Evangelizing Presence in the Online World

Pedro Calungsod’s sainthood highlighted the fact that Filipinos are capable of producing a saint in just 150 years as a newly evangelized Catholic nation. But what is more is that his canonization made us aware, too, that we are capable in spreading the good news to practically everyone.

Truth to tell, days before his canonization, I have never seen the cyberspace filled with so much information about a particular saint. People talked about him in their blogs. Facebook users mentioned them in their status updates. YouTube has been flooded with informational and music videos about his heroic sanctity. And on the day of his canonization, he was trending trended in Twitter.

Like the Resurrection narratives of Jesus, that good news on his canonization was not just some petty piece of information we could keep to ourselves. It felt a deep obligation for many of us to join the bandwagon in spreading the news of his sanctity to as many people we can reach.

I note that the first Christian community had to contend with the problem of how to bring the Gospel to people.However, the problem remains. How do we bring Jesus to people?

We have the advantage over our Christian ancestors in so far as we know where to reach them: in the digital continent.    

Evangelization

I know of Salesians who utilize their social media accounts to extend their pulpits in the online world. A priest sends a gist of the Sunday Gospel via SMS to his phonebook contacts; another one writes his reflection of the Sunday liturgy in his blog.

Some young clerics I know share their reflections online through their blogs or even in their Facebook walls.

A bishop I met last year revealed to me that he records lectio divina and sends a copy of it to his contacts via e-mail.

Young people, who have become experts in navigating the cyberspace, can surely be of help in getting across the Christian message. They can do this by using particularly the social media, in sharing their faith to others.

The transmission of faith to one’s Facebook contacts does not have to be conveyed in words. Others do it by sharing the stunning photos they took in their walls coupled with an inspirational message. Some share their favorite Christian music videos or some touching lines in an inspiring movie they last saw.

Some technically gifted individuals who are enriched by their faith, bring evangelization to another dimension by designing video games and handheld gadget applications that make the end users not just simply entertained but spiritually high.

Those who maintain online journals can surely talk about their faith. I am fascinated reading blog entries of people who reflect on how God has intervened in their lives. Those who talk about the  blessings they received, and even the difficulties they encounter.

Here lies one advantage in doing evangelization in the social media not because of the possibility of feedback, but also of the immediacy of it. Christians who are in doubt may be enlightened. And those who may have gone advance in their spiritual journey could help guide those who seem to lag behind.

My experience of maintaining a blog for more than five years now has led me to converse with people of various cultures and faith, having the same consciousness about the presence of a Designer in the scheme of things.

Participate

Let's face it. The cyberspace may offer us a lot of advantages, but it has also got tons of trash in it; it offers a wealth of information that may poison our minds and corrupt our values.

Seeing this reality, the Church, although taking a positive and sympathetic approach to it, asks us to be critical in evaluating its impact on the human culture (Aetatis Novae, 12).

Pope Benedict XVI, in his 43rd world communications day message, challenged everyone to evangelize this digital continent on which people today spend so much of their lives.  

But how do we take advantage of the social media in aid of our effort to evangelize?

To evangelize is to proclaim Christ not merely by word, but by the testimony of our lives.

Simply put, if our words and actions lead others to know, appreciate and fall deeply in love with Jesus, we contribute to this task of bringing people closer to the Father. Hopefully, being aware of our Christian identity leads us to a more virtuous use of the social media.

If we lead a life worth emulating in the cyberspace, then, we can positively influence the lives of others.

If this is so, then, we don’t have to wait for another canonization of a Filipino saint to fill the cyberspace with materials that inspire others to become saints, for our life is in itself a beautiful evangelizing message in the online world. 

On good (and bad) books

“Uncle Charles Cabin” and “The Wandering Jews” Do these titles ring a bell?

For those among us who are taking the Rizal course, they should, for they are two books which greatly awakened Rizal's consciousness in fighting for our freedom.

Hands down, books influence us. I don’t have to argue about it. Was it St. Augustine who said that “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page?”

Don Bosco knew the importance of reading books. This prompted him to issue, three years before his passing away, a circular letter devoting entirely on spreading good books.

But I never thought that in the beginning of the school year of 1883, five years before his death, he wrote a long letter to all Salesian houses regarding one important concern: bad books.

