By Perry West
Birmingham, Ala., Nov 6, 2018 / 12:39 pm
EWTN released Thursday a box-set compilation of Mother Angelica's spiritual writings.
The Spiritual Wisdom of Mother Angelica is a seven-book box set made up of pamphlets and mini-books she had written during the late 1970s. The writings were compiled by EWTN and the box set was released Nov. 1.
Father Joseph Wolfe, the chaplain for EWTN, said Mother Angelica's advice was relatable because she had undergone such sufferings as the divorce of her parents.
"She could speak to people because she understood. She could have compassion on their suffering because she knew what it was to suffer, lose heart and hope," he told CNA.
"She wanted to speak to the man in the pew so her teaching is not high theology… It was something that was practical, living it out in your day to day life."
The seven books are titled: Praying with Mother Angelica, Christ and our Lady, Suffering and Burnout, Guide to the Sacraments, Prayer and Living for the Kingdom, Guide to Practical Holiness, and God: his Home and his Angels.
Wolfe said a good portion of these pamphlets were written by Mother Angelica during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The first book, Praying with Mother Angelica, involves her meditations on the rosary and other prayers.
"She would describe it as these booklets were born of light. That's how she would describe this inspiration she would get when she was in adoration with the Blessed Sacrament," he said.
After she would write down a spiritual topic, other sisters of Our Lady of the Angels monastery would copy them down in pamphlets and booklets. Wolfe said the distribution of these booklets helped promote Mother Angelica to the media world and create EWTN.
"She would write down these different spiritual topics and then … these little spiritual teachings were put into little booklets. These eventually got spread around and Mother started to get invitations to radio and television interviews, which led … [to] the beginning of EWTN."
Wolfe said one of his favorite spiritual tidbits from the book involves a consistent theme Mother Angelica used throughout her ministry – the search for God in the present moment.
"Every moment in life is like a clean white sheet of paper on which we can write a new love song to the Lord," Wolfe quoted from Prayer and Living for the Kingdom.
He explained that resentment can cause someone to live in the past and anxiety can force someone to live in the future, but neither of these states are really living.
"We can live in the past, we can live in the future, but all we have is right now this present moment …which is all I have, is how I show my love for [God]," he said.
EWTN Global Catholic Network was launched in 1981 by Mother Angelica of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. The largest religious media network in the world, it reaches more than 275 million television households in more than 145 countries and territories.
In addition to 11 television channels in multiple languages, EWTN platforms include radio services through shortwave and satellite radio, SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 AM & FM affiliates. EWTN publishes the National Catholic Register, operates a religious goods catalogue, and in 2015 formed EWTN Publishing in a joint venture with Sophia Institute Press. Catholic News Agency is also part of the EWTN family.
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