In order to understand the life of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska and the remarkable spread of her devotion to The Divine Mercy throughout the world, it helps to begin by learning the story of someone else: a priest named Fr. Michael Sopocko.
I see three lessons for us here.
Here are ten examples of the remarkable similarities between the teachings of Bl. Dina Belanger and her near contemporary, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska.
The very first paragraph of Bl. Dina's autobiography sums up the center of her spirituality:
Dina was gifted with natural musical talent. She advanced rapidly in piano and in musical composition, so that even her spiritual guides encouraged her to glorify God by pursuing a music career.
Dina was born in Quebec City on April 30, 1897, the only child of a fairly well-to-do family. In so many ways, she was surrounded by love and showered with blessings right from the start. Her parents provided her with tender care, religious formation, and a solid example of Christian virtue.
Divine Mercy is so central to the spirituality of St. Therese that she literally begins and ends her autobiography in praise of God's merciful love.
Another metaphor that Therese used to make sense of her spiritual journey was the metaphor of the "little flower." Several times in her autobiography she refers to herself as "the little flower," and this has been her ecclesiastical "nickname" ever since.
It is probably true that no single person had more profound and lasting impact upon the spirituality of Catholics in the 20th century than St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower.
Here is St. Alphonsus' list of "considerations" on God's spiritual mercies, and how we can receive them.