At this point, let us listen to the words of Don Bosco:

The enemies of souls are aware of the influence of this weapon, and experience has taught us how young people avail themselves of it to the loss of their innocence. Strange titles, presentable paper, clean type, fine engravings, low prices, popular style, variety of plot, vivid descriptions: everything is exploited with diabolic artistry and craftiness. Woe to all of us if we doze off while the enemy is constantly alert!

All pupils should be told to hand over any new book they may acquire or that may be brought to them by relatives or friends. Professors, supervisors in the study hall, and assistants must take note of what the boys are reading in the church, at recreation, in class and in study hall.

Speak often on the subject of bad books during the year from the pulpit, in the evening talk, and in the classroom. Point out the harm they do.

If we act along these lines, I hope that no bad books will be smuggled into our schools, and that if they are, they will soon be destroyed.

                                              (cf Biographical Memoirs, pp. 173-177)

This letter was written in 1883. And the popular medium back then was the printed matter. If Don Bosco were alive today, I am certain that he would also write a letter on movies, TV shows, Internet sites.

We have been reminded to choose out friends, to associate only with those who serve as good examples. I believe that, it is also true in choosing the books, and of comics, and of video clips we save in our computers. For we do not just possess them, we also allow them to possess us.

I said a lot tonight. Forget everything, but please remember this. When you receive some cash during the Christmas break, please consider buying good books that will not just satisfy your curiosity, feed your mind, warm your heart, but more importantly, nourish your vocation.

God bless. Read more. Good evening.  

Radio apostolate

Every third Sunday, for the past five months now, I slip away from our community to go to Makati for the radio broadcast.

I cannot thank Fr. Gerry enough and the rest of the confreres for the go signal and the support they have given me to pursue this media apostolate. Despite the fact that agreeing for me to be there means I would not be here.

I love to teach, and I consider the classroom as my rightful place in the congregation. It's where, I think, I'll be most productive, it's there that I'll be most maximized by the province.

But communication is my first love. and so far, my experience of being in the radio can be summarized into three words: I am learning.

Br. Jomar would tease me for being so silent most of the time on air. because I feel intimidated being in the midst of seasoned broadcast professionals.

Coming back to the community after each broadcast, I bring home that enixhing experience of not just being able to learn how to operate the console when a commercial needs to be played, or how to modulate my voice so that it becomes more pleasing to the listeners, but being able to learn some insights from my co-hosts and from the listeners who interact with us a well.

I hope that your stint in the seminary does not only give you the obvious skills that we want you to have: to play an instrument, to have a deeper relationship with the Lord, etc. but also, those which are subtle and hidden skills which could only made surface through insight and reflection.

Bloggers to meet with the Pope

I heard this from the meeting I attended days ago. Googling it, I found out for myself that it's true after all. If ever I had the means, I would surely be part of this exciting meeting with His Holiness. Let me lead you to the link or just read the article below:

A meeting for bloggers will take place in Rome on the afternoon of Monday 2 May 2011. The aim of the meeting, which is being organised by the Pontifical Councils for Culture and Social Communications, is to allow for a dialogue between bloggers and Church representatives, to listen to the experiences of those who are actively involved in this arena, and to achieve a greater understanding of the needs of that community. The meeting will also allow for a presentation of some of the initiatives to engage with new media practitioners being taken by the Church, both in Rome and at the local level.

In two panels, speakers will open up some of the key issues in order to set up a more general discussion open to all participants. The first panel will involve 5 bloggers – they will be chosen to represent different language groups and each will address a specific theme of general relevance. The second panel will draw on people involved in the Church’s communications outreach – they will speak of their experiences in working with new media and initiatives aimed at ensuring an effective engagement by the Church with bloggers.

Among those participating at the meeting will be Cardinal Ravasi of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Archbishop Celli of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and Father Lombardi of the Vatican’s Press Office and Vatican Radio. An important dimension of the meeting is to allow an opportunity for informal exchange and contact between those attending with a view to opening further avenues of interaction.

