Trusting God, Trusting NFP

In 1931 Jesus came to visit a young Polish nun named Faustina. He appeared to her as he did in this picture, offering a gesture of peace and pointing to his heart. The red and white rays bursting forth represent the blood and water that flowed from his pierced side and serve as the foundation for our sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism. He came to tell the world, through Faustina, of his divine mercy for souls and how much he desires us to receive his mercy and be merciful toward others. In the year 2000, during the canonization of St. Faustina, Pope John Paul II instituted the Feast of Divine Mercy, which we celebrate tomorrow.

“Jesus, I trust in you,” is the slogan, if you will, of the Divine Mercy devotion. Jesus told St. Faustina that he longs for souls to trust him. Trust. It can be a scary word.

A lot of couples hesitate to try NFP because, for them, it requires a “leap of faith.” This is understandable. Any time we try something new there is an element of fear, however small. At CCL we realize we’re proposing the road less taken. We realize that even though we tout scientific studies that prove our method is 99.6 percent effective in avoiding pregnancy, that some will doubt. We realize that even though our teaching couples share how NFP has brought them closer together than they ever imagined, that some will doubt. And that’s ok. Trusting can be a process.

God knows this too. St. Faustina, who only had an elementary school level education doubted her ability to communicate Jesus’s message to the world. He told her, “Do not fear; I Myself will make up for everything that is lacking in you” (435). We really do have a God who is rich in mercy. He wants to help us overcome our fears and doubts about our vocation, just like he did for St. Faustina. His message for us is the same. “I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls (1074). Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul” (1777).

Trust is the key ingredient for a healthy, loving relationship. May each one of us throughout this Jubilee Year of Mercy deepen our trust in the Lord Jesus and his loving, merciful plan for our lives.

Note: Parenthesis refer to specific passages from Divine Mercy in my Soul, the diary of St. Faustina.

To learn more:

http://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/
https://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/

— Sarah Drew
Assistant Editor