Notes from the 2016 Notre Dame Symposium 2: Liturgy in a Digital World

DANIELLA ZSUSPAN-JEROME: "Digital Media and the Liturgical Capacity of the Christian"

The myth of the Golem (Jewish) symbol of dark side of technology... he was a created monster... Digital technology is our Golem today.  Digital culture has spiritual implications  profound relationship to the liturgy.

Not talking about technology IN the liturgy. EWTN Mass -example: book, glasses, TV camera... We forget these are also forms of human technology.

Techne (Greek) =art, skill or craft

Practical things that extend human capacity - always paired with human action

Technology sometimes has become symbol in the liturgy.  Candle is example. So is microphone headset... it means leadership.

However, objects and tools matter. They make sense in broader cultural context. Multiple meanings "Madonna headset" became a name for the headset mic, for example.

Technology always has a interactive human element.

Digital culture has subcultures, lots of layers.

LENSES to look at technology:

• Values - innovation participation, ubiquity, collaboration simultaneity, creativity
• Beliefs - newer is better, belonging matters over content, partipation matters, access is possible
• Practices - (missed it - sorry)
• Artifacts- mobile devices with cameras, apps, bio-responsive technology, social media platforms, Internet of Things

Curation - focusing and filtering information to avoid information overload. Individuals choose trusted filters.  The Missal and Lectionary are  examples of curation of texts.

Key question: How do we (re)establish the liturgy as primary curator of meaning?

Connection: we are plugged in all the time and loosely connected to others through information... Belonging to the network.  Continuous partial attention. We are not in the habit of going deep.

How can the liturgy be way to move us from connection to communion?

Self instrumentalization. Data about us is currency of digital age. As data we are means to an end. We are willing to do this as a price for continual connection. Violent communication is one outcome. (We are critical and some people do not care what they say (trolls)

How do we recover encounter instead of instrumentality and primacy of person in communion?

Liturgy gives us an Incarnational model for culture, including digital culture. see Ad Gentes 10

The incarnation speaks to digital culture. Communion et progressio 11. 

Liturgy embodies culture. Offers context for how incarnation offers model for digital world

Communicating in the manner of the incarnation:

• Listen First - Mary as open to welcome the Word her fiat is trust choosing a posture of -trust and authenticity 
• Words  Give Life -  Mary with child in womb - mutual encounter communication - body and presence
• Self Gift in Love  Christ is perfect communicator. Communication begets communion. Deeper connection  to liturgy
• Bear the Fruit  - openness to Spirit... faithful and authentic communication Galations 5:22 in the liturgy how do we connect the Word as fruit

What can the liturgy do? What can it not do? What do we want it to do? How can it reveal the pattern of the incarnation? How can it be prophetic?

Q & A

Shallowness of encounter in parish life... Distinction between digital culture and reality is not there

Value of the new. (New is better.)

Relationship between digital culture and the aesthetic....


NEXT NOTES: 3 - "Popular Culture and the New Evangelization"

Time to register: VLCFF Roman Missal Implementation Course

Beginning August 7 there will be another opportunity to take the 5-week University of Dayton online course "Roman Missal: Preparing for the New Translation."  This will be my third time as facilitator of this particular course - and I can tell you this is a great experience for parish leaders and high-functioning catechists. The course walks students through the changes in the people's parts of the Mass, the possible benefits of helping Catholics to renew their understanding of the Mass, and allows leaders to work through some strategies and ways of speaking about the changes to people in their parishes, sharing ideas and challenges along the way. It's a good opportunity to work through some issues, and hear from other leaders.

Register here

Course Summary:

In the U.S. on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011, we will implement the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. Unlike the revised liturgy of over forty years ago, we will not see any major changes to the way we celebrate Mass. What will be different is the translation, a slight rearrangement of the texts in the book itself, the addition of some new prefaces, new proper prayers for the saints that have recently been added to the church calendar. Most of this the average person in the pew won't even notice. What will be noticed is the people's responses. Just as we learned the English responses fairly quickly over four decades ago, we will no doubt do the same with these new texts now. Why this new Roman Missal? Why the new translation? What opportunities does this have for us to learn more about Mass and pray better? These and other such questions will be addressed in this course.

What is "Authenticity of Life"?

Today was the 45th annual World Communication Day in the Church, and as usual, there was a papal statement attached to the event. This year's title is  "Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age".  The phrase "authenticity of life" particularly jumped out at me, because I have been reflecting recently on what that means in point 8 in the Vatican's 1993 "Guide for Catechists". Here it is:

8. Coherence and authenticity of life. The work of catechists involves their whole being. Before they preach the word, they must make it their own and live by it . "The world (...) needs evangelizers who speak of a God that they know and who is familiar to them, as if they saw the Invisible".  What catechists teach should not be a purely human science nor the sum of their personal opinions but the Church's faith, which is the same throughout the world, which they themselves live and whose witnesses they are.

Hence the need for coherence and authenticity of life. Before doing the catechesis one must first of all be a catechist. The truth of their lives confirms their message. It would be sad if they did not "practice what they preached" and spoke about a God of whom they had theoretical knowledge but with whom they had no contact. They should apply to themselves the words of St. Mark concerning the vocation of the apostles: "He appointed twelve, to be his companions and to be sent out to preach" (Mk 3:14-15).

Authenticity of life means a life of prayer, experience of God and fidelity to the action of the Holy Spirit. It implies a certain intensity and an internal and external orderliness, adapted to the various personal and family situations of each. It might be objected that catechists, being members of the laity, cannot have a structured spiritual life like that of religious and that therefore they must content themselves with something less. But in every life situation, whether one is engaged in secular work or in the ministry, it is possible for everyone, priest, religious or lay person, to attain a high degree of communion with God and an ordered rhythm of prayer, including the finding of times of silence for entering more deeply into the contemplation of God. The more intense and real one's spiritual life is, the more convincing and efficacious will one's witness and activity be....

Compare what Pope Benedict says today of the online persona:

In the digital age too, everyone is confronted by the need for authenticity and reflection. Besides, the dynamic inherent in the social networks demonstrates that a person is always involved in what he or she communicates. When people exchange information, they are already sharing themselves, their view of the world, their hopes, their ideals. It follows that there exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world: this takes the form of a communication which is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others. To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one’s own digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically. Furthermore, it is also true in the digital world that a message cannot be proclaimed without a consistent witness on the part of the one who proclaims it. In these new circumstances and with these new forms of expression, Christian are once again called to offer a response to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is within them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).

So, what is "authenticity of life?"  It means that what you see is what you get.  A true Christian witness, whether acting as a catechist or interacting online preaches the Gospel at all times because he or she lives it. In the words at the Ordination Rite of a priest or deacon being presented with the Book of the Gospels., a catechist is asked to "Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach."  At all times.

A catechist - or any true Christian - should not have a separate church life and another public life.  How we conduct ourselves every day, whether online, in the classroom, in the workplace or other public forum should be of one piece and should always reflect the teachings of Christ and his Church.  Even when dealing with  issues about which we may personally struggle with accepting Church teaching, we must at all times present a coherent picture of that teaching, and not our own opinion. That is what being "authentic" means.  And it's not always easy.  When Christians speak, we represent Christ and his Church - in a world that needs to hear the authentic voice and not just another personal opinion. St. Paul puts it well to the Corinthians:

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms. (1 Cor. 2:12-13)

This is our call - to be effective witnesses - and we are able to do that because, as St. Paul puts it in verse 16, we "have the mind of Christ." Therefore, whenever speaking in public, whether online, or as a catechist, we put our authentic Christ-filled voice at the service of Christ and his Church.

Christian Art & Spiritual Formation: There's Going to be an App for That!

I experienced a wonderful workshop last week on the power of Christian art given by Professor Eileen Daily of Loyola University, Chicago. She offered some interesting, easy steps to lead ordinary people to meditate on Christian art from many eras and artists, using some simple questions to focus.  It was an interesting experience - both when done in a small group and as an individual meditation.

