Category Archives: Feast Days

Faith, Feast Days, Our Lady, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Feast of the Queenship of Mary, Feast Day August 22

Quote August 22, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

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The Coronation of the Virgin Mary by Pencz Public Domain Image — The Coronation of the Virgin Mary
by Pencz

The feast day of The Queenship of Mary is celebrated on August 22.

Why is Mary called a Queen? What other title would you give to the mother of the Prince of Peace? A prince grows up to become a King. Jesus is often referred to as our Lord and King. The mother of a King is given the title of Queen.

The title of Queen began as early as the sixth century. Mary has been referred to as Queen in several hymns since the 11th century. The prayer Hail Holy Queen is the prayer which finalizes the Rosary which was begun by St. Dominic.

When we think of Mary as the Mother of Jesus, our King, we should also reflect on our spiritual family as well. We are all children of God, Our Creator. The Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph did not wear earthly crowns, but they reveal to us a kingdom of another kind…the kingdom of God. In the Our Father, we pray…thy kingdom come. We are meant to be a part of this kingdom. As children of God, we are royal children. Our relationship with God is meant to be that of a family. God is our Father, Lord and King. Mary is our Queen Mother and we are called to be royal children who will live in the kingdom of God.

Communication is the key to a happy family. Prayer is how we communicate with our spiritual family. We are not alone! Not only can God hear our prayers, but the angels and saints can also hear our prayers. When we join our prayers together they become much stronger. Mary’s prayers especially have special meaning and power. After all, she is the Queen mother!

As we journey through this earthly kingdom, let us strive to earn a place in the kingdom of God…where the virtues of humility and love are seen in everyone.

Hail Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen enthroned above, O Maria.

Hail, Queen of mercy and of love, O Maria.

Triumph, all ye cherubim,

Sing with us, ye seraphim,

Heaven and earth resound the hymn:

Salve, salve, salve Regina!

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Our life, our sweetness, here below,O Maria!

Our hope in sorrow and in woe, O Maria!

Triumph, all ye cherubim,

Sing with us, ye seraphim,

Heaven and earth resound the hymn:

Salve, salve, salve Regina!

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To thee we cry, poor sons of Eve, O Maria!

To thee we sigh, we mourn, we grieve, O Maria!

Triumph, all ye cherubim,

Sing with us, ye seraphim,

Heaven and earth resound the hymn:

Salve, salve, salve Regina!

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Turn then most gracious Advocate, O Maria!

Toward us thine eyes compassionate, O Maria!

Triumph, all ye cherubim,

Sing with us, ye seraphim,

Heaven and earth resound the hymn:

Salve, salve, salve Regina!

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The cause of joy to men below, O Maria!

The spring through which all graces flow, O Maria!

Angels, all your praises bring,

Earth and heaven, with us sing,

All creation echoing:

Salve, salve, salve Regina!

Who can appraise the jewel that adorn Mary’s crown?

Quote of St. Bernard; Feast day August 20

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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Faith, Feast Days, Our Lady, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: The Assumption of Mary, Feast Day August 15

August 14, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

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The Assumption of Mary by Palma il Vecchio Public Domain Image — The Assumption of Mary by Palma il Vecchio

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be celebrated on August 15. While this is a belief which goes back to the apostolic age, it was proclaimed dogma on Nov. 1, 1950 by Pope Pius XII.

The word assumption means “to take up.” It is believed that Mary was assumed into heaven by the power of God. This is not the same as the Ascension of Jesus. Jesus ascended into heaven by His own power. The assumption of Mary into heaven gives glory to God by whose power she was taken into heaven.

Pope Pius XII in the papal document, Munificentimus Deus gives four reasons why we believe in the dogma of Assumption of Mary. He explained that the uninterrupted tradition about Mary’s death and assumption began in the first century. The belief is expressed in all the ancient liturgies of the Church. He added that the negative evidence is the absence of veneration of a tomb of Mary while most of the apostles have tombs.

