the Web in full fidelity to the Gospel
The new communication technologies in the world offer unlimited capacity to spread the Gospel. The priest must take this opportunity
, ensuring its presence in the digital age, faithful to the Word of God
, writes the Pope in his message for World Day of Social Communications.
Here is the text of the message.
Dear brothers and sisters, the theme of this year's World Communications Day - " The priest and pastoral ministry in a Digital World: new media at the service of the Word - is meant to coincide with the path of Priesthood, and foregrounds reflection on a large pastoral area and sensitive area of \u200b\u200bcommunications and the digital world in which the priest offered new opportunities to exercise their service to the Word and the Word. Modern means communications have come a long time to be part of ordinary tools, through which the ecclesial communities express themselves, coming into contact with its territory and set up, very often, forms of dialogue more widely, but their recent explosive growth their considerable influence and make it ever more important and useful to use in ministry.
primary task of the priest is to proclaim Christ, the Word of God made flesh, and communicate the manifold grace of God brings salvation through the sacraments. Convened by the Word, the Church is the sign and instrument of communion with God creates man, and every priest is called to build in Here is him and with him the highest dignity and beauty of the priestly mission, which is to be implemented in a privileged way as the Apostle Paul: "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be disappointed ... In fact: Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now, as they call on him in whom they have not believed? how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard, how can they hear without someone to preach, and how can people preach unless they have been sent? (Rom 10, 11.13-15). To give adequate answers to these questions within the major cultural changes, particularly felt in the youth, the lines of communication open between technological achievements have become an indispensable tool. In fact, the digital world, making available resources that allow almost unlimited capacity for expression, it opens significant perspectives and update the Pauline exhortation: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1 Cor 9, 16). With their spread, therefore, the responsibility of the ad not only increases but becomes more urgent and demands a commitment to more motivated and effective. In this regard, the priest finds himself as the beginning of a "new history" because, as modern technology will create more and more intense relationships and the digital world will expand its borders, the more he called to respond pastorally multiplying its commitment to put the media at the service of the Word. However, the common and the varied multimedia "keyboard functions" of the same communication may present a risk to use driven mainly by the mere need to be present and to consider incorrectly the web only as a space to fill.
the priests, however, requires the ability to be present in the digital world in constant fidelity to the Gospel, to exercise its role of community leaders who express themselves, increasingly, through the many " items "resulting from the digital world, and preach the Gospel with, alongside the traditional instruments, the contribution of the new generation of audio-visual (photos, videos, animations, blogs, web sites), which are unprecedented opportunities for dialogue and useful means for evangelization and catechesis. Using new media, the priest will make the life of the Church and help people today to discover the face of Christ, combining the use of such a competent and appropriate tools, also acquired during their training period, with a solid theological training and a strong priestly spirituality, in constant dialogue with the Lord. More than the media's hand, the priest in the impact with the digital world has to reveal his the heart of sacred, not only to give a soul to their pastoral commitment, but also will communication flow of the "network". Even in the digital world must be apparent that the loving attention of God in Christ for us is not a thing of the past, or a scholarly theory but a reality of all concrete and actual. Pastoral work in the digital world, in fact, must be able to show the people of our time, and lost humanity today, "God is at hand that in Christ we all belong to each other" (Benedict XVI, Address to the Roman Curia Christmas greetings: L'Osservatore Romano, 21-22 December 2009, p. 6).
Who better than a man of God may develop and implement, through its powers under the new digital media, a ministry that will make God alive and present in today's reality and the religious wisdom of the past as a resource to draw upon to live with dignity today and building a better the future? The task of those who, as devoted, working in the media is to pave the way for new meetings, maintaining the quality of human contact and attention to people and their genuine spiritual needs by offering men and women of our digital "age to recognize the Lord, giving the opportunity of teaching them to wait and hope and to approach the Word of God, who saves and fosters the development integral human. This may well take off among the many crossroads created by the intersection of highways that run through cyberspace and affirming the right of citizenship of God in every age, so that, through new forms of communication, he can walk the streets of cities and stop at the doorstep of our homes and our hearts still say: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come and eat with him and he with me" (Rev 3 20).
In his message last year, I encouraged leaders in the communication process to promote a culture of respect for the dignity and worth of the human person. This is one of the ways in which the Church is called to exercise a "diaconate of culture" in today's "digital continent. With the Gospel in the hands and hearts, we must reaffirm that it is time also to continue preparing ways that lead to the Word of God, but also has to pay special attention to those who find themselves in search condition, even arranging to keep it alive as first step of evangelization. A pastoral ministry in a digital world, in fact, is called upon to take account of those who disbelieve, lack confidence in their hearts and desires of absolute truth and not lapsed since the new media can get in touch with believers of every religion with non-believers and people of all culture. As the prophet Isaiah envisioned a house of prayer for all nations (cf. Is 56, 7), it is perhaps possible to assume that the web can do space - as the "court of the gentiles" of the Temple of Jerusalem - even those for whom God is still a stranger? The development of new technologies and, in its overall size, the entire digital world represents a great resource for humanity as a whole and for the man in the singularity of his being and a stimulus for discussion and dialogue. But this development also as a great opportunity for believers. No door, can and should be closed to those who, in the name of the risen Christ, is committed to drawing next man. New media, therefore, offer To priests in ever new and reaching pastoral, encouraging them to embody the universality of the Church, a vast and real, to testify in today's world, life is always new, from hearing the Gospel of Jesus, the eternal Son came among us to save us. Do not forget, however, that the fruitfulness of the priestly ministry comes from Christ first met and heard in prayer, proclaimed in preaching and testimony of life known, loved and celebrated in the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation.
To my dear brother Priests, renewed the invitation to make wisely the unique possibilities offered by modern communications. The Lord will make you enthusiastic heralds of the Gospel in the new "agora" arising from the current media. With these wishes, I invoke upon you the protection of the Mother of God and the Holy Curé of Ars and I affectionately impart to all my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 24 January 2010, the Feast of St. Francis de Sales.
0 comments:
Post a Comment