The process involved each person selecting a choice from her collection of art prints removed from purchased books and mounted on cardboard - that they could hold and look at closely during the meditation and discussion time.  We were guided in terms of what to look for in certain genres. I chose the William Blake "Virgin and Child in Egypt", and Andy Warhol's "Camouflage Last Supper" paintings.  It was an "aha" moment for at least several people in the room, including me. I will never look at these in the same way.  However, there is no substitute for standing in front of a real work of art and experiencing it as the artist originally intended. Those experiences have the power to move people even more deeply.

 Daily's own journey to this work began with a powerful moment of conversion that she had in front of a painting in the Vatican Museum of Modern Religious Art, which propelled her on a personal quest that involved a career change and has involved her in academic work in this area, including writing  a teaching guide and CD-Rom called Beyond the Written Word: Exploring Faith Through Christian Art.  

Now Daily is moving her passion to the next level.  The project is to create a mobile app for phones.  The iChristian Art app will be a way to allow people to visit an art museum, stand in front of an artwork and experience it with a guide to scriptural references, symbols, and more. In effect, the art will become catechetical, but "painlessly" so that average people can learn more about scripture and its stories without sitting in a classroom or church.  Daily says, "This project started out as a book but then I realized that most people don't bring reference books to the museum. Ah, but, most people do bring their phones."  Take a look at her eloquent video explanation of what she is working on, here.


This project, however, will need about $9,000 to complete - mostly in terms of getting the hundreds of pages of texts of the meditations included.  If you can help, check out her fundraising page here. 

Where is the App for the New Roman Missal People's Parts?

From the Department of What If...?

What if a Catholic wanted to look at the new people's parts outside of Mass - but they really are more wired than book-based in terms of how they learn and function?  What if there were an app that allowed people to view the new responses, explore a little explanation, and maybe even go to other sites to learn more about the scriptural roots or history of this part of the Mass in the Church?  There are plenty of pamphlets and books for people - but will the average Catholic-on-the-go read them? There are websites aplenty - but you have to know about them or be linked there.... Hmm.

Oh, how I wish I were a software developer!

New Roman Missal Course from University of Dayton VLCFF - Register Now!

A second section has been opened up...  and there is still time to register for the new 5-week online course "Roman Missal: Preparing for the New Translation" which begins its first run on March 13.   I am excited to be one of the facilitators of this excellent course created by Sr. Joyce Ann Zimmerman, which will lead you through the background and meaning of the changes and challenge you to reflect on how you handle change - to prepare you as a parish leader to help others negotiate the changes.  Click the link above to view the course description.

 If you are new to VLCFF, view the course description and then go to the home page and click on the lower left where it says "become a new student" - then click calendar, scroll down to Cycle 2, and find the course name.  Click to register.  If your diocese is a member of VLCFF, the registration fee is $40 - otherwise $90... 

Don't miss this chance to prepare yourself to help your parish become an MRIII - compliant parish that not only complies with the Vatican's desire that we use the new translation, but one that embraces a renewed and fuller understanding of the Eucharist and why the words we say at Mass really do matter!

The Gift of Technology - Online Connection and Learning

Just spent an entire day online in a virtual meeting that was not only exciting and engaging but well worth spending a day on: the annual Diocesan Partner's Convocation for University of Dayton VLCFF (Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation) the brainchild of Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski.   Originally, I had planned to drive to the event, as I had for the past 3 years, but the weather in the Chicago area had other ideas this year.  Actually, except for missing out on the great food, participating through the Virtual Conference Center (VCC) with pretty much half the people at the meeting was almost like being there.

Perfected over the last couple of years, the VCC interface, typical of many webinars in style, is the face of things to come. We could see the PowerPoint, a video and sound feed of what was being said by presenters and those with microphones, and at the same time, could chat with the moderators and other online participants.  In that way, we were able to engage in real dialog with others in the room.  Obviously, this kind of gathering has many possibilities for distance faith formation in the future.

