That was the question put to Father Raymond de Souza today as he addressed Corpus Christi/St. Mark's students at UBC.
The good father, who writes regularly for The National Post, was unhesitant in his response. The Lord, who communicated and evangelized so well with people, would probably not Tweet the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus spoke directly with people, Father de Souza pointed out, and although it's true that in His day the height of written communications technology was parchment and ink, perhaps there's something significant about the fact He chose that time to come to earth. "The path of the Gospel, of Salvation history, is personal," Father de Souza said. "It's one on one."
While he admits he doesn't use Twitter, that doesn't necessarily mean Jesus wouldn't. Modern media can be a bridge in communications, he said. "It might be an imperfect bridge," but where it can help improve communications, it is a positive development.
Modern communications technology makes it easier to find information and can help people feel less alone. Those are positives. "Virtual communities are not real communities, but they're not nothing."
Father de Souza is in Vancouver speaking to priests of the archdiocese of Vancouver about Catholic social communications as part of The B.C. Catholic's expanded readership initiative that will see the paper going into half of Catholic homes within the next couple of years.
Fr. De Souza is right in saying that "Virtual communities are not real communities, but they're not nothing." One must remember that cyberspace abstracts reality and should never be mistaken for the actual thing, the real world. The Word did not become image and sound, but became flesh, something real. Every apostolate today certainly sees the importance of using the internet as a force for good, but at the same time there’s a strong counter-force using the technology for evil. After all it's used for such hehumanizing things as pornography, gambling and internet crime. Virtual reality should never be taken as end in itself, especially for Christians. However, it can be utilized as a means to an end, a way of evangelizing. Just remember you cannot truly and fully be a Good Samaritan over the internet. It may begin there, but it must end in our efforts to build the real kingdom, in a real society with real people that try to live out both Truth and Charity.
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Lou Iacobelli
I agree. I also emphasized in a blog posting regarding this event at Corpus Christi that Twitter is unique in that only 140 characters can be communicated at one time. Having said that, perhaps communication which takes place on Twitter should be viewed more like sign posts - using Twitter, you can say something quick to direct someone towards some end, rather than an opportunity to develop a relationship.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.networkinginvancouver.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/what-would-jesus-tweet/
Perhaps Jesus wouldn't tweet a comment like "why weren't you at church last week?" but rather, "daylight savings time - don't go to a late mass of you're gonna miss it"