Today the Catholic Times published a cover article: Catholic Blogs:Sharing the Gospel in the Digital Age by Tim Puet. When Tim interviewed me for the article, he saved this question for last: If Jesus were alive today, would he be a blogger? If so, what would he blog about?
I did not hesitate to answer “Yes.” I think Jesus would take advantage of opportunities offered by modern technology to reach a broad audience with his message. As I read the CT article, I was intrigued by fellow blogger Patrick Madrid’s comment that, in his opinion, Jesus would not blog as he preferred face to face communitcation.
A columnist in this week’s CT,Christina Capecchi, wrote about her choice not to Tweet during her trip to the Holy Land. “In order to tune in, I must log off,” she wrote.
Then, as if I did not have enough food for thought, the fortune cookie I broke open after dinner contained the admonition “Be Present to the Moment,” my mantra.
So, would I change my answer to Mr. Puet’s question? No, I would not. However, I am sure that if Jesus were alive today, he would be in control of his use of modern communication technologies, not be controlled by them, something many of us have yet to learn.
Because we are able to Tweet our thoughts and activities every few minutes, giving our followers a blow by blow description of our day, does not mean that we should. Because we are able to maintain contact with hundreds of acquaintances and friends through social networking like Face Book, does not mean we are obligated to do so.
Jesus did relish personal contact He was an observer of life, an appreciator of creation, a lover of conversation and story, but his priority was his relationship with the One who sent him. Jesus’ passion was giving his life to spreading the Kingdom, and in order to do that, he balanced his need for time alone in prayer with interaction with others. Often, need intruded on his desires and Jesus gave up his plans to retreat, climbing hills to speak to huge crowds or healing the sick who gathered at his door. On the other hand At times he probably frustrated his friends when he chose quiet prayer to hanging out with them. Jesus made choices. We do, too.
Jesus, the Divine incarnate, carried his love of God and commitment to revealing the Kingdom among us into the marketplace of life. He was a mystic in the marketplace, as I mentioned in other blogs. He used what he could to bring his message to every one, rich or poor, literate or non-literate. We are called to follow his example.
Like Jesus, we require time for prayer to deepen our relationship with God so we can reach out to others in the many ways available to us today. Responsible use of media and technologies (and that includes cell phones, email, television, and computer games as well as blogs) is a challenge, but the choice is ours. Use of digital communication does not preclude other, face to face conversations; sometimes it facilitates them.
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