Mother Angelica was a holy lady and a prolific writer. Among her writings were little mini-books on God, Heaven, and the Angels. These have been combined into the book Mother Angelica on God, His Home, and His Angels. Here are some great snippets from the book:
On the Father’s splendor
“I am a mirror to my neighbor, and in that mirror he must see a reflection of Jesus. If that mirror is cloudy or distorted, Jesus’s reflection will be so vague it will hardly be seen. I must keep my mirror as clean and bright as possible so Jesus’s face will be clear and strong—so strong that the mirror disappears and everyone looking into it sees no one but Jesus. I am called by the Father to reflect his son, in whom the Holy Spirit manifested a visible way the invisible attributes of God.”
“The Father showed his mercy when he sent his son to bridge the gulf between his holiness and my misery. His love bends down to my weakness and forgives. He pursues my soul with love and tenderness when I sin by giving me a conscience to discern my offense. He pardons and cancels all my debts when he sees my sorrow, and hears the sighs of my repentant love. It is not enough for him to forgive my sins when I repent—he covers my wounds with the precious blood of his own son and makes my soul beautiful to behold. He wants me to bury my sins and the burden of my weakness in the ocean of his mercy so that not a trace of them remains.”
Healing your faith vs. faith healing
“It is because of the danger of presumption and the temptation to lose hope that holy mother Church does not believe in “faith healing.” “Faith healing is an attempt to use divine power as a natural curative agent that is hindered only by insufficient confidence on the part of the sufferer. A Catholic may not submit himself to faith healing which treats divine power as the automatic servant of calculated acts” (Catholic Encyclopedia). We can humbly pray for what we need, be it physical, material or temporal, knowing that our Father is God and is powerful enough to give us whatever we ask, provided it is for our good. Humility enables us to admit we do not always know in what that good consists. Faith asks, knowing the Father hears us. Hope waits for His reply. Love accepts that reply with joy.”
Sons of Light
“Each Angel realized his own perfections and acknowledged that these perfections came from God. An intelligence such as this must admit this truth. From the first moment of their creation, the angels possessed infused knowledge, given to them without any effort on their part. This knowledge was complete and entire from the first moment it was received. . . . Everything around them was permanent and everlasting and their spirits were ever young and vibrant.”
“The angels are all united to God, each in his own special way, and so it can be said they are never out of his presence. It is so with all of us. When our thoughts are with God, then we too are in his presence. Each one of us is in that presence in varying degrees, and so it could perhaps be said that these angels, referred to as among the seven, have a greater capacity for love, and God has filled that capacity to the full. The names of three of these seven are mentioned in Scripture, and each one seems to possess a particular gift and mission from God. Michael is referred to as the Prince of the Heavenly Hosts. His mission as defender and protector is mentioned in four different accounts of Scripture. Gabriel is the angel who appeared to Daniel, Zechariah, and Mary. He was a proclaimer, an announcer of good news. Raphael is mentioned in the Book of Tobias, and the whole book manifests his role as Intercessor and healer.”
Before Time Began
“I feel akin to the light. It is as if we are somehow alike. Has the presence only made me see what the thought of me really is? No, the light is coming closer. I see others disappear before me, around me, above me, beneath me. I am alone. The light envelops me and covers me with its shadow. For the first time I hear a voice say, “You shall be.” I am astounded, surprised, grateful. I am not able to respond. Infinite Love has made a decision—I shall be! It is hard to believe. Every other thought that might have been, just totally disappeared and I have been chosen to be. Why me? Why me? I am grateful and humbled by the choice.”
Inside the Kingdom
“The Second Coming—the kingdom, heaven—all these are words that are abstract and distant to most Christians. We have been told about it so often and waited so long that what should be an interior, anticipated joy has become a doubtful, imaginary tale, designed to scare us into virtue. There are few things we anticipate with longing that ever come up to our expectations, but only because the things we desire are earthly, and by their very nature, temporary. Anything passing is already on its way out the moment we posses it. We almost feel it leaving our grasp as we lay hands on it, and this feeling of elusiveness mars our perfect joy. So it is with everything the world has to offer, and yet—we cling to this kind of happiness, frustrated by its transitory nature, and yet fascinated by its passing joys. We forget this kind of happiness is a mere oasis in the desert of life—it is not our final resting place—only a short stay that is designed to refresh our souls with a taste of what is to come. All earthly joys are finite glimpses of eternal bliss.”
“The greatest work we have is in our souls, because the extent to which we influence mankind depends upon the fruit Jesus bears in us. Like love, this work will continue on in heaven. Though our capacity is set at death, we shall continue to learn, and to utilize that knowledge, in the third heaven. In heaven, we shall look down upon those we love on earth and pray for them. Our prayers in heaven shall be totally unselfish and united to God’s will. They will not be mixed with fear, uncertainty or hesitation. We will ask, and we will know the reason why some of our prayers are not answered, and we will marvel at his love and wisdom. God will often give us permission and power to help those on earth by invisibly directing their ways to the path of God. We will be able to fight the evil spirits as they tempt those we love. We will fight as sons of God—powerful and unafraid, dispelling those enemies of God, and triumphantly paving the way for those still in the earthly kingdom to travel in peace. We will continue to work for the kingdom until every last sheep is in the fold.”
For more wisdom from Mother Angelica on the Father, the Angels, and Heaven, pick up the book Mother Angelica on God, His Home, and His Angels.
