Another concern is in the form of a question: why is it that everyone
from Bishop Zurek’s Letter to St. Mary’s Cathedral, “A Reflection on Christian Life”
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.
This morning at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Father Tony said St. Irenaeus was the patron saint of the internet and would not approve of such a title because his name translates to “peace,” and the internet, with the exception of finding a good restaurant, is nothing but a source of discord and division; so, although my search on what Father Tony would call the “irredeemably wicked” internet found that there are multiple saints associated with the internet, and St. Irenaeus is not listed among them, shouldn’t I assume that as a priest Father Tony is a possessor of a secret tradition that has never been written down but passed from master to disciple through the ages and thus ask myself,: “Should I do what Father Tony told me at Mass this morning, and what Jesus seems to tell me in today’s Gospel: ‘See that you tell no one,’ especially on the internet, about what Jesus has done for you❓”;…
…,indeed, “…since they know from within the life of God’s People their joys and hardships, their resources and their needs, a synodal Church needs its parish priests”, not the internet; moreover, wouldn’t my life be a lot more comfortable if the internet left me behind and I just tended to my farming;…
…furthermore, although Psalm 137 says, “Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!“, it doesn’t mean I have to keep flapping my tongue to remember the Lord;…
…besides, even though Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases;…
…didn’t he also say, “See that you tell no one”;…
… but, when he said that, didn’t he also say, “go show yourself to the priest”, and if in prayer He chooses to tell me to use the internet to “show yourself”, then shouldn’t I recall that St. Irenaeus fought hard against the Gnostics, who believed that the world was “irredeemably wicked”, …
We lose the capacity to realize
from Bishop Zurek’s Letter to St. Mary’s Cathedral, “A Reflection on Christian Life”
“I, as a lay person, do not always have all the knowledge”; while it is quite
probable that the deacon, priest or bishop has a much fuller picture of what is
actually happening.
…”and against the Valentinians, who claimed to be possessors of a secret tradition that had never been written down but passed from master to disciple through the ages“, because “this pessimism and this arcane élitism remain with us even today, and each generation must renew the fight against them“; and if the fight takes me to the internet, shouldn’t I “pray for the inspiration of St Irenaeus in my battle“, even if he may not be its patron saint, in order that I don’t become extreme by doggedly upholding the myth of progress which tell us that problems will solve themselves simply with the application of the internet and without any need for ethical considerations or deep change❓
