We all probably wish we could take back some things we have said and done online, not only for our own sake but for the sake of other people we were called to bring closer to God and instead pushed further away.
I often read some of the comments on Catholic blogs, (and sometimes the blog posts themselves) and I wonder to myself, “Does this person care that other people (especially non-Catholics) will read this and feel repelled by the way we talk about the faith and to each other?”
Do we as Catholics approach our activity online with too much concern for private opinion and not enough concern for evangelization? After all, our primary goal as Christians should be to grow closer to God and to spread the Gospel. Are these things at the forefront of our minds when we engage with others online?
Pope Francis recently tweeted:
What does “evangelise” mean? To give witness with joy and simplicity to what we are and what we believe in.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) May 5, 2014
So, in the end if we chose to follow the path of Pope Francis, would the Gospel reach more people?
Judging from Pope Francis’ effect on the world, I’d say yes.
I’ll let Pope Francis finish writing this blog post with his beautiful, germane words from a recent homily:
“You cannot understand a Christian without witness. We are not a ‘religion’ of ideas, of pure theology, beautiful things, of commandments. No, we are a people who follow Jesus Christ and bear witness – who want to bear witness to Jesus Christ – and sometimes this witness leads to laying down our lives.”
Amen?