I must not permit the evil capabilities of human nature to sour my faith in the tremendous good that is possible despite the frailty of that nature.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes maintaining hope and faith in humanity's goodness despite its flaws.
Mother Angelica expresses a profound belief in the inherent goodness of human nature, urging us not to let the negative aspects of humanity lead us to despair. She acknowledges the frailty of human nature, yet emphasizes that it should not overshadow our capacity for goodness and positivity in the world. This balance of recognizing flaws while holding onto faith in goodness is essential for a hopeful outlook on life.
In practice
During a motivational speech about overcoming adversity.
I am not like a pebble on the beach - a grain of sand on the seashore or just one of millions of human beings past, present and future. No, I am a unique human being loved by God as if I were an only child - the only fruit of his creative powers.
The sinner who suddenly realizes God's love for him and then looks at his rejection of that love feels a loss similar to the death of a loved one. A deep void is created in the soul and a loneliness akin to the agony of death.
Our memories are our own, and we cannot blame anything or anyone in the past for any pain dwelling there. If we open the door to them or keep hashing over past incidents in our minds, we have only ourselves to blame.
Man can and does rationalize his sins. He finds reasons for all his weakness, invents excuses that first calm and then deaden his conscience. He blames God, society, education, and environment for his wrong doing.
Love has been defined, analyzed, explained and excused. It has been the cause of wars, feuds, heroism, martyrdom, inordinate passion, and beautiful friendships. It pulls two people of opposite temperaments together into a married state and permits them to live happily. It makes friends understand each other without the necessity of words.
Our lack of forgiveness makes us hate, and our lack of compassion makes us hard-hearted. Pride in our hearts makes us resentful and keeps our memory in a constant whirlwind of passion and self-pity.
Was it for this the wild geese spread The gray wing upon every tide; For this that all that blood was shed, For this. Edward Fitzgerald died, And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone, All that delirium of the brave? Romantic Ireland's dead and gone, It's with O'Leary in the grave.
America never was America to me And yet I swear this oath - America will be!
As soon as man does not take his existence for granted, but beholds it as something unfathomably mysterious, thought begins.
To live a disciplined life, and to accept the result of that discipline as the will of God - that is the mark of a man.
Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.
My view is that if there is no evidence for it, then forget about it. An agnostic is somebody who doesnβt believe in something until there is evidence for it, so Iβm agnostic.
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