Mother Angelica on Suffering and Burnout

by Mother Angelica

Jesus Needs My Consolation Only once in Scripture did Jesus ask something of others, and that was comfort — companionship in a time of great need — encouragement in a time of fear — empathy in a time of darkness. Three times He asked His Apostles to “watch and pray with Him,” and three times they disappointed Him (Matt. 26:37-46). He always gave but received nothing in return. Little seems to have changed since then. We ask and receive from Him, but what do we give Him in return? In our knowledge of His Godhead and our sinner condition, we realize that we can add nothing to His Nature or Glory. This knowledge often clouds the reality of His Goodness and His Will to be loved and comforted by us. Our intellect gets in the way of our heart. We look upon Him as One who is aloof, unaware, and unconcerned. Nothing is further from the truth. He became man that we may look to Him for comfort and He may look to us for consolation. He desires a “togetherness” that is warm and loving. This is far from the familiarity that loses sight of His Divinity — the kind that treats Jesus as though He were mere man and never God. Love acknowledges His Divinity, and never ceases in its desire to adore and glorify Him, but love also realizes its limitations, acknowledges its weaknesses, and reaches up in perfect trust to give comfort to its Creator and Lord. A Christian’s humility waxes strong and is able to overcome the theological speculations that tell him he cannot comfort God. He is not inte...