The Family, A Communicating Community

Visitation, Fra Angelico, 1434

This past Sunday, the Church celebrated the 49^th World Communications Day. In his message for the occasion, Pope Francis explored the theme, “Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love.”

According to the Holy Father, “it is in the context of the family that we first learn how to communicate.” As can be seen in the story of the Visitation, we first learn to communicate in the womb, “where we begin to familiarize ourselves with the outside world within a protected environment, with the reassuring sound of the mother’s heartbeat.”

We continue to do this in our families, where we learn to accept each other’s differences, to speak the language that we receive from those who came before us, and most importantly, to pray. Even more specifically,

…we learn to embrace and support one another, to discern the meaning of facial expressions and moments of silence, to laugh and cry together with people who did not choose one other yet are so important to each other. This greatly helps us to understand the meaning of communication as recognizing and creating closeness. When we lessen distances by growing closer and accepting one another, we experience gratitude and joy.

In the family we learn to go beyond ourselves and to open our doors to others. We also experience our own limits and the limits of others. We learn to respect one another, to apologize, and to forgive. We learn how to become a “force for dialogue and reconciliation in society,” Pope Francis writes.

The Digital Highway

In his message for World Communications Day released last week, Pope Francis challenged the faithful to “boldly become citizens of the digital world.”

The technological world of communications is making our world smaller, Pope Francis writes. Amidst the many divisions that exist in the human family, media can help us to feel closer and to embrace solidarity with one another. The internet enhances the “culture of encounter,” and so, according to the Holy Father, it is a gift from God.

Modern methods of communication do not come without their problems. Speed leaves little time for reflection, he writes. People can also be more selective of what media they subscribe to, and their desire for connectivity can isolate them from their neighbors.

This does not mean that all forms of media should be rejected, Pope Francis writes. If we approach the digital world with virtue, with a commitment to times for silence and times for listening, then we can grow in our communicating and use media tools for the good.

The Gospel And The Computer Culture

The internet has become a playground for sinners. There are status updates for the prideful, photo albums for the envious, anonymous comments for the wrathful, search engines for the slothful, online stores for the greedy, worldwide access for the gluttonous, and new domains for the lustful.

The web is full of distractions, so much so, that it seems like Christians should steer clear of it altogether. But because it is very much a part of the world be live in, Blessed John Paul II urged Christians to keep in tune with new forms of technology. In his message for the 24^th World Communications Day, he reflected upon this point made in Gaudium et Spes, one of the four Apostolic Constitutions resulting from the Second Vatican Council:

Far from suggesting that the Church should stand aloof or try to isolate herself from the mainstream…the Council Fathers saw the Church as being in the very midst of human progress, sharing the experiences of the rest of humanity, seeking to understand them and to interpret them in the light of faith. It was for God's faithful people to make creative use of the new discoveries and technologies for the benefit of humanity and the fulfillment of God's plan for the world.

In the face of a “computer culture,” Blessed John Paul II focused on the good that could come out of new ways to communicate and make connections. He wrote:

With the advent of computer telecommunications and what are known as computer participation systems, the Church is offered further means for fulfilling her mission. Methods of facilitating communication and dialogue among her own members can strengthen the bonds of unity between them. Immediate access to information makes it possible for her to deepen her dialogue with the contemporary world.

The Pope addresses communication, silently

Last Sunday the Church celebrated the 46th World Communications Day. Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the occasion, which was released on the feast of St. Francis de Sales (the patron saint of writers), reminded those immersed in the world of communications that words must come with silence:

…silence and word: two aspects of communication which need to be kept in balance, to alternate and to be integrated with one another if authentic dialogue and deep closeness between people are to be achieved.

Silence allows us to listen, Pope Benedict said, and it allows us to better understand ourselves. It leads to “deeper human relationships,” giving us the space to discern what is meaningful and what is sincere. Quiet reflection also allows us to discover links and justly evaluate topics, which gives way to more thoughtful opinions, rooted in wisdom.

Pope Benedict pointed out that silence can help us find the truth amongst search engines and social networks, where most people go for answers in the modern world. Communication today is often fueled by questions, he said, and:

Ultimately, this constant flow of questions demonstrates the restlessness of human beings, ceaselessly searching for truths, of greater or lesser import, that can offer meaning and hope to their lives. Men and women cannot rest content with a superficial and unquestioning exchange of skeptical opinions and experiences of life – all of us are in search of truth and we share this profound yearning today more than ever…