Mercy, Trust and NFP
Alleluia! He is Risen! Lent is over (phew!), and we are now in the Easter season – a time for celebrating with family, rejoicing in the Risen Lord, the Feast of the Ascension, and awaiting the birth of the Church at Pentecost. It is a joyful season that also includes the Feast of Divine Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter. St Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, wrote, in Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, of the visions she received from our Lord, Jesus Christ, wherein He is eager for us to know of His great desire to shower us with His mercy.
St Faustina was a student of God’s love and forgiveness and experienced it first-hand. She shared these encounters and words of Christ in her Diary. The Divine Mercy image was given to Faustina by Jesus Himself. It is a visual representation of the graces that flow from his Sacred Heart. It may not seem obvious at first glance, but CCL’s mission to “inspire, educate and support couples in family planning that is natural, effective, healthy and consistent with God’s plan for Life, love and marriage” is in perfect harmony with God’s message of Divine Mercy.
Love and Surrender
In marriage we are always seeking union with each other and with God’s will. St Faustina continuously emphasized the importance of surrendering to His will, especially when it is difficult. Responsible parenthood and the surrendering of their own desires to what is best for their marriage and family are hallmarks of the couple who practice of NFP.
“A soul that loves Me very much must, ought to live by My will. I know your heart, and I know that it will not be satisfied by anything but My love alone.”
Diary of St. Faustina, 1023
– Our Lord to St. Faustina
Divine Mercy and Trust
The message of Divine Mercy and trust given to St Faustina gives couples hope and strength when facing challenges. Trials like miscarriage, infertility, or PCOS can be crushing crosses to bear. The theme of trust permeates her Diary. Even in adversity, we can trust in God’s love and providential actions.
“Pure love is capable of great deeds, and it is not broken by difficulty or adversity. As it remains strong in the midst of great difficulties, so too it perseveres in the toilsome and drab life of each day.”
Diary of St. Faustina, 140
– St Faustina
Family and Raising Children
St Faustina was the third of ten children. Her family practiced the faith at home, and it shaped her relationship with God. Families support our spiritual journeys and provide a foundation of faith. Consistency in prayer, as well as regularly charting our cycles, lays the groundwork for a thriving family, whether it is two of you or a whole bunch, like Faustina’s family!
(Jesus) told me how much God is pleased with simplicity in a soul. Although My greatness is beyond understanding, I commune only with those who are little. I demand of you a childlike spirit.
Diary of St. Faustina, 332
– Our Lord to St. Faustina
Our daily lives, when lived out in the context of our natural fertility, can be holy moments of surrender, decision, and prayer. In Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, we witness Faustina’s journey toward complete trust in mercy through a special communion with our Lord. She wants us to be as convicted as she was – God’s mercy is there, waiting to be poured out on us if we but ask for it.
Written by Martha Haenni, CCL Staff. Learn NFP from Couple to Couple League: CCL NFP classes.