MOTHER ANGELICA. Should be singled out for her own exceptional spirituality.
FOR YEARS now, we’ve been getting our “spiritual vitamins” from watching Mother Angelica’s shows on EWTN. A serious illness prevented the acclaimed televangelist from doing live shows, but replays of her past telecasts are readily available, and they remained viewable and topically pertinent through the years.
Last week, however, Mother Angelica passed away, so her millions of loyal and loving viewers are mourning her loss—and celebrating her iconic and unique contributions to spiritual broadcasting.
All by her lonesome—and with the help of Divine Providence—the once-obscure nun parlayed only a few thousands of dollars into a global TV network that has done what other, more “official” church organizations failed to do: not just make the Catholic Church’s teachings reach out to viewers all over the world, but make them mean something personal and significant to them.
She did all this by being naturally and candidly personal on-camera, ad-libbing from the heart about God’s love for all mankind.
Hearty humor
Before her, only Bishop Fulton Sheen had effectively used radio and television to spread the Catholic faith—but their communication styles were markedly different. His was impressively “oratorical,” with incisive theological insights, delivered with grand flourishes and flashing eyes.
Contrastingly, she was “just folks,” relying on homespun wisdom and hearty humor to delight and move viewers.
Instructively, Sheen is now on his way to sainthood—so, we trust that “everybody’s Mother” will eventually be similarly singled out for her own obviously exceptional spirituality.
Fact is, some years ago, Mother Angelica herself was the recipient of a divine act of healing, which was caught on-cam.
For a very long time, she had been suffering from a severe medical condition that caused her much pain, which she bore with great heroism and stoicism. Then, all of a sudden, she was healed—and the joy on her face was moving and exhilarating to behold.
Despite all of the divine and human attention she garnered, however, Mother Angelica remained God’s humble (albeit antically articulate) servant until she passed away. She didn’t really have to say much about herself, because everyone was singing her praises, and deservedly so. —Especially at her funeral, where the words of gratitude and love expressed by many of her “children” were like angels’ wings that lifted her up to heaven!
Mother Angelica is now with the angels—where she belongs.