Last week I had the privilege of visiting the EWTN headquarters in Alabama for a taping of Life on the Rock (you can watch the episode here). It was the week of Mother Angelica's birthday, and as I walked around the campus of the international network, I thought a lot about its indefatigable founder. A few months before, I had read Raymond Arroyo's masterpiece biography, Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles; the stories from the book floated to mind over and over again during my trip. I would look around at the sprawling campus, which was dotted with satellite dishes that transmit EWTN programming to over 100 million households in 127 countries, and it was almost impossible to believe that this was all started by one nun with no money and no media experience.
Inspired by Mother Angelica's example of radical faith, I recalled the lessons from her biography, and came up with the top eight things that the rest of us can learn from her example:
1. Beware of false humility
One of the things that jumps out at me most clearly about Mother Angelica's story is that she never fell into the trap of false humility. When God first called her to start a TV station, she could have blown it off, assuming that she must have misunderstood the call since a simple nun such as herself could never do something that big. That mentality looks like humility, but is really rooted in a sort of pride, since it assumes that God needs our personal wisdom and strength in order to accomplish his will. Mother Angelica's example shows that real humility is to forget ourselves altogether, and be completely open to any promptings of the Holy Spirit, trusting that God will give us whatever we need to do what he wants us to do.
2. Just start
All throughout Arroyo's biography, you see the message of: "Just start." When Mother Angelica would sense that God was calling her to do something, she didn't wait until she had all the answers about how it would work out. She would simply take that first step forward, and trust that she would get the resources and information she needed to take the next step when that time came. When she first felt the call to build a TV studio, here is how she responded:
She instructed the builder to expand the slab to accommodate a "television studio." The man looked bewildered, as if the nun had just spoken to him in Aramaic. "I don't know anything about a TV studio," he said.
"I don't know anything about it either, but that's not the point. We're going to build one," Mother declared. With no dedicated funds, no business plan, and no hesitation, Angelica faithfully leapt into independent television production.
"Unless you are willing to do the ridiculous, God will not do the miraculous," Mother said of her sudden decision. "When you have God, you don't have to know everything about it; you just do it."
3. Don't listen to people who tell you you're crazy
Another thing that jumped out at my about Mother Angelica's story was how much resistance she got from other people along the way. Though she had many supporters, there were also plenty of voices out there telling her that she needed to abandon this ridiculous television station idea. Outside of trusted confidants and spiritual directors, we should not listen to discouraging voices when we're trying to live out a call from God. As Mother Angelica's life shows us, having people tell you your project is crazy, stupid, silly, or impossible could very well be a sign that you're on exactly the right track.
4. Stay dumb
Then again, sometimes the voices that tell us that this undertaking is impossible come from within our own heads. While being interviewed on a Protestant TV show, Arroyo recounts that Mother Angelica said: "I am convinced God is looking for dodoes. He found one: me! There are a lot of smart people out there who know it can't be done, so they don't do it. But a dodo doesn't know it can't be done. God uses dodoes: people who are willing to look ridiculous so God can do the miraculous." I think that one of the most common ways we avoid doing what God wants us to do is that we analyze our way out of it. God couldn't really want me to do that, we say. It's too hard. There's no way one person could do that -- certainly not me. Yet God's ways often look dumb to the eyes of the world, and in order to be truly open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we also must be willing to look like "dodoes" sometimes.
5. Don't confuse trust with passivity
All throughout the biography, you see Mother Angelica working hard. Hardly a page went by where she wasn't asking someone for money, overseeing the construction of some new facility, taping a new show, ordering equipment, or some other work toward living out this call from God. While there may be times that we're called to do nothing and let the Holy Spirit work things out, very often living out a call from God involves a lot of hard work. Mother Angelica understood that God often answers prayers once we've begun to take action.
6. Stick to your principles
In the beginning, Mother Angelica and her sisters were taping a television show at a local TV station. Then she found out that that station planned to air a blasphemous miniseries that questioned the divinity of Jesus. She confronted an executive at the station about it, and the following scene ensued:
"Are you trying to tell me how to run my program?" [vice president Hugh Smith] demanded.
