time, He said, 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.”  (No. 1032)

Jesus asks St. Faustina to unite her sufferings to His, doing exactly what St. Paul meant when he said that “in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” (Col 1:24)  Just to be clear, Christ’s afflictions were of infinite worth and aren’t by any means inadequate.  Christ leaves room for us in His saving work, that we can participate with our own small passions.  Make it part of your prayer to be one with Christ in your sufferings, and to offer it for sinners.  And, for an amazing meditation on “I thirst” (see John 19:28), read a reflection based on Bl. Teresa of Calcutta’s teaching. 

5. “Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy.  They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy.”  (No. 1146)

This is a reminder to trust in God and to pray for the grace of conversion.  Part of our prayer life should always be to seek conversion of heart.  It is only through asking for mercy that we can make any progress in the spiritual life.  No sin is too great, and no sinner too hardened that he/she is beyond Jesus’ mercy.  The only sin that can’t be forgiven is the one of which we do not repent. 

6. “I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord.”  (No. 163)

This brief prayer encompasses the entire Christian life, and we cannot make any progress in it without great effort in prayer.  The living reflection of Jesus would fulfill His command: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).

7. “O Jesus, stretched out upon the cross, I implore You, give me the grace of doing faithfully the most holy will of Your Father, in all things, always and everywhere.”  (No. 1265)

St. Faustina wrote this prayer that any of us could pray.  Uniting our own will with that of the Father is one of the most difficult things in the spiritual life.  It’s simple and easy in times of joy, but quite the opposite in times of suffering. The rewards of offering up suffering are greater than our understanding. 

8. “May You be adored, O merciful God of ours, O all-powerful Lord and Creator.  In deepest humility, we give You praise, plunging ourselves into the ocean of Your Godhead.”  (No. 1744)

This is a portion of one of St. Faustina’s prayers in her diary.  Praising God and thanking Him needs to be part of our prayer life!  Our existence is due to Him, as well as every good thing in our lives.  When praying in thanksgiving, the goal is just what St. Faustina says: to plunge ourselves into God.  Uniting our heart to Him will bring about grace upon grace. Thanksgiving is said to be the highest prayer of praise!

9. “When you reflect upon what I tell you in the depths of your heart, you profit more than if you had read many books.  Oh, if souls would only want to listen to My voice when I am speaking in the depths of their hearts, they would reach the peak of holiness in a short time.”  (No. 584)

We have Our Lady as a model in this, who pondered so many things in her heart.  Prayer is the means by which we’re able to access the depths of our hearts.  In the modern world, we have constant noise and distraction.  Maintaining a solid prayer life takes a lot of discipline.  Don’t fall into the misconception that we can sit down, start praying, and launch into a profound mystical experience on demand. 

10. “I have learned that the greatest power is hidden in patience.  I see that patience always leads to victory, although not immediately; but that victory will become manifest after many years.  Patience is linked to meekness.” (No. 1514)

This might not speak directly to prayer, but patience certainly applies to prayer.  It feels good to pray for patience, but that good feeling disappears as soon as we have occasion to practice it.  In the spiritual life, it can be very frustrating to pray for the same grace over, and over, and over; all the while struggling with a situation or a vice.  St. Faustina reminds us that the victory of patience isn’t instantaneous.  Patience in the spiritual life ties into the three theological virtues: it is grounded in faith, supported with hope, and perseveres in charity.  Developing the virtue of patience has far reaching effects in our lives. 

Are we missing any? Leave a comment and let us know! 

*All quotes taken from The Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska