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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Franciscan Saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth of Portugal, Feast Day July 4

July 2, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra 1 Comment

St. Elizabeth of Portugal Public Domain Image — St. Elizabeth of Portugal

The feast day of St. Elizabeth of Portugal is celebrated on July 4. She was a Spanish princess who was named after her great aunt St. Elizabeth of Hungary. At the age of twelve, she married King Denis of Portugal who was 26 years old. She was a very beautiful queen, but she was also very devout. She attended Mass daily.

St. Elizabeth’s marriage was a difficult one. The king did not share her pious beliefs. He was also very jealous. His jealousy of one of the pages resulted in an attempt to have the page murdered. The attempt failed, however another page was mistakenly killed instead. This event changed the King’s attitude. He apologized to everyone for what had happened. He began to treat his wife with more respect. She cared for him until his death.

For eleven years after the death of the king, Queen Elizabeth did works of charity. She joined the monastery of Poor Clare Nuns, becoming a member of The Third order of St. Francis. As a Poor Clare Nun she served the poor and the sick rather than having the servants usually bestowed upon a queen.

“In humility is perfect freedom.”

Quote of Thomas Merton

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood

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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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Apostle, Featured, Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Thomas the Apostle, Feast Day July 3

July 1, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra 1 Comment

St. Thomas the Apostle Public Domain Image — St. Thomas the Apostle

The feast day of St. Thomas the Apostle is celebrated on July 3. Thomas was also called Didymus which means twin. St. Thomas is the patron saint of India and architects.

Thomas the Apostle was known for questioning things. He was not afraid to ask questions or state his disbelief. Jesus treated him with love and compassion.

St. Thomas was also known as “Doubting Thomas”. After the resurrection Jesus appeared to the Apostles. Thomas was not there and did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. When Jesus later appeared to him he said “Peace be with you. Do not doubt but believe.” (John 21:24) St. Thomas also asked Jesus “How can we follow you, when we know not where you are going?” Jesus responded, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Whoever follows me will live forever.”

Thomas was one of the original twelve apostles. He was present at the Last Supper. He was also present when Jesus had the Apostles lower their nets and they miraculously caught many fish. After the resurrection, St. Thomas was sent to evangelize the Parthians, the Persians and India. He is believed to have built the first church in India. St. Thomas died a martyr’s death when at Calamine in India he was speared to death while praying.

My Lord and my God!

Quote of St. Thomas the Apostle

July is the Month of the Most Precious BloodSave

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Incorruptible, Jesuit Saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Bernadino, Feast Day July 2

June 30, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

The feast day of St. Bernadino Realino is celebrated on July 2.

St. Bernadino was born to a noble family of Capri, Italy in 1530. He studied medicine and law at the University of Bologna. He received his doctorate in 1563. After attending a retreat giving by the Jesuits, Bernadino realized he had a religious calling. He joined the Society of Jesus and was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1567. After ministering to the poor and the youth of Naples for several years he was sent to Lecce where he served for 42 years.

St. Bernadino was a powerful preacher and confessor. He was known for his acts of kindness and serving the poor. He died in 1616. His fame occurred after his death when his body was found to be partially incorrupt when his tomb was opened in 1711.

St. Bernadino Realino was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947.

It has hands to help others.

It has feet to hasten to the poor and the needy.

It has eyes to see misery and want.

It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of women and men.

That is what love looks like.

Quote of St. Augustine; Feast day August 28

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood

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Franciscan Saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Junipero Serra, Feast Day July 1

June 29, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

St. Junipero Serra Public Domain Image — St. Junipero Serra

The feast day of St. Junipero Serra is celebrated on July 1.

St. Junipero Serra was born Miguel Jose Serra on the Island of Mallorca, Spain in 1713. At a young age Miguel joined the Order of St. Francis of Assisi taking the name Junipero which was the name of St. Francis’ original companion friar. Until he was 35, he was a student and them a professor. He was well known for his preaching ability.

Suddenly he gave up his life as a professor. He volunteered to serve in the Franciscan missions in the new world. He traveled by ship to Vera Cruz, Mexico and then walked with a companion the 250 miles to Mexico City. The Franciscans of Mexico were asked to take over the missions in Baja, California. It became Father Serra’s responsibility. St. Serra established nine of the missions in California. He baptized over 6,000 people and confirmed over 5,000. He died at the age of 70 and is buried at Mission San Carlos Borromeo.

St. Junipero Serra was beatified in 1988. Pope Francis canonized St. Junipero Serra on Sept. 23, 2015 while visiting the United States. He is the first saint to be canonized on U. S. soil.

We found on our journey, as well as in the place where we stopped,

that they treated us with as much confidence and goodwill

as if they had known us all their lives.

Quote of St. Junipero Serra

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood

The Mystery of Faith

Forgiveness and Trust

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth of Portugal, Feast Day July 4

Are You a Doubting Thomas?

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Thomas the Apostle, Feast Day July 3

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Bernadino, Feast Day July 2

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Junipero Serra, Feast Day July 1

Discovering the Spirituality of Catholicism