Backstage at EWTN while Life on the Rock airs
Hello all!
So, the show is on the air—people seem to be liking it—and my interview on EWTN’s Life on the Rock has come and gone. I had a wonderful time at EWTN when I went out there for the show. Everyone I met was SO nice, and Doug and Father Mark Mary were great interviewers. The photo above is a screen grab of my video from the control room. I actually set my mini camera back there to tape the behind the scenes while I was on Life on the Rock. I have yet to watch it, but I can’t wait. It’s fascinating to see all the technical stuff the talented EWTN staff does to make their shows go live. I don’t think you can truly appreciate all their hard work until you see it in action.
We’ve been getting a lot of wonderfully kind and encouraging emails from people who have seen the show—thanks to you all for that! I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. It’s nice to know what people think of the show, now that it’s out there.
So far, we’ve only gotten two negative emails—perhaps the others are being sent directly to EWTN… LOL. Who knows. But even the two negative emails have me thinking—it’s amazing how negative comments seem to stand out so much more than positive ones. (All the more reason to let EWTN know if you like the show by emailing them at viewer@ewtn.com!!) I think that’s true of everything negative in life—we remember negative experiences much more than positive ones. Or maybe it’s just me… LOL. And I must say, I honestly appreciate the negative comments we get—I certainly don’t think we did anything perfectly with the show, and—trust me!—I know how flawed I am, so I’m always on the lookout for ways to get it better.
Still, I have to say that the thing that struck me about these two emails is not necessarily that they were negative, but how negative they were in tone. That is what got me thinking. That paired with this Sunday’s Gospel (John 8:1-11)—the story of the woman caught in adultery and of Jesus telling her would-be stoners that he who is without sin could be the first to throw a stone. And combine that with a recent quote my sister sent me… and Lent. Oh, heck. It’s all just got me thinking, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. Not in the sense of dishing, mind you. But in the sense that… well, shouldn’t we always be on the lookout for ways to become better Christians? Better people?
Ok, so my first negative comment was this one:
“Recent [sic] viewed the episode on Mother Drexel. You did NOT have correct information. She was a convert and the Drexel family did NOT build the mother house and school. You presented the material in such a fashion as to make her story fictional from the truth.
Please correct this. By your actions you do the Church a disservice.”
So, I responded to this email by saying that I think this person confused St. Katharine Drexel—Catholic from birth—with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the convert. An easy mistake, I think, so I could hardly blame anyone from making it. I went back to my script to see what I said about the Drexel family building what is today the National Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel. I didn’t say that, and I said so in my response. I also told the emailer that all of our scripts are reviewed, not only by people at each location, but also by EWTN’s theology department. Any historical or theological mistakes on my part (and I grant, there have been many) were caught before we even went to shoot.
The second email was in response to a comment I made on Life on the Rock, when I said (quoting here b/c I have a DVD of the show):
“What that little segment says is, Number One: this isn’t your grandmother’s Catholic TV show… right? This is new, this is something new. And Number Two: we’re gonna teach you something….”
Here’s the email:
“Our family watched you recently on Life On the Rock. We are always enthused to learn more of our wonderful Catholic faith. But we took offense at your statement that “this is not your grandmother’s” Catholic TV program “and you will learn something.” What an insult!!! Just because you are blessed to have the newest in technology is no reason to insult Catholic programming two generations ago, when they, too, used what was then the newest in technology. Our grandparents had solid Catholic teaching. And to imply that you couldn’t learn something from our “grandmothers'” Catholic programs, but NOW thanks to you we can really learn… ! That came across as arrogant. Yes, you are “cool” in your presentation and fast-changing images (an addiction of the current culture), but that is no reason NOT to express respect and gratitude for what was available two generations ago. Let’s honor, publicly, the older generation of Catholics. They have learned more than you think, but are humble about it. Clever, cute dialogues (which borders on silliness) and high-tech filming doesn’t mean spiritual depth. Just watch Mother Angelica sit in one place in a plain brown habit on a very simple TV “set” for a whole hour and be ASTOUNDED and captivated by spiritual richness! from a family with several young adults (so we are not out-of-touch with the culture!)”
