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her suffering soul. She confided to Him that one of the hindrances to her road to holiness was
suffering much persecution for Jesus’ sake. He counseled her, “It is because you are not of this
world that the world hates you. First it persecuted Me. Persecution is a sign that you are
following in My footsteps” (Diary, # 1487).
II B.27 This “Bread of the Strong” Gives Assurance of Victory, Amid Persecutions 172
One day, Sr. Faustina confided to Jesus that she was suffering much from “persecutions”
and “misunderstandings” due to abiding with Him faithfully. Yet, only the Lord Himself
understood what she was going through. Alone, she was a helpless soul. But, “this Bread of the
Strong” gave her the “courage and strength” to fulfill her “mission” and to do whatever the Lord
demanded of her. Thus, she feared missing it; and she prayed:
O my Jesus, You alone know what persecutions I suffer, and this only because I
am being faithful to You and following Your orders. You are my strength; sustain
me that I may always carry out what You ask of me. Of myself, I can do nothing,
but when You sustain me, all difficulties are nothing for me. O my Lord, I can see
very well that from the time when my soul first received the capacity to know
You, my life has been a continual struggle, which has become increasingly
intense. Every morning during meditation, I prepare myself for the whole day’s
struggle. Holy Communion assures me that I will win the victory; and so it is. I
fear the day when I do not receive Holy Communion. This Bread of the Strong
gives me all the strength I need to carry on my mission and the courage to do
whatever the Lord asks of me. The courage and strength that are in me are not of
me, but of Him who lives in me – it is the Eucharist. O my Jesus, the
misunderstandings are so great; sometimes, were it not for the Eucharist, I would
not have the courage to go any further along the way You have marked out for me
(Diary, # 91).
172
Ibid., Faustina, Diary, # 91.
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