The meeting is taking place on the day after the Beatification of Pope John Paul II in order to take advantage of the likely presence in Rome of many bloggers. The invitation is open to all, but bloggers who wish to attend need to apply by emailing and sending a link to their blog. As space is limited to 150 seats and there is a desire to have a representation of the entire blogosphere, entrance passes and further details will be distributed with a view to the diversity of language and geography, typology of blogs (institutional or private, multivoice or personal), subjects of blogs, and timeliness of request.

Simultaneous translation will be provided for Italian, English, French, Polish and Spanish.

The venue is the Palazzo San Pio X, in via della Conciliazione, 5.

Resurrexit

I'm resurrecting this blog after some months of hiatus. The last development I made in this blog took place four months ago. I hope that from this time on, I will be consistent in my updates.

Perhaps, one reason which led me make this blog come alive again is that I am all the more convinced that as a Salesian of Don Bosco, I have to make this conscious and deliberate effort to reach out to young people where they are now.

I came fresh from the social communication delegates meeting in East Asia and Oceania (EAO) region of my religious congregation. And after the series of deliberations and inputs, and sharing of reflections, this is one concrete resolutions I'd like to take up as my commitment to remain faithful with my vocation as a son of Don Bosco.

Just a click away!

Allow me to share this piece below in celebration of World Communications Day…

Early this year, YouTube launched a channel dedicated exclusively to videos from more than 100 schools that have set up official channels on the site.

The site gathers thousands of lectures from over a hundred universities across the United States and offers them online for free. This rich collection gives one access to lectures by professors and world-renowned thought leaders, new research and campus tours.

Quite recently, I heard of a diocese in the United States tapping Facebook to increase priestly vocation.

Yes, the world is becoming 'techi-er' these days. But we don't have to look far, in our very own context, you'll find out that some Salesians are taking it upon themselves to tap the world wide web in order to connect to the greater part of the world.

Let me give you some examples:

If you have not heard the website named "Pan de la Semana," you seem to be missing a lot. Run by Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB, this blog features Sunday liturgy reflections which took off as early as 2007. Fr. Chito started writing his reflections way back 2002 which he would send via group e-mailing lists and personal e-mail addresses to several hundred initially.

This blog engages its readers to the meaning of the Word of God and draws its profound meaning to everyday life. The flair, nay, passion for writing of Fr. Chito engages the readers to look deeper into the meaning of the readings of the Sunday liturgy which, true to its name, nourishes us both intellectually and spiritually.

On the other hand, Fr. Duds Hila's "Kiliti ng Diyos" caters to a younger audience. His belief that "the Word of God is dynamic, full of life, challenging, life changing" propelled him to start a blog which he could use as a venue to connect with young people.

Initially, he attached his Sunday liturgy reflections to his Friendster, and later on, Multiply accounts. Realizing the need to reach more readers, he thought of looking for "a more serious site" in which he could also integrate useful catechetical inputs. Hence, the idea of "Kiliti ng Diyos" came into fruition.

If we are serious about the business of saving souls, we should be more enterprising to carry it out. But in this day and age of information technology, we are not expected to launch a number of missionary expeditions in order to evangelize. We could carry out the 'mission' right in front of our computers and a little dose of creativity and the passion to reach out to a greater audience in order to evangelize.

Our advocacy to preach the Good News using this medium that the younger generation tend to love should always push us to always be on the look for the new frontier to communicate. After all, the web is the place where most young people get their information and a primary means by which they communicate.

The late Pope John Paul II has said it beautifully as he challenged us to "summon bravely to cross this new threshold, to put out into the deep of the Net."

The new frontier is not out of our reach. It is just a click away!

Papal message to the digital continent

The Vatican kicks off the 43rd World Day of Communications by setting up a website appealing to the young people.

Embracing the theme "New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship," the Holy Father emphasized the value of the social netowrking sites which "are truly a gift to humanity and we must endeavour to ensure that the benefits they offer are put at the service of all human individuals and communities, especially those who are most disadvantaged and vulnerable."

Enumerating the advantages and accesibility of the information super high way, he noted the manifestation of a person's desire "for communication and friendship."

However, he was quick to point out that friendship is not an end in itself. "Friends should support and encourage each other in developing their gifts and talents and in putting them at the service of the human community."

He challenged the young people, "who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this 'digital continent.' Be sure to announce the Gospel to your contemporaries with enthusiasm."

The entire message may be accessed here.