All posts by Vicki Scheenstra

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

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Gregory of Nyssa, Feast Day March 9




St. Gregory of Nyssa

 

The feast day of St. Gregory of Nyssa is celebrated on March 9.  

St. Gregory was born in 335 in Cappadocia, Asia Miner. He came from a family of at least five saints. St. Basil and St. Emmilia were his parents. He was raised by his brother St. Basil the Great and his sister Macrina in what is today known as Turkey.

St. Gregory married but continued studying for the priesthood which at that time allowed married priests. In 372 he became the Bishop of Nyssa. He taught against many false doctrines, defending the divinity of Christ. He defended the orthodox beliefs on the Trinity, Incarnation and Redemption.

St. Gregory  was arrested briefly and falsely accused of embezzlement. He was restored as bishop in 378. St. Gregory attend the first Council of Constantinople in 381 and settled many disputes within the church. He was a philosophical theologian and mystic. He became known as the “Father of Mysticism.”   St. Gregory died in the year 395.

 

 

May what is pleasing to God be always in your mind and heart and in mine.

Quote of St. Gregory of Nyssa

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph.

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Do Heaven and Hell Really Exist?




Last Judgement by Michelangelo Public Domain Image
Last Judgement
by Michelangelo

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John of God, Feast Day March 8




St. John of God
The feast day of St. John of God is celebrated on March 8. St. John is the patron saint of booksellers, printers, firefighters, heart patients, hospitals, nurses and the sick.

St. John of God was born in Portugal in 1495.   When he was eight years old he disappeared and never saw his parents again. Little is known about what actually happened in the years following his disappearance except that he ended up on the opposite coast of the Spanish peninsula from where he was born.

 

St. John of God lived a solitary life until he joined the army when he was 22. As a soldier he enjoyed the vices his fellow soldiers enjoyed; revelry, drinking and cruelty. After being thrown off a stolen horse near French lines he was in danger of being killed or captured. He reviewed his life and decided to change. John made a pilgrimage on foot to St. James of Compostella.  At the shrine he made his confession, and determined that in some way the rest of his life should be spent in atonement for his sins.

 

After being discharged from the army John went in search of his parents only to learn that they had both died. John found work in Spain unloading ship cargoes and visited churches at night. He spent his spare time reading religious books. He enjoyed reading so much that he began selling books and holy cards.

When John was 41, he had a vision of the Infant Jesus. Tradition tells us that in this vision he found a small child on the roadside, ill-clad and barefooted, who asked John to carry him part of his way. John lifted the child on his shoulders, and trudged along with his double burden. But the weight was heavy, and John was none too strong; when he reached a drinking fountain on the road John proposed to the child that they should stop and rest. The child came down from his shoulders but was suddenly transformed. “John of God,” he said, “Granada shall be your cross,” and immediately disappeared.

After the vision, John went to Granada and opened a small book shop. After hearing John of Avila preach one day, he was overcome with grief over his sins. He gave away all his religious books and money. John was so overcome that he behaved like a lunatic and was put in a hospital. The traditional treatment for lunacy was whipping. He was tied down and daily beaten and whipped. John of Avila visited him and said his penance had been long enough…40 days…and had him moved to a better part of the hospital.

John of God began helping the sick in the hospital. He decided to start a hospital of his own. When he was released he earned money by selling wood. The money he earned he used to feed the poor and homeless. He rented a house which he turned into a shelter and hospital. Eventually, he moved his hospital into an old Carmelite monastery and opened a homeless shelter in the monastery hall.

St. John of God was known for impulsively helping anyone who needed help. When he heard that the Royal Hospital was on fire, he ran to help. While other people looked on, he rushed into the hospital and began carrying patients out. After the patients were all safe, he began to throw mattresses and sheets out the windows. He continued doing all he could do until he fell through the burning roof. It was feared he was dead, but he miraculously appeared out of smoke. This is why he is the patron of firefighters.

St. John of God came down with pneumonia after trying to rescue a boy who had fallen into the river. When he was near to death, he requested to be alone with God. He died on his birthday, March 8, 1559, kneeling before a crucifix. He was 55 years old.

St. John of God is considered the founder of the Brothers Hospitallers who were inspired by his example and are the fruit of his work.

 

 

Lord, Your thorns are my roses and Your suffering my paradise.

Quote of St. John of God

 

St. John of God in Art




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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Sts. Perpetua & Felicity, Feast Day March 7




Sts. Perpetua and Felicity
The feast day of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity is celebrated on March 7. 

Both St. Perpetua and St. Felicity were martyred during a time of great persecution. They were put to death in the year 202 in the games which made public spectacles of those who refused to renounce their faith.

