All posts by Vicki Scheenstra

Vicki Scheenstra is a former Catholic Bookstore owner and has been active in Catholic Education.

Faith, Quote, Spirituality

Twenty Five Quotes from the Saints on Humility

March 22, 2025 Vicki Scheenstra

1. Once humility is acquired, charity will come to life like a burning flame.

St. Vincent Ferrer

2. As patience leads to piece and study to science,

so are humiliations the path that leads to humility.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Bernard Clairvaux
Public Domain Image

3. The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is Humility.

St. Vincent de Paul

4. Humility, humility, and a always humility. Satan fears and trembles before humble souls.

St. Padre Pio

5. If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace,

because you know what you are.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

Bl. Teresa of Calcutta
U.S. Stamp
Public Domain Image

6. A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God.

St. Faustina

7. It was pride that changed angels into devils; It is humility that makes men as angels.

St. Augustine

8. The truly humble reject all praise for themselves and refer all to Go.

St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori

St. Alphonsus Liguori
Public Domain Image

9. Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues.

St. Augustine

10. If you elevate yourself, God distances Himself from you.

If you humble yourself, He leans towards you.

St. Augustine

11. Arm yourself with prayer rather than a sword, wear humility rather than fine clothes.

St. Dominic

12. Remember that true humility consists in being ready for what the Lord wants to do with you and happy that we should do it, and in considering yourselves unworthy to be called His servants.

St. Teresa of Avila: The Way of Perfection

13. Humility, however deep it be, neither disquiets nor troubles nor disturbs the soul;

it is accompanied by peace, joy and tranquility.

St. Teresa of Avila

14. Do not be afraid to be holy. Have the courage and humility to present yourselves to the world determined to be holy, since true full Freedom is born from holiness.

St. John Paul II

15. Humility is dependence on God as pride is independence of Him.

The humble soul is always the thankful soul.

Venerable Fulton Sheen

16. The first degree of humility is prompt obedience.

St. Benedict

17. Consider often that it is only the humble of heart who can enter into the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

18. Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.

St. Vincent de Paul

19. Humility means seeing ourselves as God sees us;

knowing every good we have comes from Him as pure gift.

St. Thomas Aquinas

20. From humility of heart proceeds serenity of mind, gentleness of conduct, interior peace and every good.

St. Paul of the Cross

21 Christ the Master of Humility manifest His truth only to the humble

and hides Himself from the proud.

St. Vincent Ferrer

22. Nothing so humbles the proud sinner as the humility of Jesus Christ’s humanity.

St. Anthony of Padua

23. The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey,

and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.

St. Anthony Padua

24. Humility drives Satan away and cherishes the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit within us.

St. Francis de Sales

25. Let all the brothers strive to follow the humility of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Francis of Assisi

Faith, Featured, Prayer, Spirituality

Guidance and Surrender; 7 Powerful Prayers from the Saints

March 15, 2025 Vicki Scheenstra

During times of confusion, it always helps to turn to a powerful prayer to help us center our thoughts and erase our fears. The following prayers are powerful tools during these times of need.

If God is your co-pilot…perhaps you should change seats!!!

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Take Lord and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will, all I have and call my own.

You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is Yours do with it what You will. Give me only Your love and your grace, that is enough for me.

St. Charles de Foucauld

Father, I abandon myself into Your hands, do with me what You will. Whatever You may do, I thank You. I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only Your will be done in me and in all Your creatures. I wish no mere than this, O Lord.

Into Your hands, I commend my soul. I offer it to You with all the love of my heart, for I love You, Lord and so need to give myself into Your hands without reserve and with boundless confidence, for You are my Father.

St. John Henry Newman

O my God, I will put myself without reserve into your hands, Wealth or woe, joy or sorrow, friends or bereavement, honor or humiliation, good report or ill report, comfort or discomfort, Your presence or the hiding of Your countenance, all is good if it comes from You.

You are wisdom and You are love. What can I desire more? You have led me in Your counsel, and with glory You received me. What have I in heaven, and apart from You, what want I upon earth?

My flesh and my heart fail but God is the God of my heart, and my portion forever.

St. Therese of Lisieux

O my God, I offer You all my actions this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works by uniting them to His infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of His merciful love.