In the Old Testament there is the possibility of bodily assumption in the cases of Enoch (Gen. 5:24), Moses (Deut. 34:5) and Elijah (IIKg. 2:1)

The theological reasons for believing in the Assumption of Mary are twofold.

First; Mary was “immaculately conceived”. This means she was born without the consequence of “original sin” and is exempted from the postmortem decay of the body. She is sometimes referred to as “The Second Eve“.

Second; Mary received the fullness of grace and holiness as the mother of Jesus. Her place is with her son Jesus, the redeemer in heaven.

Good Lady, bearer of our good Lord,

watch over us…lead us to the safe harbor

of God’s will.

Quote of St. John Damascene; Feast day December 4The Assumption of Mary in Art

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Prayers Quips and Quotes Articles for the Month of August

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Apostle, Faith, Feast Days, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: The Transfiguration, Feast Day August 6

August 6, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

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The Transfigurateion by Rubens

Has your faith in Jesus Christ transformed you? The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord is celebrated on August 6.

On this feast day we remember the event which took place shortly after St Peter proclaimed his faith in the Lord, saying… “You are the Messiah!”

Three Apostles accompanied Jesus into the mountains believed to be Mount Tabor. They were the Apostles John, James and Peter

And he was transfigured before them and His face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white. Appearing with Jesus were Moses and Elijah, talking with him. (Matthew 17.2-4).

The Apostles heard a voice saying:

This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased listen to him!”” (Matthew 17:5)

The Apostles fell to the ground overcome by fear. But Jesus came and said,

“Get up and do not be afraid”

How does your faith in Jesus change your life? Does it take away your fear? What is different in your life because of your faith?

Hopefully, our faith is alive and growing stronger. It is only through a strong prayer life that we can develop a relationship with Jesus which is visible to other people. When we let Jesus lead us through the dark times of our life, our trust in Him gives us strength. Our joy becomes evident when our faith is real and we have let Jesus touch our hearts. It is a joy we have a need to share with others!

The types of prayer styles are many. Basically, prayer is turning to God. It is a conversation we have with Him. Learning which prayer style fits us can be difficult. Meditation can help us come to know God better. Another word for meditation is reflection. Reflecting on scripture, art or music is a wonderful way to spend time with God.

Don’t forget to listen! After you tell God your troubles and count your blessings, sit quietly and let him speak to you in the silence. Light a candle to help center yourself. The light of a candle represents the Light of Christ. Remember, Jesus himself said:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of Life.” John 8:12

In order to let the light of Jesus shine in our life we must let him into our hearts. With an open heart reflect on the following quote.

Faith in action is love, and love in action is service.

By transforming that faith into living acts of love,

we put ourselves in contact with God Himself, with Jesus our Lord.

Quote of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta; Feast Day September 5

Transfiguration by David Gerard

The Transfiguration by Raphael

The Transfiguration by Giovanni Salvaldo

The Transfiguration by Rubens

The Transfiguration by Perugino

The Transfiguration by James Tissot

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Carmelite Saints, Feast Days, Our Lady, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Feast Day July 16

July 11, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

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Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Public Domain Image — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is celebrated by the Catholic Church on July 16. It is on this day in about 1386 that Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock. She gave him a Brown Scapular saying,

“Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire.”

The scapular symbolizes Mary’s protection and reminds those wearing it of the call to prayer and penance. It stands for a commitment to follow Jesus and imitate Mary as the perfect model of all disciples of Christ.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Public Domain Image — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Public Domain Image

A chapel was built near the Fountain of Elijah (northern Israel) which was dedicated to Our Lady. The hermits living there became known as the “Brothers of Mount Carmel”. St. Simon Stock was a leader of the Carmelite Order. The Carmelites have a special devotion to Mary. Their saints and theologians have a special devotion to her and the mystery of the Immaculate Conception (the belief that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin). St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Terese of Lisieux are well known Carmelite saints.

