Trust was theme of service for Divine Mercy Sunday

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
April 27, 2006

Jesus I trust in you.

People who are familiar with the Divine Mercy image of Jesus know those words well as that is the phrase that usually appears with the image.

Trust was the theme of the homily that was delivered by Father Dan Greving at the Divine Mercy Sunday service held April 23 at Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City.

Trust was also the theme of the Divine Mercy Sunday observance at the Vatican. According to an article by the Catholic News Service Pope Benedict XVI said that trust in God's divine mercy was central to the teaching of Pope John Paul II and should be central to the faith and prayer of every Christian.

The observance of Divine Mercy Sunday in Sioux City started at 1:30 p.m. with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and people had the opportunity to attend confession.

The Hour of Mercy began at 3 p.m. Kevin Keane and Claudia Hardy led the congregation as they sang the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Father Merlin Schrad, pastor at Blessed Sacrament, served as the host for the celebration. He explained the late pontiff, Pope John Paul II in 2002 declared that people who participated in the Divine Mercy Chaplet and participated in a Divine Mercy Sunday service would receive a plenary indulgence. The pastor then led the Act of Entrustment.

In his homily Father Greving, pastor at the parishes in Struble and Ellendale, gave a little background of the Divine Mercy devotion and shared some of the passages from the diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska, including portions of her dialogue with Jesus. The Polish-nun was canonized a saint six years ago and at that time, the late pontiff asked that the second Sunday of Easter be celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday.

Father Greving read the following excerpt from the saint's diary. Jesus said to St. Faustina, "The graces of my mercy are drawn by means of one vessel and that is trust."

Father Greving recalled how one of his theology professors in the seminary used the acronym TRUST - Total Reliance Upon Saving Truth - when teaching about the theology of Divine Mercy.

"Trust is our first action that allows us to receive God's mercy." Father Greving added, "How can we receive mercy in light of the human condition?"

He spoke of the problems with society such as the disregard for human life at all stages.

"In no way can you earn it. You can't achieve salvation because it is all a gift," said Father Greving. "It depends on faith. Mercy is love poured out through the pierced heart of Jesus."

God's divine mercy, he stressed, is the only answer to the human condition.

Father Greving told the people that when Pope John Paul II canonized Sister Faustina a saint in the year 2000, he described her as a "gift of God for our time." When the late pontiff had been a bishop in Poland, he would go to the tomb of Sister Faustina to pray. John Paul II died on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday last year.

He closed his homily with words of Scripture, "If we say we are free from the guilt of sin, we deceive ourselves...but if we acknowledge our sin, he who is just can be trusted to forgive our sins and cleanse us."

Following the homily, Msgr. Roger Augustine led the benediction and a reception followed.

Blessed Sacrament parishioner, Phil Hickman, noted that he and his wife attended the service to enrich their faith in God.

"The church is lucky to have this holy person (St. Faustina) who is still very much unknown to many Catholics, but it seems be growing every year," he said. "We need to set an example for the rest of our kids and everyone else to let them know how important a ceremony like this is so we can become more holy ourselves."

Father Schrad said he feels privileged that his parish can host this celebration.

"I was very impressed with the people's devotion to the Divine Mercy and I hope that people continue to know the importance of and feel the affect of Divine Mercy Sunday," he said. "We hope that is something that will continue to catch on and continue to be a part of our community."

Organizers of the event, Roxanne Lohr and Regina Ratino, were pleased with the service and in the number who attended.

"It keeps growing every year," noted Lohr.

Ratino mentioned that the presence of six priests helped to emphasize the importance of Divine Mercy Sunday in people's lives. Along with Father Schrad, Msgr. Augustine and Father Greving other priests that were on hand at the celebration to hear confessions were Father Michael Erpelding, Father Alan Reicks and Father Ray Weiling.

"What a beautiful day our eternal Father provided for everyone to come to the fountain of his mercy. It was a wonderful time to be able to adore the Blessed Sacrament and gaze with trust upon the sacred image of the Divine Mercy," she said. "It was also a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon the idea in today's Gospel that the first Divine Mercy Sunday occurred over 2,000 years ago when Jesus appeared and showed mercy to a doubting Thomas and asked for future trust from mankind with the words, 'Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.'"