Category Archives: Spirituality

Forgiveness and Trust

July 2, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

Sacred Heart of Jesus Public Domain Image — Sacred Heart of Jesus

Are forgiveness and trust the same thing? Jesus tells us the following:

“Blessed are the merciful, for mercy shall be theirs”. (Matthew 5:7)

Love and pray for your enemies.(Matthew 5:44)

Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

Where does trust come into the picture?

In Psalm 118:8 we learn the following:

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. “

The word trust means….to rely on. Are we supposed to rely on our enemies? I think not. However, we are to forgive them and treat them with love.

To forgive means…to cancel a debt. This is not the same as trust. We are also told to pray for our enemies. This means we don’t curse them or wish evil on them. We ask God to guide them (and us).

It is easier to forgive a person who has asked for forgiveness; however it is also important to forgive someone who has not asked us for forgiveness. This means we put the matter in God’s hands and we trust God.

“Hate the sin not the sinner.”

(Quote of St. Augustine)

This is how we can make a judgment against certain behaviors, without condemning the sinner. Only God knows a person’s heart. Perhaps the person has repented. By praying for someone who has wronged us, we release resentment and increase the love in our lives.

God is love. We need to rely on God (trust Him) to guide us through the emotional journey of forgiving our enemies. We trust God that in the end justice will be His.

Loving our enemies means to treat those who have wronged us with love and mercy. However, it is God alone we rely on. It is through prayer that we are led by God. Turning the other cheek simply means we don’t fight back. We don’t seek revenge. We actually pray for the welfare of the person who has wronged us.

Love and forgiveness go together. However, trust is connected to wisdom and understanding. Through prayer God leads us in wisdom, helping us to understand and discern who we should or should not trust.

Wisdom is turning to God for guidance. When we lack wisdom we should seek it (James 1:5)

It is only through praying that we can be led to the will of God. If we pray without ceasing, we will have the prudence to do God’s will.

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Apostle, Faith, Martyr, Spirituality

Are You a Doubting Thomas?

July 1, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

Doubting Thomas Painting by Caravaggio Public Domain Image — Doubting Thomas Painting by Caravaggio

Most of us have times in our lives when we can relate well to doubting Thomas. He is known for stating his disbelief. After Jesus appeared to the other Apostles, Thomas said he needed to see for himself the wounds of Christ before he would believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. After Jesus showed him his wounds Jesus stated,

“Blessed are those who have not seen, but believe.

Thomas is not afraid to question. When Jesus tells the Apostles that they will follow him, Thomas questions Him;

“How can we follow you, when we know not where you are going?”

Jesus answered him by telling him,

“I am the way the truth and the life, whoever follows me will live forever.

Today (July 3) is the feast of St. Thomas. In the Catholic Church we celebrate in mass worldwide the life and faith of St. Thomas. We reflect on how he led his life and followed Jesus. When we have questions, we should not be afraid to ask Jesus to answer them. When we are not sure about our faith, it is a good thing to ask Jesus to lead us to Him.

Many people do not have faith today and do not know how to find God. Perhaps they are looking for God as a scientist would… under a microscope. Spirituality is not found under a microscope. Being unafraid to ask God questions can lead us closer to Him.

Remember when we were little children? The questions were many. What? Why? Where? How? When?

Asking God directly to enlighten us to the truth may actually have results.
One of my favorite prayers is a simple one.

“Lead me, Lord!”

May we all be led closer to God as we pray through our doubts.

St. Thomas pray for us.

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Dominican, Faith, Poetry, Prayer, Spirituality

Five Famous Hymns Written by St. Thomas Aquinas

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St. Thomas was was born in Sicily in the year 1225. He died in 1274. The feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas is celebrated on Jan. 28. He is considered the patron saint of students and universities.

At the age of five he was placed in the care of the Benedictines of Monte Casino.

He became a Dominican priest against his families wishes. His brothers followed careers in the military. In an attempt to end his desires to become a Dominican, his brothers hired a prostitute to seduce him. According to legend, two angels appeared to Thomas to strengthen him and increase his determination to remain celibate. He thus became known as the “Angelic Doctor”.