Mt. Carmel is located north of Jerusalem along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a well known mountainous ridge in Palestine which is covered with caves. Hermits lived in the caves, living a life of solitude and prayer. Mt. Carmel is mentioned in the Old Testament many times.

The history of the Carmelites dates back to ancient times. It is believed to have been founded by the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The Carmelite Order is a contemplative order. Their spirituality follows the contemplative spirit of Elijah, living a spiritual life of contemplation and prayer. One of their goals is to “find God in the silence’. The rule of the Carmelites was written by St. Albert Avogadro in 1214.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
The feast celebrates the appearance of Mary to St. Simon Stock.It is a special feast day for those who have a special devotion to Mary and wear the Brown Scapular. The Apparition of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587. The feast celebrates the appearance of Mary to St. Simon Stock.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Blessed is he for whom Mary prays.

Quote of St. Peter Julian Eymard; Feast day August 2

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood.

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Faith, Feast Days, Our Lady, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: The Feast of the Visitation, Feast Day May 31

May 30, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

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The Visitation Public Domain Image — The Visitation

The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin is celebrated on May 31.

We celebrate Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth while she was pregnant with Jesus. Elizabeth was six months pregnant with St. John the Baptist. When they met, the baby lept for joy in Elizabeth’s womb.

Not only the baby, but Mary and Elizabeth were filled with joy. Elizabeth tells Mary:

“Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

Mary responds with the Magnificat which has become a beautiful hymn of praise and thanksgiving.

Magnificat

My soul does magnify the Lord:
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He that is mighty has done great things to me: and holy is His Name.
And His mercy is from generation until generations, to them that fear Him.
He has showed might with His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He has received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy:
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

The Visitation Public Domain Image — The Visitation

As we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation let us reflect on how important our families are to us. Imagine the joy Elizabeth and Mary shared together as they anticipated the birth of their babies! It is important that we too, give thanks to God for the many blessings he has bestowed on us and our families.

God hugs you.

Quote of St. Hildegarde of Bingen; Feast day Sept. 17

May is the Month of Our Lady

Apostle, Faith, Feast Days

The Catholic Church Celebrates its Birthday on Pentecost Sunday

May 15, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

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Pentecost Public Domain Image — Pentecost

Many people falsely believe the church began when Christ rose from the dead. However, the official beginning of the church is celebrated on Pentecost Sunday.

Fifty days after the crucifixion, the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles. They were transfigured from frightened, confused disciples of Jesus to men of courage and conviction. Their confusion was removed by the Holy Spirit, or as Jesus called him…The Advocate.

The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity. As Catholics, we believe in One God, manifest by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Belief in the trinity was passed on through church traditions. Before every prayer, we begin with the sign of the cross, praying in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. The mystery of the cross (suffering) is important to our faith. Without suffering, we cannot come close to Jesus on the cross. Jesus told the Apostles He would not leave them orphaned. He would send them the Advocate, to lead and guide them. Today, we call the Advocate the Holy Spirit.

Trinity Crucifix — Trinity Crucifix

Just as each of us has more than one type of relationship (mother, daughter, sister) God also shows Himself to us in different ways; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is the creator of everything, Jesus is the Son, sent to redeem the world from the slavery of sin, and the Holy Spirit is the Advocate sent to guide and show us the way to the Father and Son.

The most important part of prayer is actually listening in quiet for guidance from God. Sharing with him our pain, joy and needs is important, but we must also ask him to lead us by His Holy Spirit, so that we may know His will in our life.

The symbols of the Holy Spirit are the Dove, the wind, and the fire. God speaks to us in many ways. Listen for him in the silence.

As Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said,

“In the silence of the heart God speaks.”

When you hear God in the silence of your heart, you are experiencing Pentecost…..the birth of your faith.

Discovering the Spirituality of Catholicism