"No. I think you have crummy programs, but I've never told you how to run your station. But this is blasphemy!" Angelica crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "Are you a Christian?"
"Yes," Smith said. "But do you think God cares what we do down here?"
"Yes, He cares, and I care." Angelica's voice was rising. "I will not put my programs on this station, nor make any other programs here if you run that movie."
The vice president tried to reason his way out of the conflict, reminding Mother of the few TV studios in town. "You leave here, and you're off television. You need us."
"No, I don't. I only need God!" Mother was on her feet now, yelling. "I'll buy my own cameras and build my own studio."
"You can't do that."
"Just watch me," she said, staring Smith down.
Some of us might have been tempted to look the other way about what the station was doing, rationalizing that we had to let our principles slide in order to live out God's call to evangelize through television. Mother Angelica showed over and over again that God will always work things out so that we can do his work with integrity.
7. Accept your imperfections
One of my favorite aspects of the book is that you see that Mother Angelica wasn't perfect, and even faced serious spiritual struggles. At one point she wrote in a journal, "My soul is in such turmoil. My imperfections and weaknesses seem to be bursting within me...I fight for the least good thought. I struggle to pray -- ever prayer is separated by tons of aggravating thoughts, turmoil and distress. It is like picking roses amidst a garbage heap." Yet she didn't let this stop her from energetically doing whatever she felt God wanted her to do. She understood that you don't have to be perfect in order for God to work through you.
8. Embrace your fears
Perhaps the most surprising thing to me about Mother Angelica's story was that it wasn't always easy for her to do what she did. I assumed that she was a sort of adrenaline junkie who enjoyed all the crazy risks she took, and was inspired to see that that was not the case. In fact, it was just as scary for her to live a life of radical faith as it would be for most of us. But she explained her philosophy to Arroyo like this: "You want to do something for the Lord...do it. Whatever you feel needs to be done, even though you're shaking in your boots, you're scared to death -- take the first step forward. The grace comes with that one step and you get the grace as you step. Being afraid is not a problem; it's doing nothing when you feel afraid."
...
The last day I was at EWTN was the day of Mother Angelica's 89th birthday. Before I left for the airport, I took one last walk around the impressive campus. I went by the chapel, in which there is Mass twice a day. I saw the gift shop, and the kitchen where guests of the network are treated to home-cooked meals. Outside, the parking lot was filled with the cars of visitors, folks who had come to Mass, and all the people employed by this media powerhouse. When I reached the campus exit, the last thing I passed was those satellite transmitters. I stood and looked at these mammoth structures for a moment, in awe of what they represented.
It was staggering to consider that all of this originated with one nun who had no money and no media experience. In the biography, Mother Angelica told Arroyo, "Some people say I am a woman of great faith. I'm really a coward who keeps moving forward." I thought of those words as I stood at the EWTN gates, and prayed that the rest of us might dare to embrace this kind of imperfect faith. None of us have a perfect spiritual life, not even Mother Angelica. But to see all those satellite dishes, pointed to the heavens, beaming the Gospel message all throughout the world, was to behold what God can do through one coward who keeps moving forward.
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About six years ago I was searching through channels and came across EWTN and Mother Angelica. I enjoyed her wit and wisdom and felt uplifted and sometimes scolded. Growing up in the Assembly of God evangelical church I had a distrust of the Catholic faith. I had never had any desire or interest in the Roman Catholic Church, however this nun really spoke to me. At that time I was drifting in my spiritual life and praying for a lighthouse. Praise God Mother Angelica shone the light for me. I joined the Church in March 2005 and owe my conversion to a sweet goofy lovable genius nun. Thank you!!!
Really love this story!
Thanks for sharing it Jen!!
Thank you. You did a great job on “Life on the Rock” Jennifer and thanks for the reminder of what with owe to Mother Angelica and God.
