Eternal Perspectives, Part 2

Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality
by Raymond Arroyo

(Page 2 of 3)

Fear Nothing

When you have Jesus, what is there to fear?

Looking for Dummies

The apostles were dodos, dummies. But all the smart people in the world at the time wouldn't take chances. That is the same problem we have today. The world is looking for intellectuals and the Lord is looking for dummies. That's why I'm here.

A Master's Degree

We're all trying to get master's degrees, and so often we forget the Master.

The Degree that Matters

Where most men work for degrees after their names, we work for one before our names: "St." It's a much more difficult degree to attain. It takes a lifetime, and you don't get your diploma until you're dead.

Leaders Like You

Who was Jesus looking for in His apostles - to be the leader of the leaders? Simple sinners, just like us. He looked for men who loved much, whose love made them unafraid, and whose love never put a stop to God's grace. When Jesus said, "Go out without scrip or shoes" (Luke 10:4), they were dumb enough to go - they were loving enough to go.

One Person

Everything starts with one person. God loves to work with weak people - like David, a little teenager with a slingshot defeated the fearsome Goliath. Gideon with only three hundred men saved the Jewish people from slaughter and slavery. I don't care if you're five or one hundred and five, God from all eternity chose you to be where you are, at this time in history to change the world.

Stepping Out In Mystery

We don't want to step out in faith and say, "God, the only hand I have is yours, even though I don't know where You're going." I think that's the most thrilling experience: not to know what God is doing - but going out and doing it anyway.

It's very difficult for a real Christian to mess this up. If you try something and you fail, you've been humbled. You're a little smarter the next time; you learn to depend upon God and not yourself. You can learn much in failure. If you succeed: you are aware of God's spirit, aware of His using you in extraordinary ways. So from a spiritual perspective, you can't fail no matter what happens.

The Greatest Power In the World

The greatest power for good in this world is retarded children, the deaf, the dumb, and the blind - those who suffer loneliness. They have time to live with God, to experience the joy of God, to experience the presence of God, and their prayer is powerful before the Lord.

Life Is Passing

No matter how successful one is, or how famous, there comes a time when he passes on. He's like a ship going through the ocean. The ship makes a little ripple, and when it has passed through, the ocean closes in.

Isn't that what life is all about, each of us passing through? Why lament over the things you wanted and never got? Why lament over what could have been when it is all passing? Right now, you are not the person you were a half hour ago. We are one half hour closer to the journey's end. For some this is a distressing thought. Why is it that we find death so depressing? We can imagine everyone dying except ourselves. Have we lost sight of this world being a pilgrimage? It's a journey. You're not home yet. A Christian must never lose sight of this passing reality of life; and it should be faced with peace, not constant surprise.

Grudges

Don't waste your time in life trying to get even with your enemies. The grave is a tremendous equalizer. Six weeks after you all are dead, you'll look pretty much the same. Let the Lord take care of those whom you think have harmed you. All you have to do is love and forgive. Try to forget and leave all else to the Master.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness means "to give." It means to give before your neighbor does.

Light and Faith

I believe if we want this world to stop going to hell, if we really want to do something about the darkness - then you have to light the light. There is no other way to banish darkness. You can sit in a dark room and fuss and complain about it, but all you have to do is turn on a light. God has placed us all in a dark room, hoping that we will have sense enough to turn the light on and not yell and scream and panic over the darkness, because we know where the light is - we know who the light is! And we have Him. The tragedy of this age will be if those who have the light do not let it shine. Christians of all denominations have literally put the light under a bushel.

Half Fed

Can you imagine our Lord today, in present-day Jerusalem, under such stressful conditions? Can you imagine Him getting up and saying: Blessed are the peacemakers? They would laugh Him to scorn. Because today, my friends, we only want to eat, drink, be merry, and grab all we can. "Don't talk to me about eternity, or love, or Jesus, or the Church. I want what I want - now! Give me bread now!" So we feed half the man, and then we wonder why he is empty.

Good Acts

Don't kid yourself. The Lord sees every good act, every attempt you make to be holy. Many times, though we experience failure, He blesses our efforts. He sees it all: the kind words, the times you've held your tongue, or contained your anger. He keeps an eye on your heart, endlessly.

Loving God

Since a stroke in 2001, Mother has been fairly quiet, speaking only when she has to. On March 22, 2006, one of the sisters asked Mother for a bit of wisdom. Without hesitating she said:

He who loves God loves everybody. He who hates God hates everybody.

Copyright © 2007 by Raymond Arroyo.

About the Author

Raymond Arroyo, author of the New York Times bestseller Mother Angelica, is the news director and lead anchor of EWTNews. As creator and host of the news magazine The World Over Live, he is seen in more than 100 million households each week. He has worked at the Associated Press and the New York Observer, and for the political columnist team of Evans and Novak. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and many other publications. He lives in northern Virginia with his wife and three children.