The Patron Saint of the Grouchy

"Did you ever see a statue of a grouchy saint? I saw one once. It was the most gorgeous one I ever saw. It was Padre Pio, who was a grouch, you know. Now everybody excuses the poor guy and says, 'Well, he had the stigmata and he was suffering.' Come off it. He was a grouch; he was a typical Italian grouch -- which I can relate to! So I bought that statue in New Orleans a few years ago. He has the most beautiful, grumpy look on his face. See, that's my kind of saint. I want a saint who struggles like I do. There's no such thing as perfection. There is only the struggle for holiness."

~ Mother Angelica in Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality, edited by Raymond Arroyo, page 166

-

Comments

  1. Christine the Soccer Mom8/8/07, 8:19 AM

    Maybe someday we'll get to buy statues of Mother Angelica, too. :)

    My favorite saint is Saint Peter, and it's precisely because he had such problems. I love that he spoke before thinking sometimes, and I love that he had such passion and love for the Lord that he jumped off the boat even though everyone was rowing to shore. He just had to be there first!

    I love when we read about saints' struggles, because I can relate to THAT, and then they inspire me to believe that I can be better, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous8/8/07, 1:10 PM

    Oh there's hope for me after all!Thanks for that post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jean Heimann8/9/07, 12:28 AM

    +JMJ+

    Ladies,

    There is hope for all of us and Mother Angelica has truly been an instrument of that hope for me and for many of God's children. I love her frankness and her sense of humor. We can do nothing on our own - it is only through the grace of God that we are here and that we will make it to heaven. Everything from God is gift. He loves us more than we can ever imagine. We all need to aspire to be saints. Mother's words help us to see that a life holiness is for all of us, not just for some. God will do all in His power to draw us to Him - to purify and sanctify us - to shape and mold us into His image if we permit Him to do so. However, He is a perfect gentleman and will never violate our free will.

    It is a struggle for all of us to do His will, but with encouragement from the saints, who were imperfect people, like ourselves, as well as the many other spiritual helps that God provides, we can persevere on the journey to eternal life.

    Thanks for your comments!

    God bless you, Christine and Jackie!

    ReplyDelete
  4. EC Gefroh8/9/07, 1:24 AM

    Jean, I love when she mentions her Italian roots and the saints. She one said that impatience cannot be a sin since there are so many Italian saints and Italians are not known for their patience (I'm paraphrasing of course).

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated and are published at the blogger's discretion.

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Image
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
Read more

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Image
Today is the feast of Saint Michael de Sanctis, also known as St. Michael of the Saints, a Spanish Discalced Trinitarian priest, the patron of cancer patients. Michael Argemir was born on September 29, 1591 at Vic, Catalonia, Spain. At age 6, he told his parents that he planned to become a monk and began modeling his life after Saint Francis of Assisi. Michael’s parents died when he was about ten years old. He then served as an apprentice with a local merchant. During this apprenticeship, he continued his fervent devotion to the Lord, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the age of 12, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert’s monastery in Saragosa four years later.  Shortly afterwards, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest. Twice he served as Superior of the hou
Read more

Saint Gerard of Brogne: Patron of Abbots

Image
St. Gerard was born to a noble family in Staves, Belgium, in 895. He descended from a royal line of military men and at first felt a share in this call to arms. He trained for the army and, as a page of the count of Namur, he was sent on a special mission to the French court. There, Gerard realized that he was being called to the monastic life. He stayed in France and joined the Benedictines of St. Denis, abandoning his noble birthright and all his worldly possessions. He spent eleven years in France as a monk before becoming a priest. Following his ordination, he left for Belgium in order to found a new abbey on his own estate of Brogne. He was its abbot for twenty-two years and during that period was instrumental in introducing St. Benedict's Rule into numerous houses in Flanders, Lorraine and Champagne.He became known for his engaging sweetness of temper, his strict observance of the Rule of St. Benedict and for the replacement of lukewarm religious practice with true piety.
Read more