What did I learn today? Quite a bit.  I heard about finalization of courses for the lay ministry formation and youth ministry certificates.  I heard about plans for growth and future certificate programs and courses. I heard about an openness to updating the technology in the original message-board and internal email interface to provide an experience attractive to young adults - and about many other plans... but I also heard a commitment to keeping courses at a basic level and remaining true to the original vision of the VLCFF - to make faith formation accessible to nearly everyone with access to a computer, no matter how slow the connection.

What emerged from the reports and dialog was that the VLCFF is growing rapidly - with increased use across the board each year - including the near-doubling of participants in Spanish online courses in the last year alone.  Registration for the current cycle is over 900 students - from dioceses all over the world.  VLCFF expects to break the 1000-mark soon.  Courses are inexpensive - participants from member dioceses get a discounted price of $30 for 3-week seminars and $40 for a 5-week course.  (Even if your diocese is not a member, the top price for a course is only $90.) Offerings are varied - Catholic belief, scripture, liturgy, media, Christology, ministry competencies, prayer and lots more.

New offerings will include a liturgy track - with one of the first new courses coming later this spring: an online  course on the Revised Roman Missal, created by Sr. Joyce Ann Zimmerman.  (More news about that when it is available)

As a regular facilitator of VLCFF courses myself, I have to say, this is really great stuff.  Where else, for a low dollar amount, can catechists, Catholic school teachers, liturgy committee members, RCIA team members, and Catholics who want to learn more about their faith meet and share with others from all over the world, while engaging in reading and sharing about great faith-related topics?  Why not check the link above - and consider becoming a new student!

"Gripping" New Youth Catechism: Will Youth Read a 300-page BOOK?

This just posted by Catholic News Agency: "Pope promotes 'gripping new Youth Catechism" . This 300-page book is supposedly written in a youth-friendly style and will be translated into 13 languages by April, 2011. It will also be handed out at World Youth Day.

Nice try. Long overdue. Now, when was the last time you met a teen who would actually read a 300-page book?  Someone needs to start creating the searchable YOUCAT i-Phone / iPad app.

Online Community - Connecting With People of Faith

Over the past 15 months, since I joined Facebook, I have had a very positive experience of community.  Using it for a combination of ministry and personal connection, I have connected more deeply with people I already know, reconnected to a "long-lost" relative, stayed in touch with people I only see infrequently, maintained connection with a few people from my past, and met some very interesting people I didn't know before. Most are Catholic, some are not. It's been an interesting experiment - and one that has been a good fit for me.

I have had the opportunity to see what interests people, to support and join with others in praying for them in times of challenge, to debate politics and immigration issues, to play a social game (Farmville) with them, and to have a quick, reliable way to reach people through the messaging interface when I don't have an email address handy.  It has, in many ways, "greased the social wheels" of ministry. When I see colleagues in person with whom I have a regular online connection, there is a deeper quality to the relationship - the beginnings a friendship (admittedly a superficial one) - that gives us a more easy basis for working together.

I also have met a few people through social gaming that I have no other connection with. Some have turned out to be Catholics, others represent other faiths, including Buddhism and Islam. Some have no overt religious connections. A few have gone beyond the level of just being fellow gamers to the level of casual acquaintance.  It's been good to get to know them. To play the games, they must also see all my other posts, including the overtly Catholic ones. No one has complained yet.. and it has allowed the ones who are Catholic or sometimes even other Christians, to react and comment.

At the same time, for the past two years I have facilitated online courses for University of Dayton Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation. Although the learning groups are temporary - lasting 5 weeks for a regular course, 3 weeks for a seminar. In this case, normally, I am connecting with strangers. This summer, having an experience of facilitating a seminar composed of catechetical leaders and catechists from within our diocese, I am having the interesting opportunity to connect on a higher level with people I already know.  In observing the sharing on the message boards about deep-level faith questions (in this case, about their understanding of the Eucharist and its call to service) I have new respect and admiration - a window into the faith journey of people with whom I have had varying degrees of connection, from casual to good friendship.

As to other social media, I recently joined  Twitter and have found even more people to connect with, although Twitter provides a much more limited sense of connection. It serves more as a communication tool and source of news and information to direct me to blog posts or to find other people on Facebook.