St. Perpetua was a well educated noblewoman living in Carthage, North Africa.  Her mother was a Christian but her father was a pagan.  Her father tried unsuccessfully to convince her to renounce her faith.  Perpetua was 22 when she was arrested and imprisoned. She kept a diary of her sufferings and the nature of the torture she endured. She continued to care for her child in spite of the torture she was forced to endure.

St. Felicity was a pregnant slave girl who was imprisoned at the same time as Perpetua. She also was tortured and condemned to die. Several days before the games began she gave birth to a baby girl. The baby girl was secretly taken away to be raised by Christians.

Both St. Perpetua and St. Felicity are honored on their Feast day of March 7.

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle.  

I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.

Quote of St. Teresa of Calcutta; Feast day Sept. 5

March is the Month of St. Joseph

 

St. Perpetua and St. Felicity in Art

 

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Pope Francis asks, ‘Do you want to live like a light that is on or off?’




Pope Francis Facebook Image
Pope Francis: Facebook Image

In Sunday’s address to those gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel of Matthew (5:13-14). “You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world”. According to Zenit News Agency, Pope Francis told those gathered that this gospel directly follows the Beatitudes.

In his address, Pope Francis asked “Who were those disciples? They were fishermen, simple people. But Jesus looked upon them with the eyes of God and his statement should be understood precisely as a consequence of the Beatitudes. He wishes to say: If you will be poor in spirit, if you will be meek, if you will be pure of heart; if you will be merciful….you will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.”

Pope Francis explained the gospel’s images, saying that Jewish Law prescribed putting a little salt upon every offering to God, as a sign of the covenant. “Light, for Israel, was a symbol of the messianic revelation that triumphs over the darkness of paganism. Thus, Christians, the new Israel, received a ‘mission’ for all men; with faith and charity they can direct, consecrate, and make humanity fruitful. All of us baptized are missionary disciples and we are called to become a living gospel in the world; with a holy life we will give ‘taste’ to the different spheres of society, and defend them from corruption just as salt does; and we will bring the light of Christ, with the witness of a genuine charity. But if we Christians lose our taste and extinguish our presence as salt and light we will lose effectiveness.”
Pope Francis continued:

“But how beautiful is this mission to give light to the world! It is a mission we have. It is beautiful! It is also very beautiful to keep that light that we have received from Jesus, protect it and keep it. The Christian must be a shining person, who brings light, who always gives light! A light that is not his, but a gift from God, it is Jesus’ gift. And we carry this light. If the Christian extinguishes this light, his life has no meaning. He is Christian in name only, he does not bring light with him, his light is without meaning. But I would like to ask you now, how do you want to live? Do you want to live like a light that is on aor one that is off? On or Off? How do you want to live? (The people gathered responded “On!”) A light that is on! It is God himself who gives us this light, and we give it to others. A light that is on! This is the Christian vocation.”

Following the Angelus, Pope Francis spoke about Feb. 11, the memorial for Our Lady of Lourdes when we will observe the World Day of the Sick. He asked everyone to pray for the sick and to be close to them. He quoted St. John, “Faith and Charity: We ought to lay down our lives for one another (1Jn 3:16). “In particular,” he said, “we can imitate the attitude of Jesus toward the sick; the sick of every sort. The Lord cares for them; shares their suffering and opens their heart to hope.”

Pope Francis thanked health workers saying how precious their work is. “The attitude toward the sick that is generous and Christian,” he said, “is salt of the earth and light of the world.  May Mary help us to practice and obtain peace for all those who are suffering.”
Pope Francis concluded his address with the following statement:

And before I depart the question I asked comes back to my mind. Light on or light off? What do you want? On or Off? The Christian brings light! He is a light that is on. Always forward with the light of Jesus!”

Originally published Feb. 9, 2014

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Colette, Feast Day March 6




St. Colette 2The feast day of St. Colette is celebrated on March 6.  

St. Colette was born in Corbie, France in 1380. Her father was a carpenter. Both her parents were near sixty when she was born. She was orphaned at the age of 17 and left in the care of a Benedictine abbot.

In her search for a vocation, St. Colette first joined the Bequins, then the Benedictines and the Urbanist Poor Clares. She then chose to live the life of a recluse. In her dreams, she received direction to reform the Poor Clares. She joined the Poor Clares, founding the Colettine Poor Clares. She founded over 17 convents under the reformed rule which was quite strict. Her reform movement met with resistance. She was even accused of sorcery.

St. Colette was well known for her sanctity, ecstasies and visions of the Passion. She foretold the date of her own death. She had a deep devotion to the Passion of Christ and was known for her love of animals. Her sanctity was rewarded with the gift of miracles and supernatural favors.

St. Colette
St. Colette died in 1447. She was canonized in 1807.

 

If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured.

Quote of St. Colette

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

St. Colette in Art

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