The next morning we had breakfast and left Krakow for a day trip to Lagiewniki and the Divine Mercy Shrine. I didn't know much about Divine Mercy going in - other than that I've always thought the image is kind of cheesy (because it's very anglicized / modernized, which has always perplexed me. I didn't realize the painting is from a visionary/mystic), but it was a lovely, lovely day. We had Mass in the Chapel where St. Faustina's remains lie below the DMPainting (the most beautiful Church I've ever been in - I'll scan Colleen's postcard). It was very quiet and calm and full of cute little nuns. At 3, we went back into the Chapel for the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which the Poles sing (eee!). That's when the cute little priests came out of the woodwork. It was way amazing. I'm getting ahead of myself.
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The Divine Mercy Basilica is very modern and remarkably empty for a European Church. Underneath the "ground" level we're at, there are tons of smaller chapels, including the Hungarian Chapel, where we had teachings.
The Chapel & (old) Convent from the top of the tower
Better view of the grounds... Fr. Stan is in the bottom right of the photo, at the top of the amphitheater
There he is! (Ha ... that wasn't intended to be creepy. I was playing with my zoom.)
Cute little nun walking through the grounds
Sr. Gaudia and Christina
Sr. Gaudia is a novice at .....huh. I don't know what the convent / order is called. Hold! The Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and the convent is called Jozefow, but no one seems to ever use that name. Anyway. She filled in for the "usual" English-speaking nun to tell us about Faustina and Divine Mercy. She was just the cutest thing. I pretty much wrote down every word she said, which I will probably transcribe (another time, another place... another suitcase in another hall). She was very sincere and convicted. It was grand.
Highlights:
- God's greatest pain is mistrust.
His greatest joy is trust. - Trust is the greatest proof of love.
Feelings come and go, a matter of will. Love is not a feeling.
I will love you in spite of feelings. - God always has a Plan B.
Even if you make a wrong choice, He will open another road and help you. - God is simple.
Simple is good.
We make things too complicated. - When it became known that God had given Faustina a message with which all of humanity could prepare for the final coming, there was a big to-do. The message?
"Trust." - Trust in God 100%. 95% is not enough.
- If You will give me a long life full of happiness, be blessed.
If You will give me a short life full of pain, be blessed.
If You will give me many friends and support, be blessed.
If You give me no one, be blessed. - Have the faith of a child, not a wiseman: I don't care where you take me; I trust in you.
Fr. Stan taking pictures of the mosaics in the Hungarian Chapel beneath the Basilica where we learned all the things.
Inside the Basilica - Divine Mercy image, Tree of Life, and awesome global Tabernacle
Good good good day!