Reading Catholic blogs has also enabled me to gain insights into other people and share opinions about faith, the Church, and other issues. The blogosphere is an intriguing place - certainly opinions about liturgy, the hierarchy, and other hot issues vary widely.  I read and comment on blogs representing a variety of "theologies" - even those with which I disagree, because I find it helpful to hear what others are saying.

All these experiences underline for me the gift that social media can be for forming community. I know, at any time, I am not alone in what I do. I can go to my computer and find people, share what interests me - links to videos, blog posts and information of all kinds, read the wry comments of some of my wittier friends, see what's up with those who walk daily with illness or whose elderly parents are doing that, catch up on what's what in the Church and the world, and in general, have an engaging window on what is happening in some other lives. As a single person living alone, I find it not just useful, but a kind of lifeline - social media lets me know I am never alone. There are other faith-filled people out there and I am glad to connect and support them and grateful for their support of me.

Exponential Times - the Pace of Change in Our World and its Effect on Liturgy

The world as we know it is changing as you read this. It's actually moving much too fast for any of us to understand.  Is there a relationship between the speed of change in our world and the inability of people to connect to the Mass or any other traditional worship format?  Recently, I have been reflecting on why many find the Mass boring or unengaging - so much so that some presiders and liturgy committees feel compelled to add what Archbishop Chaput refers to as "novelty" - or even "fascination" (see my previous post) in their quest to engage themselves and others in the celebration of the liturgy.

I have found a related set of concepts in the video of a keynote at the recent ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference in Denver. Education technology futurists Lee Crockett and Ian Jukes detail the scale of change in our culture. They call what we are experiencing "disruptive innovation" - change that is the result of rapid technological innovation and has repercussions across the entire cultural landscape. (The first 25 minutes of this video will change how you look at what has happened in the last 50 years - well worth the time investment.)

Crockett and Jukes claim we are now living in "Exponential  Times" - "times that are literally beyond our ability to comprehend."  Disruptive, explosive change warps our social lives, "upends longstanding cultural tradition and messes with just about every aspect of our lives: the way we work, the way we play, the way we view our fellow citizens, and particularly how we view the world."   Change in our lifetimes, the presenters posit, has accelerated even more in the last 10 years. And, it's not just gadgets that are disruptive, but how they have affected the way we do things - how we communicate, travel, purchase items, access and use information... and...

"Disruptive innovations," Jukes says, "have repeatedly replaced the existing paradigm of life with something new." When that happens, he says, "the impact and value of what has gone on before has been reduced."  In many cases, that "previous paradigm has simply disappeared."  This means young people are growing up in a world that barely resembles the reality of their parents, which has repercussions for how they see the world, how they should be educated, and  more.

So, what does this have to do with liturgy? Several things, I believe - because of the ways people look at the world now:

• Ritual and repetition can be perceived as foreign in a world where everything else is constantly "new" and there is no expectation of stability
• If we now regularly conduct most entertainment,  business-world meetings and learning virtually, gathering with others in a physical space that we have to travel to may seem an increasingly irrelevant activity.
• The habit of multi-tasking may make sitting in one place focusing and participating in one activity seem "boring" - leading some to the pursuit of "novelty" or "fascination" in liturgy (see my previous post for explanation)
• We expect to control and customize all of our experiences, because in most venues, we can.
• Some people may see the ritual nature of Mass as a refuge and an island of stability in a world that is uncomfortable to them because of the pace of change (primarily older people, but some younger ones as well)

What are the effects of this?

• Parents and catechists, raised in a different paradigm, may have difficulty helping young people see the point of liturgy (note the rise in the acceptance of the use of technology for catechesis - but not liturgy)
• Presiders and liturgy committees seek ever more exciting and innovative additions to the liturgy to try to keep themselves and others engaged and not bored.
• The Church has become increasingly divided between those who want it to be modern, current and "relevant", and those who want to emphasize tradition and its unchanging nature to keep the Church as the one thing that remains stable in their lives - to keep it grounded in unchanging Truth.

Solutions? 

