The children of the 90’s grew up watching video cassettes and listening
to tape recorders. A decade later, the
‘snake’ game on a black and white Nokia became a definite craze. Alongside came
regular doses of varied digital games. Today’s infant is born into a world of
I-pads, androids, PS-4s, YouTube and on goes the list.
While it might amuse us to see our tech-savvy children
learn the features of an ‘app’ so quickly, or beat our score on a high level
video game, we wonder about the messages these little minds receive. When
encouraging access to social media in our homes, we can only be safe if we
adhere to the principles that we have been baptised into, the principles of
Christianity.
Let us quickly peek into the digital capacity of our Christian
lives before we glance back into our nearest gadget.
-
Being faithful
on Facebook: A Catholic shoulders the great responsibility
of uplifting oneself, another and being faithful to the church. Something as little
as a status update can go a long way in bringing the life of a reader in your
social circle to a new beginning, to salvation, to Christ. What a promising
platform for proclamation!
(Psalm 145:12 So that all people may know
of your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.)
-
Tweet about the
Gospel: ‘I will sing of the mercies of
the Lord forever’ (Ps89). There are always days when we are overwhelmed and
wonderstruck by God’s love for us. Let us not forget to tweet about it! Let the
Gospel trend because of you! - #BecauseHeLives #JesusIsLord #TheGoodNews #HolyTrinityOneGod #ChooseJesus #GreatIsThyFaithfulness
-
Use Websites
for Insights: ‘The more we hear the Word
of God, the better will we know Him’. If I have access to a celeb-gossip
website, I surely have access to an online bible. The condition of our lives is
a result of the choices we make. Let’s make the right choices.
-
Insta-Everything
:
Just like I can upload a pic instantly, edit it even quicker and share it even
faster, I can offer to pull up novena prayers and other litanies in my zonal
prayer meetings to maximise devotional participation. I could perhaps initiate
a zonal ‘WhatsApp’ group that
instantly helps me share positive thoughts for the day with my community
members, build unity and encourage pastoral initiative.
-
‘I’ touch:
No
matter how much we socialise via digital media, it can never compensate for a
real pat on the back, a friendly hand-shake, a meaningful conversation, a kiss
on the cheek or a tight hug. Jesus personally touched and healed. So must we. Msns, emails, SMSs, Hike and G-talk - these might help us connect, but take
away from us our core nature, of being human. #ThinkAboutIt
-
Proof-read:
As
much as in a hurry we are these days, let us pause to check if our outgoing
message is – IMPORTANT, USEFUL and TRUE. Only after this 3 point check, should
we let our words go out to meet their fate.
In
conclusion, as an exercise of a faithful Christian exposed to
the enveloping snares of mass media, let us pray the Our Father daily, with earnest stress on the words – ‘Lead us not
into temptation’; that the Lord may guard our hearts and minds against all that
is not from His Kingdom.
Let us also assess our closeness to our
creator versus the world by thinking about – ‘What is the first thing that I do
after waking up and the last before going to bed?’
Though a worldly urge may beep, may our inner
voice always let the answer be, ‘The Word of My Lord’
Nice article @Venora 👍🙂
ReplyDelete