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By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)
Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
THAT beautiful prayer of praise by Zachary, father of John the Baptist, contains a message that, while directly meant for his son, is actually also meant for all of us, especially the Church leaders, who have the duty to “prepare the way of the Lord.” (cfr. Lk 1,67-79)
In this regard, while not neglecting the traditional means of evangelization, Church leaders should realize the importance and the currently and strongly felt need to avail of the social media where most people, especially the young ones, are actively engaged.
Yes, Christ should be made present in the social media in ways adapted to the temper and culture of the times. After all, Christ always tried to adapt himself to the ways of the people during his time by, for example, using literary devices like parables, metaphors, allegories, hyperboles, allusions, aphorisms, etc. We should continue the trend, this time, using our new and powerful technologies like the social media.
Definitely the social media can offer tremendous benefits for everyone. They enable Church leaders to have direct connection with the faithful, sharing ideas and building some kind of a very personalized link with the people. In a word, they foster a tighter communion among ourselves.
They definitely can amplify the gospel messages that are truly needed these days, what with all the complications and confusion around. They can easily spread gospel messages and other Church items of public interest. They also give us an effective feedback system where the faithful can easily raise whatever concerns they have with respect to their faith and the Church in general.
Of course, the recourse to the social media should be handled delicately and with due expertise. We cannot deny that messages can easily be misinterpreted and taken out of context. Things should be studied well before putting them out in the social media. In this regard, a system of reviewing the content by a competent body before it is put out should be put in place.
It’s important also that there be rectitude of intention in availing the social media. Just gaining popularity and feeding on one’s vanity should be totally put out of place. To put it bluntly, Church leaders should always remember that it should be Christ, not they, who should be known, loved and followed by the faithful.
To manage the use of the social media well, Church leaders should clearly define the goals they wish to pursue which is nothing other than to make Christ more known and loved. They also have to be clear about the specific target audience they want to reach.
That’s because while Christ’s messages have a universal appeal, they definitely need to be expressed in ways that are attractive to the different sectors and in different conditions in life: young and old, intellectuals and workers, etc. The content, therefore, should be properly planned, considering the appropriateness of the tone, format and frequency.
And since the social media can facilitate feedback, Church leaders should also be quick to respond and to engage, showing genuine interest in the feedback of the people. This will help keep the engagement alive and hopefully lead to some welcome changes in the spiritual lives of the people.
It would also be good if there is also a way to monitor and track the performance of the use of the social media. There should be some clear standards set for this purpose.
Let’s hope that with the social media, Christ can truly be made alive, loved and followed by the faithful all over the place.