• Go boldly forward and embrace the new future.  Some few parishes are "reformatting" church - (visit this Australian parish for an example) - is their Catholic Worship and Teaching Service as an alternate to the traditional Mass the ultimate "gimmick" or is this a viable solution? (The Bishop of Perth approves, apparently)
• Go back and renew and retrench.  Some, like Archbishop Chaput are calling for evangelization and renewal of understanding of the meaning of the liturgy - back to the core of its meaning and let it speak for itself by doing it well.
• BOTH? Or something somewhere in-between? (What would that look like?)

Which way would you choose? Are there other options? I have a feeling if we remain in denial and do nothing, we will continue to see a rapid drop in the participation and engagement of young people in the Church.  I haven't got the answer - or at this point even a preference between these two - I am just naming the issues. Thoughts anyone?

LeBron - more popular than... well, that guy John Lennon got in trouble for mentioning

Another American icon has skyrocketed to the top of the popularity charts. LeBron - he only needs one name - a potential professional basketball star much sought after by all the big teams, has in the first 7 hours on Twitter achieved over 150,000 followers, making him instantly more popular than the redoutable Bill Gates. (Brawn has always been more attractive to the general public than brains, let's face it!)

In the past week, LeBron James, by staying silent about his intentions while all the major teams woo him for a professional contract, has suddenly become the most sought-after of celebrities. In a stroke of public relations genius, he opened a Twitter account today - with no posts - and everyone is piling on as fast as they can to see if he will make his announcement of intent on Twitter.

This overnight sensation will have a lot to live up to as an athlete - and once he joins a team everyone who follows such things will be watching to see how he does. One can only hope that he is not the embodiment of Abraham Lincoln's adage "Better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."


It rather reminds me of the Beatles, who John Lennon once declared were more popular than Jesus... and famously got into great trouble when that part of a longer quote was printed out of context. What he actually said was somewhat true:  "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."  Was John wrong? As attendance at church and church affiliation continue to shrink world-wide,  one cannot help but wonder.

At the moment, it appears that for the general populace LeBron is indeed more popular than Jesus.  If Jesus in his own time, had set up a Twitter account, how many followers would he have had back then? Probably not more than the first 12 guys  (OK, 11 of them) and a few more - mostly tax collectors and sinners.  If the same thing happened today, would Christians rush without question to follow Him?  Would they even recognize Him? Or, would most be scandalized that he would make use of Twitter - where a lot of the people hang out today? Would they instead waste time arguing about his identity, nature and mission? Isn't this exactly what John Lennon was complaining about? Jesus, because he spoke and taught about the who, what, and why of it all, has engendered endless controversy and schism.

Notice, no one complains as long as LeBron is silent. Once he speaks his choice, there will be endless discussion about why he made his choice and what it means. Until then, silence is golden. Makes you wonder what Jesus would say to the world on Twitter in His first tweet... and what would be the reaction.

On the Lack of Critical Thinking in the Blog-o-sphere and Social Networking

Just encountered a great site from a Cuesta College in San  Luis Obisbo, CA on critical thinking and recognizing propaganda and faulty logic... and it occurs to me that these are important skills for those writing blogs, commenting on blogs, and re-posting without thinking through opinions not their own on Facebook or Twitter. (Thanks to Ian Jukes of the Committed Sardine for pointing out the site.)  The site is very good - as are the associated materials on anlayzing and evaluating information and opinoins.

It has been pointed out by others that there is often a lack of civility among those using these Web 2.0 tools, but more annoying than that, I find, is the frequent tendency to be illogical, uncritical, to engage in name-calling or other inappropriate strategies,  and often to have a knee-jerk response to re-post someone else's bad thinking - especially in the conservative political sphere. Most notable is the hostile rhetoric of the "Tea Party" advocates (or should I just call a spade a spade and name them as Anti-Obama-ites? That's not even name-calling - it's what they are.)  Some of the same behaviors are common to people who support without qualification the new Roman Missal (Mass text translation, for those of you who might not be Catholics.)