So many things to say about this. First, I’ll tell you what I said to this emailer. I very vividly remember saying this on the show, mostly because as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I though, “Oh… darn. Somebody is going to be offended.” Has that ever happened to you? You’re being interviewed on live TV, and you say something that you’ve said a lot in everyday conversation, but which you know, heard by someone who doesn’t know you and doesn’t know where this comment is coming from, might take offense to it?
Oh. What? You’ve never been interviewed on live TV?… LOL. Which brings me to the second thing I said to this emailer: it’s hard to think when you’re being interviewed on live TV. Let me tell you, the fact that this was the worst thing I said that night brings me much joy… LOL. Oh, to think of all the stupid things that come out of my mouth on a regular basis…
Come on, people. Which one of you doesn’t make mistakes? Or say something dumb every now and then? Throw your rocks! (Didja go to Mass this Sunday…? LOL)
So, while I recognize that what I said could have been (and was obviously) misconstrued, I stand by my statement. Let me ‘splain. “The Faithful Traveler isn’t your grandmother’s Catholic TV show” is actually something I’ve said quite often. I’ve only said it once on live TV… LOL. Now, why do I say it? Well… because it’s TRUE. I mean, come on. It’s not anybody’s TV show. It’s mine. But, if I were to take the statement at its most literal… let’s think about what Catholic TV programs were being produced during my grandmother’s heyday (both of my grandmothers are still alive, thank God).
The only one that comes to mind is the great Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s “Life is Worth Living.” Now, to say that my show isn’t “Life is Worth Living” is true on so many levels. First of all, I could NEVER compare myself, or even think of myself anywhere near this great, great man. I adore Fulton Sheen. I think he was pure brilliance. But let’s be honest here, my show is completely different from his. Aside from not being anywhere near as brilliant as “Life is Worth Living”, “The Faithful Traveler” is completely different in content and style. There is no arguing that. I don’t have the theological chops to do what Archbishop Sheen did. Nor do I have his presence. I couldn’t pull it off! Granted, many of us couldn’t. Mother Angelica, Scott Hahn, Archbishop Timothy Dolan… these are the “big boys”. I’m nothing compared to them, and I certainly don’t pretend to be.
Now, I’m not going to even try to figure out what other Catholic TV programs were being made during my grandmother’s day, but the point I am trying to make is that The Faithful Traveler is stylistically different than shows produced in the 1950s. Or the 60s, 70s, etc. We use modern techniques of editing and apply it to something traditional: pilgrimage. It hasn’t been done, and that’s a fact.
Here’s something else we’re not: Bob & Penny Lord. I can’t tell you how much I hear that: “You’re the next Bob and Penny Lord!” I know it’s meant as a compliment, and having met the Lords, I must say, I know it’s a compliment. To say that Bob & Penny Lord are loved is an understatement to the Nth degree. And I can honestly tell you that Bob & Penny Lord are not only the nicest people ever, they are also very devout and clearly very much in love. But let me tell you something: we’re not Bob & Penny Lord. We’re David & Diana von Glahn. Chocolate to their vanilla. Or Chubby Hubby to their Pfish Food. We’re different. So is everyone else. This is not news.
During our episode on St. Alphonsus Church in Baltimore, Monsignor Arthur Bastress was talking about the different types of Masses—the Novus Ordo and the Traditional Latin Mass—and he challenged the belief that one is better than the other. “They are just different,” he said. He spoke about how often people think there is only one way of “getting to God.” “None of the Apostles were alike,” he said. And that struck me. Paul was not Peter was not Philip was not Andrew, and so on. And you know what? That’s a GOOD THING. Our differences show God’s greatness, and it’s by using our differences that we can draw a variety of people closer to Him.
So, Bob & Penny do it their way—God love ‘em—and we do it in a completely different manner. One way is not better. Just different.
