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

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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

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