All posts by Vicki Scheenstra

Vicki Scheenstra is a former Catholic Bookstore owner and has been active in Catholic Education.
Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

Spiritual Warfare

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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

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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.

Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

By the Power of Your Grace

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By the Power of Your Grace

Grace is the presence of God’s presence!

Guide me Lord,

May Thy will be done.

I feel confused and lost.

I  need FAITH.

Lift my anxiety Lord…

Grant me FAITH.

By the Power of Your Grace.

 

The world is chaotic, Lord.

Help me to see Your face.

Especially in dark and trying times, Lord

I want to trust in You.

Grant me Hope…

By the Power of Your Grace.

 

Perhaps I am anxious

because I need to ask

for Your forgiveness.

You are Love.

You are Mercy.

Grant me your Love and Mercy Lord…

By the Power of Your Grace.

 

FAITH, HOPE and LOVE

All three do I need.

I hear You say..

“Be not afraid!”

Heal my heart, Lord

that I may do Thy will always.

Grant that I may

grow old gracefully…

By the Power of Your Grace.

 

Author's Pick, History

Author’s Pick; Church History…The Four Witnesses

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Would you like to know more about early church history?  This book is a fascinating book to read.  It brings the early church to life and tells the story of important people in church history.

The Four Witnesses by Rod Bennett brings alive the early Church–telling the story of it’s early saints..Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus of Lyons. 

Based on documents of the early church, this book of 343 pages  is written in novel form and is difficult to put down.  Persecution in the early church was real and resulted in martyrdom of many believers.

I highly recommend this book  for those wanting to know the culture surrounding the early church.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/402721.Four_Witnesses

 

 

Author's Pick, Book Review, Faith, Prayer, Spirituality

Author’s Pick…Book Review #1…Prayer Styles

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Their is a different prayer style for each person.  Each of the saints also prays in a way that is special to that saint  If you are searching for the type of prayer that works for you a wonderful book to read is Six Ways to Pray from Six Great Saints by Gloria Hutchinson.

 

This book introduces you to six different saints:  St. Francis of Assisi (Franciscan), St. Clare ( Poor Clares), St. Teresa of Lisieux (Carmelite), St. Therese of Avila (Carmelite), St. John of the Cross (Carmelite ) and St. Ignatius of Loyola (Jesuit).   You will learn not only their story but also their prayer style.

Each chapter contains exercises to help you  discover what type of prayer works best for you.  When I read this book, I learned about the “Prayer of Detachment” taught by St. John of the Cross.  The exercises helped me to practice and meditate in a way I had never tried before.  I encourage everyone to read it and discover their own prayer type.

 

 

https://www.catholiccompany.com/six-ways-pray-six-great-saints-i104691/

 

Six Ways to Pray from Six Great Saints

 

 

 

Calendar, Featured, patron saints

Feast Days and Saint of the Day; DECEMBER CALENDAR

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Our Lady of Guadalupe

Dec. 1…Bl. Charles de Foucould...France…Martyr…Patron Saint of diocesan priests

Dec. 2...St. Bibiana...Rome…Martyr

Dec. 3…St. Francis Xavier...Spain…Co-Founder of the Jesuits…Patron Saint of foreign missions…Incorrupt

Dec. 4…St. John Damascene...Demascus…Doctor of the Church              St. Barbara…Patron against sudden death

Dec. 5…St.Sabas...Cappadocia….priest and monk

Dec. 6…St. Nicholas...Bishop of Myra…Patron Saint of children, sailors, and bakers.

Dec. 7…St. Ambrose…Bishop of Milan…Doctor and Father of the Church.,.Patron Saint of bee keepers

Dec. 8…Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary…Patron Saint of Brazil and the United States.

Dec. 9…St. Juan Diego…Mexico City…Visionary

Dec. 10…St. Gregory III...Syria…Bishop of Rome…

Dec. 11…St. Damasus I…Bishop of Rome

Dec. 12…Our Lady of Guadalupe...Mexico City…Patron Saint of the Americas.

Dec. 13…St. Lucy…Sicily…Patron Saint of the blind and visually impaired…Martyr

Dec. 14…St. John of the Cross...Spain…Mystic…Carmelite…Patron of mystics…Doctor of the Church

Dec. 15…St. Maria Di Rosa...Italy…Servants of Charity

Dec. 16…St. Adelaide...Burgundy…Patron Saint of abuse victims and brides.

Dec. 17…St. Olympias...Constantinople…widow and deaconess

Dec. 18…Bl. Anthony Grassi...Italy…Oratorian Father…

Dec. 19…St. Thomas De & Companions…Vietnam…Dominican…Martyr

Dec. 20...St. Dominic of Silos…Spain…Benedictine…Patron Saint of pregnant women, shepherds and prisoners

Dec. 21…St. Peter Canisius...Holland. and Germany..Jesuit priest…Doctor of the Church…Patron Saint of the Catholic Press,

Dec. 22…St. Flavian...Patriarch of Constantinople…Martyr

Dec. 23…St. John Cantius...Poland…Priest

Dec. 24…St. Emiliana & Tarsila..Italy…Sisters

Dec. 25…Feast of the Nativity…Birth of Jesus…Christmas

Dec. 26...St. Stephen…Disciple of Jesus…First Martyr

Dec. 27…St. John the Evangelist...Apostle…Patron of writers, editors, and publishers

Dec. 28…The Holy Innocents...Bethlehem…Martyrs

Dec. 29…St. Thomas Becket…Normandy…Archbishop of Canterbury…Martry

Dec. 30…St. John Alcober …Granada…China…Dominican Priest…Martyr

Dec. 31…St. Sylvester I...Bishop of Rome

 

Nativity