St. Thomas studied at Cologne under St. Albert the Great. He was called “the dumb-ox” because he was so shy and quiet. He was also of a very large stature. Actually, he was quite brilliant, eventually being declared a Doctor of the Church.

After becoming a priest he was sent to Paris. In Paris he became a friend of the King, St. Louis, dining with him frequently. He was asked to teach at the age of 22. He has published many writings. The most well known are Summa Theologica and Summa Contra Gentiles. He also wrote Hymns of Adoration which are well known today. The belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is very evident in his hymns of praise and adoration.

His well known hymns are the following:

1. Panis Angelicus (Bread of Angels) sung by Andre Bocelli

2. Adore te Devote (Humbly I adore thee)…Gregorian Chant

3. O Salutaris hostia (O saving victim) Gregorian Chant

4. Pange Lingua Corperis (Now, my tongue, the mystery telling) Gregorian Chant

5. Tantum Ergo Sacramentum (Come Adore)…sung by Daughters of Mary

St. Thomas Aquinas Public Domain Image — St. Thomas Aquinas

Panis Angelicus (Bread of Angels)

Holy and living bread,

Wondrous food from heaven sent,

God’s sacrifice foretold,

now in our hands we hold.

Sign and reality, challenge for us to be

Humble servants to all the poor.

God, Holy Three in One,

through this off’ring of your Son

All now on earth can see what we are called to be:

Hope for a world in need, signs that love can succeed

Where true justice and peace endure.

O Salutaris Hostia ( O Saving Victim)

O saving Victim, open wide

The gate of heav’n to us below,

Our foes press on from ev’ry side;

Your aid supply your strength bestow.

To your great name be endless praise,

Immortal Godhead, One in Three;

O grant us endless length of days

In our true native land with thee.

Amen

Zion, to thy Savior; singing

Zion, To Thy Savior Singing
Zion, to Thy Savior singing,

To thy Prince and Shepherd bringing,
Sweetest hymns of love and praise,
Thou wilt never reach the measure
Of His worth, by all the treasure
Of thy most ecstatic lays.

Of all wonders that can thrill thee,
And, with adoration fill thee,
What than this can greater be,
That Himself to thee He giveth?
He that eateth ever liveth,
For the Bread of Life is He.

Fill thy lips to overflowing
With sweet praise, His mercy showing
Who this heav’nly table spread:
On this day so glad and holy,
To each longing spirit lowly
Giveth He the living Bread.

Here the King hath spread His table,
Whereon eyes of faith are able
Christ our Passover to trace:
Shadows of the law are going,
Light and life and truth inflowing,
Night to day is giving place.

Lo, this angels’ food descending
Heavenly love is hither sending,
Hungry lips on earth to feed:
So the paschal lamb was given,
So the manna came from Heaven,
Isaac was His type indeed.

O Good Shepherd, Bread life giving,
Us, Thy grace and life receiving,
Feed and shelter evermore;
Thou on earth our weakness guiding,
We in Heaven with Thee abiding,
With all saints will Thee adore.

Adore te Devote (Humbly I adore thee)

Humbly I adore thee, Verity unseen,
who thy glory hiddest ‘neath these shadows mean;
low, to thee surrendered, my whole heart is bowed,
tranced as it beholds thee, shrined within the cloud.

Taste and touch and vision to discern thee fail;
faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil.
I believe whate’re the Son of God hath told;
what the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold.

O memorial wondrous of the Lord’s own death;
living Bread that givest all thy creatures breath,
grant my spirit ever by thy life may live,
to my taste thy sweetness never failing give.

Jesus, whom now hidden, I by faith behold,
what my soul doth long for, that thy word foretold:
face to face thy splendor, I at last shall see,
in the glorious vision, blessed Lord, of thee.

Tantum Ergo Sacramentum (Come Adore)

Come adore this wondrous presence,

Bow to Christ the source of grace.

Here is kept the ancient promise

of God’s earthly dwelling place.

Sight is blind before God’s glory,

Faith alone may see his face.