I have seen so many posts on Facebook or responses in com-boxes to blogs or to posts on Facebook that cause me to grind my teeth - not just because I do not necessarily agree, but because I am offended by the name-calling, "glittering generalities" and "card-stacking" - errors in logic and strategies that do not contribute to civil conversation or the pursuit of truth. I have occasionally called a friend or two to task - asking them to think things through before they post - but I see this over and over. Polls that give a choice that seems reasonable, but is in fact a half-truth or distortion, do not present a fair choice.  For example, on Memorial Day, there was a poll going around that made it appear the President was "skipping" the honoring of fallen veterans because he was not going to be at Arlington National Cemetery. Left out of the equation was the information that he was going to be at another national cemetery (and that half of the last 8 sitting presidents also "skipped" Arlington at least once) - so it did make it appear there was indeed something to criticize.

Regarding responses to the debate about the New Roman Missal - unqualifying advocates tend to beg the question, to make it look as if the choice is between faithful obedience to the church or rejection of that, when the questions are more subtle - whether or not people will understand what they or the priest are saying, for example.  These are NOT equivalent arguments - it is not a choice (or should not be ) between just these two alternatives.  We can be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church while questioning if people will be able to understand the words at Mass.  These are not mutually exclusive.

It becomes impossible to have a civil discussion on an even playing field when some participants simply want to judge others badly for having an opinion that is contrary to their own, and resort to tactics that hinder open discourse. In all cases, I know I am just voiding my bladder in the wind to ask these folks to think it through before they jerk their knees up to their chins and post or respond.... like civil discourse, logical thinking has become a lost art for the majority in our culture.  I think Ian Jukes is right - we are failing to teach it to our kids -  it died along with the priority for a good liberal arts education.

Multimedia Meets Communal Penance Service

The Holy Spirit is hard at work in my parish, as always. When our liturgy planning committee began to plan for Lent, several of us, independently, encountered resources and ideas that convinced us our Lenten focus should be on reconnecting with our Baptismal call as we accompany our catechumens to the font. This is what we have been doing - each week focusing on a symbol or action from the Rite of Baptism.

Then, I encountered this amazing video that says so much about what the relation between Lent and Baptism:



Powerful images, no? This is formational - each time we watched it, we saw more meaning.

When people enter the church for our Communal Penance Service in a few weeks, we will be running this video repeatedly. When we begin, we will run it one last time, and Spanish speakers will proclaim the translations of the English words that appear on the screen. Then our bilingual liturgy will begin. The Examination of Conscience will ask us to recover our baptismal purity - and at the end, the presider will lead us to the font, near the door, and ask all to dip their hand into the water and bless themselves as they leave.

Now, understand, this is not a parish with big screens on the walls - this is new for us to try something like this.  A step forward into the age of media. One small step for St. John's Parish. One large step for the People of God!

Thanks to Sister Caroline Cerveny for posting this video for me to find... to enrich our Lenten experience.

The Pope on Blogging the Faith - WWJD?

With TV news commentators smiling this morning at the Pope's Message for the 44th World Communications Day asking priests to use blogs, I cannot help but admire Benedict's progressive and sensible contention that priests, especially, should respond to the challenge to spread the Gospel by using the "new media" as tools for evangelization. He urged priests to go beyond a simple presence on the web to a more active presence, blogging and posting videos, to engage and bring the message of Christ to those who are now getting their primary communication from these media, especially young people.

"Thanks to the new communications media, the Lord can walk the streets of our cities and, stopping before the threshold of our homes and our hearts, say once more: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20)."

But this message must be alive and made real to be effective: "God’s loving care for all people in Christ must be expressed in the digital world not simply as an artifact from the past, or a learned theory, but as something concrete, present and engaging. Our pastoral presence in that world must thus serve to show our contemporaries, especially the many people in our day who experience uncertainty and confusion, that God is near; that in Christ we all belong to one another.” says the Pope.

So, in response to this, will our pastors all be running out to create their own blogs?  Will we soon hear homilies in which they refer to something mentioned in a comment to one of their posts? Hmm - if Jesus were on earth today would he have blogged? Would you follow a blog called "In My Father's House"?  Would a YouTube video of the Sermon on the Mount go viral?  Have to wonder!