“Master, we do not know where you are going;”
jN 14:5
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
In recent homilies Bishop Patrick J. Zurek has put forth the Encyclical of Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, as the standard for love and unity in our diocese. Today, let’s reflect upon paragraph #200 in that regard:
CHAPTER SIX
DIALOGUE AND FRIENDSHIP IN SOCIETY
SOCIAL DIALOGUE FOR A NEW CULTURE
200. Dialogue is something I have often confused with something quite different: the feverish exchange of opinions on social networks, frequently based on media information that is not always reliable.
Vice president Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., listen to President Joe Biden addresses to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington April 28, 2021. (CNS photo/Jim Watson, Pool via Reuters)
These exchanges are merely parallel monologues. They may attract some attention by their sharp and aggressive tone. But monologues engage no one, and their content is frequently self-serving and contradictory.
Italian-born Bishop-designate Christian Carlassare, who was shot by gunmen in Rumbek, South Sudan, speaks from a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, in a video message posted April 28, 2021, on Twitter. In his video message, the bishop-designate encouraged forgiveness and reconciliation. (CNS photo/Comboni Missionaries)
Another concern is in the form of a question: why is it that everyone seems to believe everything that appears on a social media page, and worse, may pass it on as truth. It appears that the Gospel is forgotten. Or friendship gets in the way of truth and being an ambassador for Christ.
A Reflection on Christian Life, Bishop Patrick J. Zurek
Writing this blog is troubling for me. I often feel like Thomas in declaring I, “do not know where you are going”.
On one hand I have a vivid image of my last meeting with Bishop Yanta, at which he pounded his cane on the floor, pointed at me and said, “You keep speaking out!”
On the other hand, when I meet my current bishop and inquire on how he is doing, his reply is, “I would be doing much better if you would stop doing what you’re doing.”
So in my heart, which lies between my two hands; my conscience guides me to Jesus, “the way, the truth and the life”.
St. Pope Pius V, as I fight, as you did, “to reform the moral laxity of the clergy”, pray that I both inform and follow my conscience in how I use social media.
