The Virtual World is Real

Sunday, May 12, 2013, was World Communications Day as well as Mother’s Day. With a new Pope and all that was going on, it slipped by without much notice.

Pope Benedict XVI had already written and released his message for this year and it revealed an ever growing appreciation on the part of the Vatican for the use of social media in the spread of the Gospel.

His message was entitled: Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelization. The entire document is worth reading, but here are my favorite parts with my four take-aways:

1. The virtual world is real.

The challenge facing social networks is how to be truly inclusive: thus they will benefit from the full participation of believers who desire to share the message of Jesus and the values of human dignity which his teaching promotes. Believers are increasingly aware that, unless the Good News is made known also in the digital world, it may be absent in the experience of many people for whom this existential space is important. The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young.

2.  Visuals are very important as we communicate the gospel over the Internet.

The ability to employ the new languages is required, not just to keep up with the times, but precisely in order to enable the infinite richness of the Gospel to find forms of expression capable of reaching the minds and hearts of all. In the digital environment the written word is often accompanied by images and sounds. Effective communication, as in the parables of Jesus, must involve the imagination and the affectivity of those we wish to invite to an encounter with the mystery of God’s love.

3. Authentic and caring engagement is essential for effective online witness.

In social networks, believers show their authenticity by sharing the profound source of their hope and joy: faith in the merciful and loving God revealed in Christ Jesus. This sharing consists not only in the explicit expression of their faith, but also in their witness, in the way in which they communicate “choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically” (Message for the 2011 World Communications Day). A particularly significant way of offering such witness will be through a willingness to give oneself to others by patiently and respectfully engaging their questions and their doubts as they advance in their search for the truth and the meaning of human existence.

4. Prayer and dependence on God are the keys to success in Internet ministry.

Ultimately, however, if our efforts to share the Gospel bring forth good fruit, it is always because of the power of the word of God itself to touch hearts, prior to any of our own efforts. Trust in the power of God’s work must always be greater than any confidence we place in human means.

Would you like to add your own thoughts?