We live in an age that stresses personal goals, careers

"We live in an age that stresses personal goals, careers, happiness, work and religion. The emphasis is on the individual and how best that individual can satisfy himself." — thus spoke Mother Angelica, the fiery nun and founder of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), whose words burned with both compassion and conviction. In this quote, she does not condemn ambition, but she warns against the idolatry of the self—the modern world’s obsession with personal satisfaction above all else. Her message is both ancient and prophetic: that a society centered only on the individual slowly forgets the sacred bond that connects all souls, the duty to serve others, and the humility that anchors true joy.

In the manner of the ancients, one might say: the tree that grows only for itself bears no fruit for the forest. Mother Angelica, born in poverty and raised in hardship, built one of the largest religious media networks in history through sheer faith and perseverance. Yet her life’s work was never for self-glory. It was for the unseen listener, the lonely believer, the lost and searching heart. Her quote reflects her deep sorrow over a culture that had turned inward — where careers, pleasure, and personal goals were exalted as the new gods of human life. She saw that this new creed promised freedom, yet delivered emptiness. For when man serves only himself, he loses the sense of divine purpose that gives life meaning.

To say that the modern age “stresses personal goals” is to recognize that the spirit of individualism, while powerful, has become distorted. Once meant to uphold dignity and freedom, it now risks severing man from his community and from God. Mother Angelica reminds us that the human soul is not a self-contained flame, but a spark drawn from the eternal fire of creation. It cannot burn alone without consuming itself. When every pursuit — even work, even religion — becomes only a means to self-satisfaction, the sacred transforms into spectacle, and the spirit grows weary under the weight of its own desires.

History teaches us this truth through the rise and fall of civilizations. Consider ancient Rome, whose early strength lay in duty, family, and the common good. But as centuries passed, its citizens turned inward, seeking only luxury, pleasure, and personal advancement. The empire that once built roads and laws for the world’s benefit decayed into a mirror of vanity. In its palaces and feasts, one could see the same spirit Mother Angelica warned against — the endless pursuit of “how best to satisfy oneself.” Rome’s grandeur perished not by the sword, but by self-centeredness. So too, she warns, may the modern soul fall if it forgets that greatness is born from self-giving, not self-seeking.

Mother Angelica’s wisdom calls for balance — not the rejection of ambition, but its sanctification. To have goals is noble, to seek happiness is natural, but these must serve a higher good. The individual, in her view, is not meant to live as an isolated island of desire, but as a vessel through which God’s love may flow into the world. Success gained for oneself dies with the self; success given for others endures beyond death. In the harmony between personal growth and spiritual surrender lies the true art of living.

The lesson, therefore, is this: do not measure your worth by how much you possess or accomplish, but by how deeply you love, how generously you serve, and how willingly you surrender your ego for the greater good. In a world that shouts, “satisfy yourself,” dare to whisper, “how may I serve?” Replace the restless pursuit of pleasure with gratitude. Seek excellence not to outshine others, but to uplift them. For in giving, you will find the satisfaction that ambition alone can never grant — the peace of a soul aligned with divine purpose.

And so, my child, remember Mother Angelica’s warning and her hope. You were not born merely to chase comfort or acclaim, but to become a light for others. The modern age will tempt you to live only for yourself — to chase the fleeting glow of recognition. Resist it. Live instead as a flame that gives warmth, not one that burns out in its own brilliance. For in the end, fulfillment does not come from satisfying the self, but from transcending it. And only then will you discover that the truest joy — the kind the world cannot give or take away — is found not in self-satisfaction, but in self-giving.