From St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, Fr. Norbert Wood, O.Praem, recently warned of some dangers we face in today’s avalanche of social media, and how to manage these risks in a worthwhile contemporary human life.
Focus on what’s important in life
Fr. Norbert emphasized that the overwhelming use of social media makes it very difficult to focus on what is important in life, both for faithful adults and in the formation of their children.
“Our attention gets scattered, and so we start to lose our supernatural perspective on life,” Fr. Norbert cautioned. “We sideline the big picture,” which is reaching God in heaven. He urged people to:
“Ask yourself: is my use of social media keeping me on the ground, earthbound?
“We have to leave space for the Lord!”
Cell phones today have much the same power, keeping many people earthbound and without time for the power of God.
“Don’t use social media as an escape!” Fr. Norbert emphasized.
“God is good; God is not Google!”
The challenge is especially critical for parents, seeking to raise their children as God-loving Christians. They need to set clear, firm rules for use of social media and thus help their children to use it beneficially.
In the constant, dominating use of social media “Our attention gets scattered and we start to lose our supernatural perspective on life.
“We sideline the big picture,” which is the health of our soul. “The health of our soul comes first.”
Fr. Norbert emphasized that “we have to leave space for the Lord.”
Overuse of social media can leave a person too dependent on it, making it easy to miss the centrality of our human life’s connection to God.
People can help put things in better order in various ways. A key point is to be less competitive. Don’t try to be the first person to spread news, which Fr. Norbert suggests is egocentric.
What can I do?
When people feel they are addicted to their cell phone, or are becoming, addicted, they can fight against the threat by:
- Increase the time you give to God, and
- Get spiritual help, which begins with admitting that you cannot manage your use of social media, and then, if necessary get spiritual help.
“I need to be humble, and realize that I cannot do it on my own,” sums up the St. Michael’s Abbey priest.
The Power and the Glory
Fr. Norbert visualized today’s dilemma of social media as a powerful outside agent by referring to the climactic scene in Graham Greene’s novel “The Power and the Glory,” an account of the social struggle in Mexico’s revolution a century ago.
The alcoholic priest, who is the novel’s central figure, faces death by firing squad. He has only a whiskey flask at hand. Greene describes the desolate priest as feeling “like someone who has missed happiness by seconds at an appointed place.”
Overuse of social media can leave a person too dependent on it, making it easy to miss the centrality of our human life’s connection to God.
St. Michael’s Abbey, deep in the rugged mountains of rural Orange County, is a community of 80 men who follow a 900-year-old discipline. Earlier this year the community completed a beautiful new abbey and large chapel to accommodate its growing numbers of priests.
RELATED RESOURCES:
——————-
You must be logged in to post a comment.