'Praying with Mother Angelica'

By Matt C. Abbott

God bless Mother Angelica.

From the website of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration of Our Lady of Angels Monastery:

We want to extend a very special and heartfelt thank you to each of you who have been praying for Mother Angelica. The many cards and promises of prayer she received throughout this past Christmas season were a great consolation and support. Mother's condition remains delicate and she receives devoted care day and night by her sisters and nurses.

In God's providence, she was able to receive the special Jubilee grace of passing through the Holy Door shortly after its opening. Although she is most often sleeping, from time to time Mother will give a radiant smile. There is no doubt that her heart must be 'on things above.' (cf Col 3:2)

Near the close of 2015, the entire community of the MFVA Friars was able to come for the offering of a special Mass for Mother Angelica – another gift of God's Mercy. Mother herself is regularly fortified by the sacraments.

Please continue to keep her in your prayers; each day is a gift!

And from the website of Sophia Institute Press:

Mother Angelica's meditations combine the spiritual insights of a master with the warmth of a loving mother. Her short but powerful reflections will lift your soul to Heaven and lead you into a thoughtful and penetrating reflection on the love of God and the life of Our Lady.

Beloved by countless Catholics when they were first released in the 1970s, these devotional meditations – including the Mysteries of the Rosary, the Way of the Cross, and other original prayers – are a treasury that will allow you to pray as Mother faithfully taught.

Below is a brief excerpt from the book Praying with Mother Angelica. Thanks to Sophia Institute Press for permitting me to publish the excerpt in my column. Click here to order a copy.

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My Jesus, it seems to me that, as God, You would have carried Your Cross without faltering, but You did not. You fell beneath its weight to show me You understand when I fall. Is it pride that makes me want to shine even in pain? You were not ashamed to fall – to admit the Cross was heavy. There are those whom my pride will not tolerate, as I want everyone to be strong, yet I am weak. I am ashamed to admit failure in anything.

If the Father permits failure in my life, just as He permitted You to fall, then I must know that in that failure there is good that my mind will never comprehend. I must not concentrate on the eyes of others as they rest upon me in my falls. Rather, I must reach up to touch that invisible hand and drink in that invisible strength ever at my side.

Weak Jesus, help all men who try so hard to be good but whose nature is constantly opposed to their walking straight and tall down the narrow road of life. Raise their heads to see the glory that is to come rather than the misery of the present moment.

Your love for me gave You strength to rise from Your fall. Look on all those whom the world considers unprofitable servants, and give them the courage to be more concerned as to how they stand before You rather than their fellowmen.

© Matt C. Abbott