Oh my God! I ask You for myself and for those I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Your hoiy will, to accept for love of You the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all eternity. Amen

St. Augustine

Prayer to Holy Spirit

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirity, that my thoughts may all be Holy.

Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work too, may be holy.

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love only what is holy.

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.

Guard me, then O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.

You have created us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.

St. Padre Pio

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak, and I need Your strength, so that I my not fall so often.

Stay with me Lord, for You are my Life and without You I am without meaning. You are the power which sustains me, the unique Joy of my heart.

Stay with me Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to be with You.

St. John Henry Newman

Lead Kindly Light

Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom. Lead Thou me on!

The night is dark and I am far from home, Lead Thou me on!

Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step is enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that Thou shouldst lead me on; I loved to choose and see my path

but now lead Thou me on!

I loved the garish day and spite of fears; pride ruled my will; remember not my past years. So long Your power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on, o’er moor and fe, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone; and with the morn those angel faces smile which I have lived long since and lost awhile.

Lead Kindly Light

Candlelight Prayer

Faith, Prayer, Quote, Spirituality

Twenty Five Quotes from the Saints about Truth

Quote March 6, 2025 Vicki Scheenstra

Many in the world today are discovering that not everything we believe is actually true. The following quotes are attributed to the Saints. Hopefully they will help us to understand the meaning of Truth.

4. Proclaim the Truth and do not be silent through fear.

St. Catherine of Siena

5. Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.

St. Vincent de Paul

6. He is an all-powerful God, who is Truth

St. Faustina

7. Faith and Reason are like two wings of the human spirit, which it sours to the Truth.

St. John Paul II

8. There is no true peace without fairness, truth, justice and solidarity.

St. John Paul II

9. I can nourish myself on nothing but Truth.

St. Therese of Lisieux

10. Jesus said, ” I am the Truth” and it is your duty and mine to speak the truth, then it is up to the person who hears it whether to accept or reject it.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

11. When lies have been accepted for some time, Truth always stands with an air of novelty.

St. Clement of Alexandria…Church Father

12. True happiness is to rejoice in the Truth, for to rejoice in theTruth is to rejoice in you, O God, who are the Truth, you my God, my true Light, to whom I look for salvation.

St. Augustine

13. To lovers of the Truth, nothing can be put before God and Home in Him.

St. Basil

14. Do not accept anything as Love which lacks Truth.

St Edith Stein

15. If I do not speak the truth, I become a slave of the father of lies and beome a member of the Father of lies.

St. Jerome Emiliani

16. Speak the Truth in a million voices. It is silence that kills.

St. Catherine of Siena

17. Sin makes a man a coward, a life in the Truth of Christ makes him bold.

St. John Chrysostom

18. For He who is true God is also True man; and there is no deception in this union, where the loftiness of God and the lowliness of man are brought together.

St. Leo the Great

19. No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek Truth and to serve it when we have found it.

St. Maximilian Kolbe

20. Serve the Lord in fear and Truth.

St. Polycarp…Church Father

21. God is supreme Truth; and to be humble is to walk in Truth.

St. Teresa of Avila.

22. Charity and kindness unwedded to Truth are not charity and kindness but deceit and vanity.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

23. My longing for truth was a single prayer.

St Edith Stein

24. Seek the Truth, Do the Good, Love the Beautiful!

St. John Henry Newman

25. What prayer could be more true before God the Father than that which the Son, who is Truth, uttered with His own lips?

St. John Chrysostom

.

Faith, Saint of the Day, Spirituality, stats

Washed Clean

Quote December 12, 2024 Vicki Scheenstra

Baptism

Washed Clean

by living water

The stain

of sin

has been

removed

Redeemed

by the Spriit

My Soul is renewed

No longer

constantly confused

My soul is

as white as snow

All fear and despair

are removed

Faith, Hope and Love

has filled my soul

Born again

by the Spirit

I am called

to love

and serve

the Lord

Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Thanksgiving

With Grateful Hearts

Quote November 20, 2024 Vicki Scheenstra

With Grateful Hearts

With grateful hearts

we contemplate

the beauty of the world.

The sunsets, mountains and beaches,

its flowers and its wildlife.

The mysteries of creation are too great to understand.

With Grateful hearts we thank you Lord for each and every day.

With grateful hearts we thank you Lord

for our family and our friends.

They bring us both joy and companionship.

