Day of Recollection focuses on message of Mary

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
May 8, 2008

With May being the Month of Mary, Father Dan Greving spoke of the Blessed Mother as the spiritual mother of humanity on May 5.

Father Greving explained why there is a need for Mary in lives of faith.

"Mary shows us the right way, the way to know and love God," he said. "Mary helps us to cope with our sufferings and comforts us. Mary is the Lord's gift to us from the cross."

Mary set the example to fearlessly accept the Lord's invitation. People should not be afraid to accept their vocation in life - priesthood, religious life, marriage.

"To all those who may feel the burden of a seemingly insignificant life, Mary reveals how valuable life can be if it is lived for the love of Christ and for our brothers and sisters in Christ," said the priest.

Father Greving, pastor at Assumption Church - Merrill, St. Joseph - Ellendale, St. Joseph - Neptune and St. Joseph - Struble, was the guest speaker at the Annual Carmel Guild Day of Recollection at the Carmelite Monastery in Sioux City. The topic of his talk was "The Blessed Virgin Mary, in Our Life of Faith."

He posed a question that frequently comes about in non-Catholic as well as Catholic circles - "Why do we need the Blessed Virgin Mary in our life of faith?"

"The deeper question that we all want to answer is what's in it for me?" said Father Greving. "Some see a devotion to Mary as irrelevant, optional or outdated. Others possess an overly sentimental approach to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The way apparitions are interpreted can distort Christian faith."

He pointed out that there are two extremes - Mary in excess and Mary in defect.

"Mary in excess gives Mary a divine nature. It puts Mary on the cross," said Father Greving. "Mary in defect minimalizes the important role Mary has in salvation history."

There needs to be a balance between the two that applies the basic principle of "right practice of devotion that needs to be based on right doctrine," he said. The devotion needs to focus on what people believe about Mary in the life of faith.

"There is a twin fold source of divine revelation - sacred Scripture and sacred tradition," said Father Greving. "Sacred tradition refers to the oral truths passed on by the apostles and their successors. The sacred Scriptures are the truths of God written down through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."

He touched on the basic truths, dogmas about Mary including the Immaculate Conception, Mary as the Mother of God and the Assumption.

Connie Rosno, who planned the Day of Recollection, sought out Father Greving to be the speaker for the day. She met him when he was assistant pastor at Immaculate Conception in Sioux City.

"He is a wonderful priest," said Rosno, who has been on the Carmel Guild for eight years. "Father Dan Greving is very orthodox. That impresses me. He is with the pope on things. I felt he would give us a nice message about Mary. I thought it was appropriate for this time of year."

She hopes that a greater devotion to Mary stems from the talk.

Following the talk, Bishop R. Walker Nickless celebrated Mass with Father Greving concelebrating. During his homily, the bishop thanked the Carmel Guild for all they do in support of the Carmelite Sisters.

He explained the difference between baptism by St. John the Baptist and baptism by Jesus.

The baptism of John was a baptism of repentance. John got people to be baptized by threats and reminding them that they were sinners.

"Jesus' baptism is a baptism about forgiveness and new life," said the bishop. "We are called to let go of our old life, our old attitudes and our old habits of sin and have that replaced by a new life of grace and love."

He talked about issues such as family, immigrants, contraception, cohabitation, homosexual lifestyles and others that Catholics need to speak out about without being afraid.

"It is going to hurt. We are going to be attacked. We are going to be laughed at. We are going to be ignored, but isn't that what we are about?" said Bishop Nickless. "Isn't that what the Holy Father was trying to tell us? Do not be ashamed to be Catholics. Let the power of the Spirit come through you."

At the conclusion of Mass, Mary Pierce, president of the Carmel Guild, placed a crown of flowers on the statue of Mary.

She mentioned that the Day of Recollection helps the Carmel Guild let people know about the Carmelites and so they get acquainted with what they do at the monastery.

"It was wonderful hearing about the Blessed Mother. There are things that we take for granted. It all came into circle how Father Greving explained everything," said Pierce.

Lunch followed Mass with beverages and dessert provided by the Carmel Guild. Exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was held after lunch with the day concluding at 2 p.m.