( 7.8 ) On Suffering Humiliations : The Way to True Happiness in God ( Diary , # 593 ) Sr . Faustina wrote in her Diary :
Nothing is better for the soul than humiliations . In contempt is the secret of happiness , when the soul recognizes , that of itself , it is only wretchedness and nothingness , and that whatever good it possesses is a gift of God … And God , seeing the soul in such a disposition , pursues it with His graces . As the soul continues to immerse itself more deeply into the abyss of its nothingness and need , God uses His omnipotence to exalt it . If there is a truly happy soul upon earth , it can only be a truly humble soul . At first , one ’ s self-love suffers greatly on this account , but after a soul has struggled courageously , God grants it much light by which it sees how wretched and full of deception everything is . ( With ) God alone in his heart , a humble soul does not trust itself , but places all its confidence in Him . God defends the humble soul and lets Himself into its secrets , and the soul abides in unsurpassable happiness , which no one can comprehend .
III B . 8 On the Practice of Patience [ Bearing difficulties with calmness ; allied to Fortitude , a Moral / Cardinal Virtue ] 243
( Diary , # 1376 ): According to Sr . Faustina , she had the occasion to practice patience with a certain person she had to work with in the convent . She found her relatively slower , compared to others . Besides , she was also wearisome to listen to in conversations .
III B . 9 On the Practice of Patience and Meekness Patience [ Bearing trials with calmness ; allied to Fortitude , a Moral / Cardinal Virtue ] Meekness [ Controlling anger ; allied to Temperance , a Moral / Cardinal Virtue ] 244
( Diary , # 138 ): Sr . Faustina wrote in her Diary about her gratefulness to God , for the gifts of courage to bear trials and meekness in her heart . These allowed her to remain calm as well as to be docile to God ’ s will in permitting the difficult situations . It happened that the Mother Superior scrutinized everything i . e . “ each word was analyzed , each step watched ” ( Diary , # 138 ).
243 Ibid ., Waldron , " Virtue ," The Catholic Encyclopedia , Internet , 4 . 244 Ibid ., Waldron , “ Virtue ,” The Catholic Encyclopedia , Internet , 3-4 .
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