For all who are near and dear to us, whether near or far,

With grateful hearts,

We thank you Lord for the priceless gift of Love.

With grateful hearts we thank you Lord

for the journey we call life.

The twists and turns, the ups and downs

both victories and defeat.

With grateful hearts we thank you Lord

for walking at our side,

always present, always loving,

showing us the way.

With grateful hearts we thank you Lord

for your mercy and your love.

Always kind and forgiving

planting seeds of love and wisdom

Helping us to grow.

With Grateful Hearts, We Thank you Lord.

Poetry, Prayer, Psalm

Praying with Psalm 23 Trust in God

January 18, 2024 Vicki Scheenstra

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

Lost and confused? Seek God…TRUST God

Fear no evil……God Protects

God serves…You set the table before me.

My cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life.

I am not alone…God is with me.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²    He makes me lie down in green pastures.
he leads me beside still waters;^[a]
³    he restores my soul.^[b]
He leads me in right paths^[c]
    for his name’s sake.

⁴Even though I walk through the darkest valley,^[d]
    I fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶Surely^[e] goodness and mercy^[f] shall follow me
all the days of my life,

Music recommended:

Shepherd me o God

Marty Haugen

Faith, Poetry, Prayer

New Year Blessing

December 30, 2023 Vicki Scheenstra

May peace fall like snowflakes on our wounded world.

May the New Year bring rest and healing for all those who suffer.

Wash me… make me whiter than snow.

May joy and happiness once again fill our hearts.

May the lost be found and serenity reign.

May we all say goodbye to the pain of the past.

The New Year is here…finally…at last!

The road is long and sometimes filled with pain.

May we learn from mistakes and begin again.

Out with the old and in with the new!

May our journey be upward …may all be renewed!

Blessings to all…may our faith only grow.

May the Peace of Our Lord be with us this year!

Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

Understanding Suffering

April 4, 2023 Vicki Scheenstra

No Pain…No gain!

Character building

Test of Courage

Weak or Strong

Motives Revealed

Honor and Dignity

Integrity

Honesty

Humility

Persecution

Sacrificial

Protective

Forgiving

Birth

Transformation

Death

Rebirth

True Love

Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

Help Me to Forgive

March 12, 2023 Vicki Scheenstra

God of Love, God of Mercy,

Help me to forgive.

I have been wronged; I have been hurt.

I feel angry and bitter.

Help me to forgive.

God of Love, God of Mercy

Help me to forgive.

Not only are you the God of Love and the God of Mercy;

You are also the God of Truth and the God of Justice.

Help me to forgive.

God of Truth, God of Justice

I put this matter into Your hands.

Only YOU can see into people’s hearts.

Only YOU know the entire Truth.

Help me to forgive.

God of Love, God of Mercy

lift my anger, lift my bitterness.

Replace it with compassion.

Replace it with trust in YOU.

Help me to forgive.

God of Truth, God of Justice

lead all souls to repentance.

Help me to forgive.

as I ask to be forgiven by You

for all I have done wrong.

Grant all who seek YOU with a sincere heart…

Forgiveness, Peace, Love, Mercy and Trust in YOU.

AMEN

Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

Spiritual Warfare

November 1, 2022 Vicki Scheenstra

I ask myself…

Are there evil spirits?

Yes, I know there are…

Stirring doubt and confusion within me.

My moral compass seems

to have been stolen…

Replaced by Tolerance!

Tolerance of vice

Tolerance of evil!

Evil Spirits tell me

Turn a blind eye to what you see

Pretend you see nothing

DO NOTHING!!!

Evil seems to surround me.

I feel I am at war…

What can I do?

I seem powerless

But I am not

My moral compass seems to awaken

I CAN do something

But first I must Pray!

It is good to be kind

but I cannot tolerate evil.

I pray and I pray some more

I pray for virtue

I pray for justice

I pray for peacemakers

I pray for the armor of God (which is FAITH)

Tell me what to do Lord.

I seem to be at war..but with who?

Lord, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Only through prayer will I know what to do.

The confusion is replaced with serenity and peace and wisdom.

All things are possible with God. Our God is a Mighty God.

The storm within me is calmed. The peacemaker has answered me.

Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

Seeking Serenity

October 23, 2022 Vicki Scheenstra

Seeking Serenity

At peace with God.

Freedom from Anxiety.