Glory be to God the Father,

Praise to his co-equal Son.

Adoration to the Spirit,

Bond of love, in God-head one.

Blest be God by all creation

Joyously while ages run.

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Prayer, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Josemaria Escriva, Feast Day June 26

June 24, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

St. Josemaria Escriva Public Domain Image — St. Josemaria Escriva

The feast day of St. Josemaria Escriva is celebrated on June 26.

St. Josemaria Escriva was born in Barbastro, Spain on Jan. 9, 1902. He was the second of six children and attended Catholic schools. At an early age he learned the meaning of suffering when three of his younger sisters died.

After reflecting on footprints in the snow from a discalced Carmelite, he became aware that he had a religious calling. He decided to study for the priesthood and was ordained a priest in 1925. Within three years in 1928, he was inspired to found Opus Dei which was dedicated to all people following Christ. Married people and non Catholics were allowed to join. Their ministry included working among the poor in schools and hospitals. He also founded the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross. Opus Dei spread to many countries throughout the world.

St. Josemaria is also an author of three popular books: The Way, Furrow and The Forge.

On June 26, 1975, St. Josemaria died in his office suddenly at the age of 73. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

It’s not enough to be good, you need to show it.

What would you say of a rose bush which produced only thorns?

Quote of St. Josemaria Escriva

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.

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Faith, Prayer, Spirituality

Ten Types of Prayer To Help You Know God

June 11, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

The Cross and Prayer Pope Francis Facebook — The Cross and Prayer
Pope Francis Facebook

How do we come to know and love God? The first commandment is:

“Love the Lord thy God with your whole heart, mind, and soul.”

How is it possible to love someone we don’t know? When we truly love someone we don’t fear them, we want to spend time with them; we enjoy their company.

Prayer is the way we come to know God. It is not enough to pray just on Sunday. If we love God, we will pray without ceasing…always, … in our thoughts and in our actions.

Knowing the different forms of prayer can help us explore getting to know God better. When Jesus was asked by his disciples how to pray he responded by giving us the well known “Lord’s Prayer”.

The following are different types of prayer:
1. Prayer of petition: When we ask for specific things we are making a petition. Hopefully we also say “Thy will be done.” Our will is not always God’s will. This is why God’s answer is sometimes “No, I have a better solution.”

Prayer of intercession: When we pray for the welfare of someone else, this is the prayer of intercession. When the saints pray for us they are interceding for us.
Prayer of Glory, Praise and Thanksgiving. Saying thank you to God is an important part of our spiritual journey. Remember the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers? Only one returned and thanked Jesus. Let me be grateful for all the gifts God gives me.
Prayer of Adoration: This prayer is acknowledging God as our creator; all good and all powerful.
Prayer of Quiet: This prayer is the prayer of LISTENING to God. We sit quietly in the presence of God, quiet our mind, and ask God to lead us. We find God in the silence. Actually, God finds us.

6. Scripture: Reading Holy Scripture is a form of prayer. We read and meditate on both the Old and the New Testament.

Music: Music is a powerful way to pray. “When we sing we pray twice.” St. Augustine. Music is prayer which comes from the heart. Some people find it easier to connect with God with this type of prayer.
Meditation: Reflection on nature, art, humanity and scripture are all forms of meditation. Take the time to reflect on what is happening in your life. Ask God to lead you in your meditative prayer.
The Catholic Mass: It incorporates all of these types of prayer. During the Mass we pray for others, give glory and thanks, ask for mercy and guidance, listen to scripture, adore Christ in the Eucharist, and pray through silence and singing.

10. Praying can be either spontaneous or memorized. When we are in a crisis it is sometimes hard to know what to say to God. This is when memorized prayer is very powerful. The Catholic Church has many formal prayers for every occasion and need. They guide us when we are at a loss for words. Spontaneous prayer is also a very meaningful way to pray to God.

When Jesus is our closest friend, we can tell him anything. Praying on a regular basis in all these different ways helps us to come closer to God. Letting ourselves be led by God in prayer is how we put into action the first commandment.