Wonderful insight and reflection, Jennifer! Thank you for the reminder to take a moment to understand the importance of those things around us that we often take for granted. A handful of satellite dishes is more than a collection of technical gadgetry. They are beaming a glorious message to millions of people and changing lives every day. It is a solid reminder of how we can use the simple tools and opportunities around us to also impact and change lives.
As a Catholic convert who chose St. John the Baptist as my patron saint because, well, he had guts and was pretty radical - I’ve been trying very hard to live up to his spirit. I recently started a blog in order to share my ‘radical views’. I’d been feeling somewhat discouraged for the last couple of weeks, but reading your story here has reinvigorated me and I got back to posting this morning recognizing that I needed to ‘just do it’ ;)
Thanks for sharing and for the inspiration!
Thank you for sharing!
Mother Angelica’s story is an inspiration even to laypersons with family responsibilities who have some extra time. What can we do, or help with, given our abilities in the time available? Can we reorganize time so that we can contribute in an effective way to this worthwhile project?
TeaPot562
I watch EWTN in Caracas, Venezuela in spanish, and over the internet, some shows in english, like Life on the Rock. My parents are both italians living here in Venezuela for long time, so we really understand and love our italian Mother Angelica. I saw Jennifer show and loved it, and now I read her blog and follow her on Twitter. As her I also read Raymond’s book, and I’m really filled with wonder at God’s work through Mother. Here in SouthAmerica EWTN is one of the most watched channels on cable TV. My own mother is 86 years old and she watches EWTN daily at home. They’re both tough italian women. Happy birthday Mother!!. Thank you Jennifer for share with us your thoughts.
Raymond Arroyo’s biography of Mother Angelica is priceless,and really draws one in. Who would have thought? If my memory is not playing tricks on me, didn’t she say she hung out with prostitutes drinking beer, when she was a child? My husband used to ridicule me when he would catch me watching EWTN. It’s true that a couple of the sets and theme songs for shows could use an overhaul, but I didn’t care. Now that my husband has gotten really into his faith, he doesn’t care either, EWTN is one of his favorite channels too(true miracle). My kids are tougher customers. When the theme song for “Life on the Rock” comes on, they say snarky things like: “This music is driving me to atheism”. We let them act like we’re dorks for watching, but they always prick their ears up and listen,to the discussions and I can tell they are being inspired. Maybe EWTN can have an “update the sets and songs” fundraiser, so the Mormon channel doesn’t beat them on aesthetics.
Just listened to LOTR today on podcast. What an awesome job you did!
However, I had to think for a minute. LOTR…what is that again? I know it’s not “Lord of the Rings”. You’ve messed up my head!
Please update yowur theme songs.
My major TV watching is EWTN. When I mentioned that to my sister in law, a Nancy Pelosi kind of “catholic,” she said, “that mean old woman.” thank God for that “mean old woman,” an inspiration to us all.
You were great. You didn’t mince words and were more effective as a result.
Thanks for sharing.
You were great on the show - I really enjoyed it. I also agree with you about Mother’s book. She sure went through a lot to bring us “heathens” back to the Lord. God Bless you both & keep up the good work
I sometimes forget that we have modern day disciples just as those who listened to Jesus “on the mount” over 2000 years ago. This is one of those stories that is just the reminder I needed. Jennifer, when you said you “looked around at the sprawling campus, which was dotted with satellite dishes that transmit EWTN programming to over 100 million households in 127 countries, and it was almost impossible to believe that this was all started by one nun with no money and no media experience”—it struck me how a few years ago— I, who had only seen EWTN once or twice in a motel (it’s not on our cable), had thought smugly “what’s that about?”
Then, the past 3 years of Catholic radio here flashed through my mind as I realized that our own beloved Salt & Light Radio in Boise (affiliated with EWTN) is one of those hundreds (thousands?) of stations that transmit from the great work God has done through that one little nun! The radio here in 3 years has grown to 2 more in nearby towns, and was all started by a few “radical Catholics” who also heard one of those stations, and followed “the call” they received (it took them 10 years to get’er done). We hear daily of the conversions and re-versions from the transmitted “Word of God”.
