Book on Mary and St. Faustina using references to her "Diary"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Father Calloway has written a book entitled: Purest of All Lilies: the Virgin Mary in the Spirituality of St. Faustina and discusses this book in an interview HERE.

There is a link within the interview to his Doctoral thesis in which he studied all the references to Mary in St. Faustina’s Diary. I found this last Q/A in the interview to be especially helpful:

Of the many insights St. Faustina received from Mary, which would you say is most crucial — the one from which we can all learn?

Mary really conveyed to St. Faustina that she was her mother. On one occasion, Mary tells St. Faustina that her role as spiritual mother is part of the will of God. Quoting Mary’s words to her, Faustina writes, “My daughter, at God’s command I am to be, in a special and exclusive way, your Mother; but I desire that you, too, in a special way, be My child” (Diary, 1414). Mary wanted from St. Faustina a total filial, childlike relationship, one of trust and obedience, so that the will of God could be done. What Mary told Faustina was that there were three virtues Faustina should practice that are dearest to her (Mary). Mary said, “The first is humility, humility, humility, and once again humility; the second virtue, purity; the third virtue, love of God. As my daughter, you must especially radiate with these virtues.” (Diary, 1415). Mary was teaching her all these things, focusing on doing the will of God. And she does this in her role as “Mother.” You don’t find a lot of titles for Mary in St. Faustina’s Diary other than Mother. In Polish culture, you find that a popular way of referring to Mary is as “Queen of Poland.” That doesn’t appear at all. Her primary way of talking about Mary was as “Mother.” (Underlining is mine)

Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
St. Faustina. pray for us.
Jesus, I trust in You!

 

[ChadS]

I really enjoy Fr. Calloway’s books. I believe I own three of his books and have found each one immensely rewarding. This one is definitely a good read. Thank you for bringing this to other people’s attention.

ChadS

 

[Cynical_Realist]

I recall reading from a pamphlet on the Chaplet of Divine Mercy that according to St. Faustina, at one point Jesus tells her that He wants her to be “co-redeemer of the human race” with Him. While I know that I will incur the ire of many people here on this forum, I cannot help saying that this statement is BLASPHEMOUS! Jesus DOES NOT NEED “a
co-redeemer” to help Him redeem the human race.

Sorry folks, but in my opinion, Sr. Faustina was at worst, a fraud, or in all likelihood, was suffering from some type of mental delusion.

If anyone objects to this, I would really prefer that you logically bring it up here or PM me rather than simply complaining and having it removed by the moderators like was done to another post of mine that somebody didn’t care to deal with.

I’ll say it again; Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ DOES NOT NEED a co-redeemer! Any suggestions that he does is blasphemous!

 

[MariaChristi]

I really enjoy Fr. Calloway’s books. I believe I own three of his books and have found each one immensely rewarding. This one is definitely a good read. Thank you for bringing this to other people’s attention.

ChadS

Dear Chad,

Thanks so much for your reply. Did you go to the link I posted? I ask because it also links to Fr. Calloway’s dissertation which I hope to read. I opened to see the table of contents on the dissertation and Father seems to have made a thorough study, for his Doctoral Degree in Mariology. I’m so glad his Religious Congregation sent him to study Mariology because it is really needed in the Church at this time.

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel today! May the Mother of God whom Jesus gave to us from His cross, to be our Mother also, be more honored by Catholics and all those who desire to know God’s Truth in fullness. The devils fear her because she is the holiest of all God’s human persons. They have enmity toward her for she is only human and yet is filled with the holiness they lost by sin. Only Jesus her Divine Son Who has both the Divine and Human Nature can love her enouth, as her Son, but we human sons and daughters of God, who follow Jesus can seek to love her as perfectly as we can by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you for all the beautiful work you have done in Mary, our Mother. Enable us to love her more, and strive to be like her, a perfect disciple of Jesus.

Mary, Mother of the Church, Mother of Mercy, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us.
St. Faustina, pray for us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear “Cynical Realist”,

Thanks for your reply for you give me and opportunity not to debate but to explain, logically, and also to explain from the Catechism of the Catholic Church why Mary is able to be seen as a “co-redeemer”. It is important to seek the Truth, and at the same time to know our limits as finite creatures when it comes to things of God.

His ways are far above our ways, and certainly while we ask the Holy Spirit to bring us into the complete Truth as Jesus promised his disciples in John 16:13, we need to humbly accept some of God’s Revelation on faith. Jesus assures us, “Blessed are those who have not seen yet believed.” There are some mysteries we can only “see” with faith. There are some mysteries even when the Church declares them to be true, and we may not completely understand, we can yet accept by believing, trusting and loving God whose Divine Revelation comes to us, through Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium.

Regarding the title “co-redeemer”:

CCC 970 “Mary’s function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. But the Blessed Virgin’s salutary influence on men . . . flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it, and draws all its power from it.”<LG 60> “No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.”<LG 62>

I underlined 2 sentences because they point to Mary and also to us as members of the Body of Christ. The last sentence opens to us our own share in the priesthood of Christ by Baptism. As members of His Body we are all called to holiness and to continue Christ’s mission on earth. Like Mary we are called to intercede for our brothers and sisters that the salvation won for us by Jesus may be received by all. The Church exists to evangelize – to bring the saving “Good News” of the Redemption won for us by Christ to all the world.

