August 28, 2022 - Pastor Message
04/30/2024THE YEAR OF HEALTH
COMMUNAL HEALTH
“Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil…No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ” (Ephesians 4:25-27, 29-32).
One of the most unhealthy communities that almost all of us are part of in some way has to be the world wide web. This is nowhere truer than on the various social media sites. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and countless others like them provide online spaces for people from all over the world to connect with one another and share images and ideas that, in theory, should bring all of us closer together. Unfortunately, the reality is that these sites just as often, if not more so, become spaces where people tear each other down and divide people into warring factions. The illusion of anonymity that these spaces provide, with the use of fictional usernames and avatars, and the social distance they afford, encourage the basest of human behaviors, things that people would barely even imagine saying or doing in person but become fair game on the internet. Most of these sites do have a code of conduct with procedures for suspending or even expelling the worst offenders, but the sheer number of users makes effectively policing them all but impossible, as does the fact that the people responsible for policing them are often just as vicious, biased, and spiteful as the people they are supposed to be policing. While much good can be accomplished through social media (even the pope has a Twitter page), it can also create a toxic community that harms everyone it touches.
How do we bring healing to that community, or, at the very least, how can we reduce the harm it can do to us and our families? I suggest three things. The first, and probably the easiest, step, is to regularly unplug from the internet and social media, what has become known as a social media fast. This means simply taking a break from the internet and social media, perhaps one day a week, like every Friday, which is already a day of fasting and penance for us as Catholics, or one weekend a month, or perhaps a longer period, like a 40-day fast from social media during Lent. The point is to regularly remove ourselves from that toxic community so that we can heal psychologically and spiritually and return to the internet later with a healthier attitude and healthier message for others.
Which brings us to the second step we can take to heal the online community, committing ourselves to sharing only positive messages with others, as St. Paul advises the Ephesians above, communicating the truth with kindness, compassion, and mercy. We can, and at times even should, be angry, as was Jesus at times, but we must never let our anger pour out into hate meant to harm others. Rather, we should always be focused on what can edify and build others up, calling on the Holy Spirit to guide us. Only light can drive out darkness, so let us be the light on social media for others by sharing only positive messages.
The third, and most difficult step, we can take to bring healing online is to start our own webpages and social media sites on which to share positive messages with others. This is the most difficult step because it requires a working knowledge of the technology and programming needed to host one’s own site and also a huge investment of time and resources. That said, it can be done. Catholic social media apps, like Catholic Connect (https://catholicconnect.io/), and websites, like Catholic Moms Group (https://www.catholicmomsgroup.com/), were started by dedicated lay people, just like you, who saw a need for the healing light of the Gospel online and took steps to make it happen. Whatever steps we take, social media fasting, sharing positive messages on existing sites, creating new sites, or something else entirely, may we all do whatever we can to bring healing to the online community that so desperately needs it.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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