Loving God means spending time with him. Each of us has a different prayer style. If we are too busy to pray, we are too busy for God. God does not force himself on anyone. If you are having difficulty praying start by meditating on the Our Father, the prayer Jesus himself gave us. Ponder each word in the prayer. Your relationship with God will begin to grow.

The Lord's Prayer Public Domain Image — The Lord’s Prayer

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.

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Faith, Pope Francis, Spirituality

Pope’s message: Christian Joy is a Gift from the Holy Spirit

May 31, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra 3 Comments

Pope Francis
Face Book Image

Pope Francis preached about fear during his morning homily at Casa Santa Marta on Friday, May 15. According to Vatican Radio he said that Christian joy is a gift. It is a gift from the Holy Spirit.

Pope Francis began his homily by saying, “Fear is not a Christian attitude, but rather an attitude of a caged animal without freedom.” The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us that Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision telling him not to be afraid. To go on speaking and not to be silent, for he was with him. Pope Francis described fear as an attitude that can harm, weaken and diminish. In his homily he emphasized that a fearful Christian is a person who has not understood the message of Jesus.

Pope Francis explained, “This is why Jesus says to Paul: ‘Do not be afraid. Continue to speak.’ Fear is not a Christian attitude. It is an attitude, we could say, of a caged animal, without freedom, who does not have the freedom to look ahead, to create something, to do good… no, always: ‘No, but this is dangerous, there is something else, something else…’ And this is a vice. It is the fear of doing evil. A person who is afraid does nothing, doesn’t know what to do. He is focused on himself, so that nothing bad will happen.”

Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to ask for the grace of courage, so as not to become fearful. The pontiff continued, “There are fearful communities that always go on the safe side: ‘No, no, we aren’t doing this… No, no, this can’t be done, this can’t be done.’ It seems they have written on the gateway: ‘Forbidden.’ Everything is forbidden because of fear. And you enter into this community and the air is stale, because it is a sick community. Fear makes a community sick. The lack of courage makes a community sick.”

Pope Francis stated that fear must not be confused with fear of the Lord, a grace that allows the faithful to experience awe in adoration.

Pope Francis continued by describing the true meaning of joy which is the opposite of fear.

“Christian joy is not simply enjoyment, is not a fleeting cheerfulness,” he explained. “Christian joy is a gift, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And having a heart that is always joyful because the Lord has triumphed, the Lord reigns, the Lord is at the right hand of the Father, the Lord has looked upon me and called me and has given me His grace, and has made me a Son of the Father… That is Christian joy. A Christian lives in joy.”

Continuing his homily, Pope Francis said that it is the lack of joy in Christian communities that causes it to become sick. Perhaps it would be a fun-loving community but it has grown sick with worldliness, because it does not have the joy of Jesus Christ. And thus, when the Church is fearful and when the Church does not receive the joy of the Holy Spirit, the Church is sick, the communities are sick, the faithful are sick.

Pope Francis concluded with this prayer: “Lift us up, O Lord, to Christ seated at the right hand of the Father… raise our spirit. Take away our every fear, and grant us joy and peace.”

Courage is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which is received when one receives the Sacrament of Confirmation. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are: Wisdom, Understanding, Courage (fortitude), Counsel, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord (Awe), Thousands of Catholics will be confirmed this spring. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are what guide a Catholic Christian throughout his/her life. Without the Holy Spirit as our advocate we are afraid and uncertain about the will of god in our lives.

The Mystery of Faith

Category Archives: Spirituality

Forgiveness and Trust

Are You a Doubting Thomas?

Five Famous Hymns Written by St. Thomas Aquinas

Panis Angelicus (Bread of Angels)

O Salutaris Hostia ( O Saving Victim)

Zion, to thy Savior; singing

Adore te Devote (Humbly I adore thee)

Tantum Ergo Sacramentum (Come Adore)

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Josemaria Escriva, Feast Day June 26

Ten Types of Prayer To Help You Know God

Pope’s message: Christian Joy is a Gift from the Holy Spirit

Discovering the Spirituality of Catholicism