St. Faustina is a beautiful example of a humble soul who received Jesus and was obedient to God’s Will as she learned it from Him. I hope you have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2nd edition. A copy can be purchased, see HERE or read on line, see HERE. The catechism gives many logical answers to questions people have and references Scripture primarily but also other reliable documents. Hope this helps.

 

[ChadS]

Dear Chad,

Thanks so much for your reply. Did you go to the link I posted? I ask because it also links to Fr. Calloway’s dissertation which I hope to read. I opened to see the table of contents on the dissertation and Father seems to have made a thorough study, for his Doctoral Degree in Mariology. I’m so glad his Religious Congregation sent him to study Mariology because it is really needed in the Church at this time.

Hello Maria,

I just read part of the interview. It is interesting how certain saints can become associated with one particular devotion that other aspects of their life or spirituality can get overlooked. I really need to revisit this book because its been a while since I cracked it open.

ChadS

 

[Cynical_Realist]

Hello MariaChristi

You wrote “His ways are far above our ways, and certainly while we ask the Holy Spirit to bring us into the complete Truth as Jesus promised his disciples in John 16:13, we need to humbly accept some of God’s Revelation on faith. Jesus assures us, “Blessed are those who have not seen yet believed.” There are some mysteries we can only “see” with faith. There are some mysteries even when the Church declares them to be true, and we may not completely understand, we can yet accept by believing, trusting and loving God whose Divine Revelation comes to us, through Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium.”

When Jesus said “Blessed are those who have not seen yet believe” He was addressing Doubting Thomas who said that he wouldn’t believe in the Resurrection of Jesus unless he got to put his hands in our Lord’s wounds on the hands and side. This has nothing to do with any man-made traditions because it is scriptural.

Re: mysteries that the Catholic Church declares to be true but we must believe them anyway, yeah…I have a problem with that, especially when a humble Polish nun who may have been a sincerely religious person says that Jesus told her to be “Co-Redeemer” with Him. Sorry but Bellevue is filled with people who said that God told them to do several things.

Evangelizing and bringing people to the Lord is wonderful, but that in and of itself does NOT make us “Co-Redeemer” with God. And like it or not, the same applies to St. Mary. The Catholic Church itself has warned us throughout the ages that while St. Mary is to be honored, she is NOT GOD and is NOT to be worshiped. St. Mary was certainly the “handmaid of the Lord” but that does not make her co-redeemer. It DOES make her an example for us to follow and look to as the way to be obedient unto the Lord even when we don’t understand what’s going on and are unable to see “the big picture” but again this does not make her co-redeemer. I personally don’t believe that St. Mary herself would claim that she is “co-redeemer” with Jesus, but apparently St. Faustina claims that Jesus told HER that she herself was to be co-redeemer with Him. Again, to me, this reeks of somebody who may have a sincere heart but a totally delusional mind.

We can agree to disagree.

Peace of the Risen Lord Be Upon You.

 

[Dempsey1919]

Cynical Realist:

Sorry folks, but in my opinion, Sr. Faustina was at worst, a fraud, or in all likelihood, was suffering from some type of mental delusion.

Saint Faustina was 100% orthodox. Redemptive suffering is a doctrine of the Faith. Read these few references:

This is what St. Paul preached:
Colossians 1:24:

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

This is what Pope St. John Paul II preached:
Salvifici Doloris:

Every man has his own share in the Redemption. Each one is also called to share in that suffering through which the Redemption was accomplished. He is called to share in that suffering through which all human suffering has also been redeemed. In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ.

This is what the Catechism states:

618 The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the “one mediator between God and men”.452 But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, “the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery” is offered to all men.453 He calls his disciples to “take up [their] cross and follow (him)”,454 for "Christ also suffered for (us), leaving (us) an example so that (we) should follow in his steps."455 In fact Jesus desires to associate with his redeeming sacrifice those who were to be its first beneficiaries.456 This is achieved supremely in the case of his mother, who was associated more intimately than any other person in the mystery of his redemptive suffering.457 Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.458

These quotations don’t even begin to scratch the surface, but they provide a good starting point. Catholic soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) is widely misunderstood by most Catholics today. Sadly, a lot of post-Vatican II Catholics have adopted a protestantized version of the Faith. Fortunately, apostolates such as Catholic Answers are here to help.

For more information, research the concept of victim souls. Many Catholic Saints were victim souls, including Padre Pio.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Cynical Realist,

I sent my reply in a PM to you.

 

[MariaChristi]

Saint Faustina was 100% orthodox. Redemptive suffering is a doctrine of the Faith. Read these few references:

This is what St. Paul preached:

Originally Posted by Colossians 1:24
Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

Dear Dempsey,

Thanks so much for even “scratching the surface” to quote from the Scripture, the Catechism and the writings of Pope St. John Paul II. The Catholic Church has a wealth of wisdom given to her by the Holy Spirit, and I hope all who read your response take to heart the beautiful truths God reveals through His Church. I agree with you, that many Catholics have become confused by persons seeking to “protestantize” the Church.

Let us pray with Jesus His Priestly prayer in John 17 that all may be one in Him. Thanks again for your reply.