And that’s what it seems this emailer thought I was saying: that other/older shows were less valuable than ours. I don’t see how one point leads to the other. Saying that our show is different from shows that came before does not necessarily imply that all shows that came before were of lesser quality than our show. The logic fails.
It also seems that the emailer thought that, when I said “We’re going to teach you something,” I meant that all those others shows didn’t teach you anything. I actually meant it as a secondary point: that’s why I said, “Number Two.”
“That came across as arrogant!” the emailer said. LOL. You think?! It totally would have… had that been what I said.
The thing that got me, and the reason behind my sharing this with you, was the nastiness in both emails. The first emailer pointed out what he believed to be incorrect statements I made, which was fair. But he then accused me of doing a “disservice to the Church.” Really? Was that necessary? Especially considering that I was right…
The second emailer jumped to various and sundry conclusions about my thoughts and beliefs based on what he/she thought he/she had heard me say. And that I find really disturbing. Mostly because I think that’s something a lot of us do. We hear things that aren’t said based on our own sensitivities. We take offense to implications that we hear, even though the speaker might not have said them. We judge one another.
Now, granted, I know what the Bible says about correcting one other. I also know what the Bible says about judging one another. And we all recently heard what Jesus said about stoning those who have sinned (throw that stone!). I’m not saying that we should never point out when someone does or says something wrong or sinful. What I am saying is that the way we do it can either effect change or just create sin. And if we call ourselves Christians—Christ bearers—I think it behooves us to at least TRY to be charitable when we’re pointing out that someone makes a mistake.
“Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause.”
–St. John Cantius
This brings to mind the quote my sister sent me earlier this week:
“Devout people are, as a class, the least kind of all classes. This is a scandalous thing to say; but the scandal of the fact is so much greater than the scandal of acknowledging it, that I will brave this last, for the sake of a greater good. Religious people are an unkindly lot. Poor human nature cannot do everything; and kindness is too often left uncultivated, because men do not sufficiently understand its value. Men may be charitable, yet not kind; merciful, yet not kind; self-denying, yet not kind. If they would add a little common kindness to their uncommon graces, they would convert ten where they now only abate the prejudices of one. There is a sort of spiritual selfishness in devotion, which is rather to be regretted than condemned. I should not like to think it is unavoidable. Certainly its interfering with kindness is not unavoidable. It is only a little difficult, and calls for watchfulness. Kindness, as a grace, is certainly not sufficiently cultivated, while the self-gravitating, self-contemplating, self- inspecting parts of the spiritual life are cultivated too exclusively. Rightly considered, kindness is the grand cause of God in the world. Where it is natural, it must forthwith be supernaturalized. Where it is not natural, it must be supernaturally planted. What is our life? It is a mission to go into every corner it can reach, and reconquer for God’s beatitude His unhappy world back to Him. It is a devotion of ourselves to the bliss of the Divine Life by the beautiful apostolate of kindness.”
~Fr. Faber Spiritual Conferences.
So, here’s my thought. Send the negative emails to me or anyone else. Correct someone. Point out an error. But don’t be a jerk about it. Do it with LOVE. Sarcasm, snarkiness, meanness… those attributes are not in line with people who say they are trying to live their lives in imitation of Christ.
And for the record, let me just say:
- I don’t think members of my grandmother’s generation don’t know anything about faith. If it weren’t for the fervent faith and example of my great-grandfather Hippolito Alcaraz, and of his daughter, my grandmother Susana, and of my mother, Silvia, I am sure I’d be headed straight for Hell.
- I don’t disrespect Mother Angelica and everything she did. If I did, I wouldn’t have tried to be on her network.
- “Clever”, “cute”, and “bordering on silliness” dialogues in television shows are not, by definition or necessity, vapid and devoid of spiritual or educational merit. There are countless saints and devout Catholics who have the ability to laugh at themselves, life, you name it. Ever heard of St. Philip Neri?
Moving on now… 😉