Ability to make decisions.

Knowing I am doing the will of God.

Feeling the presence of God.

Trusting the Future to God.

Letting Go…Letting God.

Seeking God with humility.

Giving the past to God.

Accepting forgiveness.

Forgiving others.

Accepting imperfection.

Agreeing to disagree.

Asking for directions when confused.

God’s Will…not my will.

Being able to say “No”.

Knowing when to speak and when to be silent.

Hearing God in the Silence.

1. Once humility is acquired, charity will come to life like a burning flame.

2. As patience leads to piece and study to science,

so are humiliations the path that leads to humility.

3. The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is Humility.

4. Humility, humility, and a always humility. Satan fears and trembles before humble souls.

5. If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace,

because you know what you are.

6. A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God.

7. It was pride that changed angels into devils; It is humility that makes men as angels.

8. The truly humble reject all praise for themselves and refer all to Go.

9. Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues.

10. If you elevate yourself, God distances Himself from you.

If you humble yourself, He leans towards you.

11. Arm yourself with prayer rather than a sword, wear humility rather than fine clothes.

12. Remember that true humility consists in being ready for what the Lord wants to do with you and happy that we should do it, and in considering yourselves unworthy to be called His servants.

13. Humility, however deep it be, neither disquiets nor troubles nor disturbs the soul;

it is accompanied by peace, joy and tranquility.

14. Do not be afraid to be holy. Have the courage and humility to present yourselves to the world determined to be holy, since true full Freedom is born from holiness.

15. Humility is dependence on God as pride is independence of Him.

The humble soul is always the thankful soul.

16. The first degree of humility is prompt obedience.

17. Consider often that it is only the humble of heart who can enter into the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

18. Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.

19. Humility means seeing ourselves as God sees us;

knowing every good we have comes from Him as pure gift.

21 Christ the Master of Humility manifest His truth only to the humble

and hides Himself from the proud.

22. Nothing so humbles the proud sinner as the humility of Jesus Christ’s humanity.

23. The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey,

and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.

24. Humility drives Satan away and cherishes the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit within us.

25. Let all the brothers strive to follow the humility of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Anyone who seeks Truth seeks God, whether or not he realizes it.

2. Truth is not private property.

3. Truth suffers but never dies.

4. Proclaim the Truth and do not be silent through fear.

4. Proclaim the Truth and do not be silent through fear.

5. Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.

6. He is an all-powerful God, who is Truth

7. Faith and Reason are like two wings of the human spirit, which it sours to the Truth.

8. There is no true peace without fairness, truth, justice and solidarity.

9. I can nourish myself on nothing but Truth.

10. Jesus said, ” I am the Truth” and it is your duty and mine to speak the truth, then it is up to the person who hears it whether to accept or reject it.

11. When lies have been accepted for some time, Truth always stands with an air of novelty.

12. True happiness is to rejoice in the Truth, for to rejoice in theTruth is to rejoice in you, O God, who are the Truth, you my God, my true Light, to whom I look for salvation.

13. To lovers of the Truth, nothing can be put before God and Home in Him.

14. Do not accept anything as Love which lacks Truth.

15. If I do not speak the truth, I become a slave of the father of lies and beome a member of the Father of lies.

16. Speak the Truth in a million voices. It is silence that kills.

17. Sin makes a man a coward, a life in the Truth of Christ makes him bold.

18. For He who is true God is also True man; and there is no deception in this union, where the loftiness of God and the lowliness of man are brought together.

19. No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek Truth and to serve it when we have found it.

20. Serve the Lord in fear and Truth.

21. God is supreme Truth; and to be humble is to walk in Truth.

22. Charity and kindness unwedded to Truth are not charity and kindness but deceit and vanity.

23. My longing for truth was a single prayer.

24. Seek the Truth, Do the Good, Love the Beautiful!

25. What prayer could be more true before God the Father than that which the Son, who is Truth, uttered with His own lips?

.

Top 25 Articles of 2024 for the Mystery of Faith

I have listed the articles in order of popularity.

The most read article of 2024 is…….

Baptism

Washed Clean

by living water

The stain

of sin

has been

removed

Redeemed

by the Spriit

My Soul is renewed

No longer

constantly confused

My soul is

as white as snow

All fear and despair

are removed

Faith, Hope and Love

has filled my soul