The Diary of Saint Faustina

What is the Diary?

The Diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska is written as a memoir. It is mainly written for the last four years of her life, between 1934 and 1938.

It is at the request of her spiritual director, Father Michel Sopocko, today a blessed, that Saint Faustina would write the Diary.

In this work, she describes her mystical experiences from day to day and conveys Jesus' words as well as his requests. 

Christ himself revealed the particular mission to which he called her to Sister Faustina: to be the secretary of his mercy. Jesus said to her, “Secretary of My deepest mystery, know that you are in exclusive intimacy with Me. Your mission is to write all that I make known to you of My mercy for the benefit of souls, so that by reading these writings, they may feel comforted and have the courage to approach Me.” (D 1693).

Mystical experiences

 In the Diary, sister Faustine notes her lived experiences and the extraordinary graces received. Her diary reveals the depth of her spiritual life and the deep union of her soul with God.

Jesus gave multiple graces to this humble Polish nun. Sister Faustina had the gift of contemplation, the gift of profound knowledge of the mystery of Divine Mercy, and visions and revelations. To all this is also added the invisible stigmata, the gift of prophecy, the gift of reading souls, the gift of bilocation as well as that, very rare, of mystical marriage. In this last gift, Jesus himself asked for her soul in marriage and mystically a wedding was celebrated between her soul and her husband, Christ. From then on, the soul chosen is just like a wife of Jesus, it is a very strong sign of the union that exists between such a soul and its Lord.

Through her mystical experiences, Saint Faustina received many revelations that she transmitted to the whole world. In particular, it reveals the sources of grace that are devotions to Divine Mercy or the veneration of the painting of merciful Jesus.

The Words of Jesus

 In her Diary, Sister Faustine places particular emphasis on divine inspirations and teachings. It is these teachings given by Jesus that give such richness to the work. It reads the words of the Savior addressed to the world, to each in particular.

To give an overview of the Diary, here are some luminous passages.

God's burning love for man:

“My heart overflows with great mercy for souls (…). May they understand that I am for them the best of fathers, that it is for them that blood and water have sprung from My heart as a spring overflowing with mercy. It is for them that I dwell in the tabernacle. As King of mercy, I desire to fill souls with grace, but they do not want to receive them (…). Ah! That the indifference of souls is great for so much goodness, for so many proofs of love (…), They have time for everything, but they have no time to come to Me to seek graces " (D 367).

The Value of Love:

“Jesus, You make me know and understand what the greatness of the soul consists of: not in great actions, but in great love. Love has value, and it is it that gives greatness to our actions. And although our actions are small and commonplace in themselves, they become great and powerful before God, thanks to love” (D 889).

The Value of Humility:

“The locks of heaven are half-opened for the humble soul, and an ocean of graces is poured upon it (…). To a humble soul, God refuses nothing; it is all-powerful, it influences the fate of the whole world; God raises this soul to His throne, and, the more it lowers itself, the more God leans towards it, pursues it with His graces and accompanies it at every moment with His all-powerfulness “(D 1306).

Saint Faustina addresses Jesus :

“Jesus, my most perfect model, I will spend my life with my eyes fixed on You, walking in Your footsteps, adapting my nature to Your grace, following Your most holy will and the light that enlightens my soul, fully trusting in Your help” (D 1351).

Discover the Diary in its entirety

For the audio version, it is possible to listen to the entire Diary on YouTube, where it is divided into many parts.

You can also read the entire Diary online.

Finally, you can order a copy of the Diary.