A phrase from “Desiderata” comes to mind ... “with all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world”... God knows what He’s doing. Praise Him! .. and I WILL share the top 8 things that Mother Angelica teaches!
God Blessings on Mother Angelica & everyone there. I cant extol everything Mother & Jesus did for us. I dont know where we would be without her.
Yes, I also enjoyed hearing your story on “Life on the Rock”. I was attracted to Raymond Arroyo’s book on Mother Angelica and then discovered EWTN while channel surfing. Last August I ventured to celebrate the 30th anniversary in Birmingham and then visited the Shrine in Hanceville. I’m so grateful to the Holy Spirit for leading me this way. However, I have an older son who claims to be a “Secular Humanist” and thus my faith can be an “uphill battle” at times. Last week-end my 4 yr. old grand-daughter said,“We don’t care about God”. She surprised me, and I told her that even if she didn’t care about God, God cares about her and loves her very much”.
There is a lot to ponder here. I have so much difficulty when it comes to doing the things that I feel God is calling me to do. 1) I am always afraid of the work that it will involve; 2) I am always afraid of the sacrifice it will involve; and 3) I tend to think that I have to figure things out and have my ducks in a row before moving forward. There’s a lot to be learned from that spunky nun.
My late father who was a poet, an author of over 40 books, an officer and a politician, told me that the different between a successful person and one who fails is that the successful person has the courage to follow their dreams and refuse to let failures or their fear discourage them. This is so true of Mother Angelica and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
When you’re very young, you think all you need is a dream. As you grow up you begin to understand that a little prudence is needed, too. What inspires me about Mother A. is how she never stopped learning as she went along. She got a great idea; she launched it; she kept working at is, bit by bit, day by day. And look at the results!
Thanks for a great piece, Jennifer!
Jennifer, I loved your segment on LOTR. I’ve been reading your blog for awhile and heard your conversion story several times, but your interview had some new insights and information that I found really interesting. Thanks also for this column - I’m not very familiar with EWTN or Mother Angelica, but now I am very curious to learn more. It sounds like all of us could learn a lot from this “dodo.”
I too watched Jeniffer’s discussion with Fr. Mark and was encouraged by her (your) efforts in shaping healthy perspective. I am completely new to your site, however, was drawn and encouraged to contribute by all that was said by you, Raymond, and your fellow contributors. I can add very little but this one comment she made. When you are asked by God to do some “thing” and you embrace it He will embrace you and your efforts. If you get ahead of Him or behind Him then you will have trouble. This is a very close paraphrase of what she said.
Great article, Jennifer. I just learned who Mother Angelica was about 2 years ago when I came back to the church. I love Mother and the book Raymond wrote about her. It made me laugh and cry. Your article brings us the important points about Mother and EWTN.
Thanks Jen. Great post as always! I’m hooked to EWTN all the time.
Thank you, Jennifer! I love your 8 observations. “radical faith” - yes, from the “root”, basic fundamental…. We carry on! Just now I watched “Vaticano”, when Michael Warsaw, the President of EWTN and chief editor of the National Catholic Register, spoke at the opening of the EWTN Office in Rome, Italy, remembering Mother Angelica and her radical faith!
WOW!!!! What an inspiration…even tho im not a. Catholic. I still love and get inspired by mother A all the time…May God bless you both and thank you for writting this wonderful story about an incredable lwoman of God.
I love this post, and I love Mother Angelica for the same reasons you do! I wish we could find all the Mother Angelica’s out there and support them….who else is ‘just doing it’....‘being ridiculous so that God can do the impossible’....feeling lonely and unsupported in efforts to change the culture????? Let us know and I’ll try to support them! Charlotte
C Ostermann - another other out there is Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God. She is a convert from Jewish Religion & what a great speaker she is. You can catch her about 2 Wednesday’s a month on Catholic Answers live at 7 PM Eastern time.
I want to wish you a happy birthday.
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