Social Media Praying

I have to say that this is a pet peeve of mine that has been gaining momentum for some time, finally I am being broken down and writing about it : Social Media Praying.

What do I mean by social media praying? I mean when I am scrolling through my news feed and I see more than one post directly addressing God and saying.

Ex: "LORD, I really need your grace for the day, I have SO much to do. Amen." (in some forms the amen is omitted.) 

Ex: Jesus, I love you and I just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful experience I had this weekend, I have all the best friends and the best youth group ever. 

Ex: "I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open..." ( Ok I just don't get this image to begin with...) 

Why does this bother me?

Well, I think part of it is a distressing cultural reflection that we think that for something to be valid it needs to be public and probably on social media. More and more for young people, reality is virtual.  A relationship isn't official until it's "facebook official", our awesome lunch with a friend isn't REALLY awesome until we have instagramed our sandwich etc. Am I guilty of all of these things? yes. BUT I am still upset at the idea that more and more modern man lives in a virtual reality. 

God doesn't need you to tweet Him, but He would love it if you would talk with Him. He can hear you in the silence of your heart. I think of the Lord talking about the Pharisee and the tax collector, the Pharisee prays in public telling God all the great things he has done for Him, while the tax collector beats his breast and won't even raise his eyes to heaven, saying "Lord have mercy on me, a sinner." I think the temptation is to make prayer public because we want it to be real. And yet, in the silence and humility of heart the Father who sees what is in secret will hear us. 

The Christian witness is important and Benedict XVI often called for a Christian presence in social media. That being said, I think that our Holy Father Francis, is a beautiful example of how to use social media to give glory to God. He teaches on twitter almost every day. Pope Francis also uses social media so spread the word about global events such as the day for prayer for peace etc. I think this is where the New Evangelization meets social media.

Thoughts?

I'm still pondering Christmas things.

Especially the final day of the feast when the Church celebrates Epiphany; the coming of the Magi to worship the child Jesus.

The story itself is fascinating and has always captured me. There are many scriptural references fulfilled and alluded to in their coming and in the gifts they bring. This is the day we celebrate that gentiles too are saved by the coming of Christ. We celebrate that the learned will come to know Him who was worshiped by the scholars of His time.  

In a particular way this year I was caught by the words of the liturgy celebrating this feast. They speak about the feast of Epiphany as a revelation of the "universal love of God."

God loves the world. 
I have been mulling over this wonderful proclamation and wondering, what does it mean to love the world? Many today fear the world, or at least they avoid the world. Being called to be "in the world and not of it" is widely interpreted to mean many things including total avoidance.

But, God loves the world. 
The most popular bible verse of all time says just that "For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son, so that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16ff 

Christ comes, into the world, into time, into culture, into the daily lives of human beings, because God loves the world. This isn't some nice idea this is passionate love crashing into humanity.  Where the Master has led, His disciples should follow. I don't want to be afraid to love the world, to enter into it's messy discussions and problems, it's questions, it's many cultures and ways of life. In fact, I want to love the world. And without loving it, I really feel no right to ask it to change, or to enter it. 

I'm still working on what this means, what this looks like and how to put it into practice, but I'm pretty much positive that loving the world starts with being real. Put love into a real life and it does wonderful things, it changes everything; keep love as a nice idea and it grows dust sitting on a shelf. If you love someone you give them the benefit of the doubt, you look for the best in them. If the mission is to love the world we have to start with that, looking for what is good and true and beautiful. 

John Paul II says beautifully in Ad Gentes 12:
In order that they may be able to bear more fruitful witness to Christ, let them be joined to those men by esteem and love; let them acknowledge themselves to be members of the group of men among whom they live; let them share in cultural and social life by the various undertakings and enterprises of human living; let them be familiar with their national and religious traditions; let them gladly and reverently lay bare the seeds of the Word which lie hidden among their fellows. At the same time, however, let them look to the: profound changes which are taking place among nations, and let them exert themselves to keep modern man, intent as he is on the science and technology of today's world from becoming a stranger to things divine; rather, let them awaken in him a yearning for that truth and:charity which God has revealed. Even as Christ Himself searched the hearts of men, and led them to divine light, so also His disciples, profoundly penetrated by the Spirit of Christ, should show the people among whom they live, and should converse with them, that they themselves may learn by sincere and patient dialogue what treasures a generous God has distributed among the nations of the earth. But at the same time, let them try to furbish these treasures, set them free, and bring them under the dominion of God their Savior. (Emphasis added) 

"Let them gladly and reverently lay bare the seeds of the Word which lie hidden among their fellows." This is the work that must be undertaken. 

To love the world means to love your neighbor. To practice the virtue of solidarity. Knowing and loving mankind from East to West. Praying for those who suffer, feeding the poor on your doorstep, whether hungry or simply alone. Love your neighbor, and your neighbor's neighbor.

The universal love of God means that He loves, calls, and saves, even me. I want a more universal love, for those who confuse or annoy or even frighten me. 

There is so much grace in poverty.

I am learning, day by day, moment by moment, need by need, the joy and freedom that there is in having nothing.

The other day, as I was getting ready to leave for school and trying to figure out on the long list of things I needed which ones I actually needed and which ones were consumerism eating away at me, I finally figured out that I really and truly needed jeans, before going back to school they were simply a necessity.  I had $3 in my wallet and owed $50 to my little brother.

So I said, "Lord, I trust that if I don't have it today, I don't need it today, but I need jeans." That night I got paid for doing drinks at a wedding, I had been promised $50, which I had already spent, so when I opened the envelope and $70 fell out, I payed my brother back and went to the store, $20 for jeans and I'm back to zero. One day at a time, I am given everything that I need.

Why does my life work this way? Because it's an adventure, it's real and it's messy and it requires walking on water. When necessities are given one at a time, it is so much easier to see them for the gifts that they are.

So, I'm learning to be poor and to love being poor.

Introverted Extrovert

Dear world,

I have a confession to make. I love people, but most often, I don't like them very much.
What do I mean you ask? Well, more and more I am learning, I am kind of a jerk.
I have begun to play a game called "how many of the events scheduled currently can I miss?!"
There is an utter glee in sitting in my room like a turd, wearing sweats and thinking thoughts instead of attending yet another graduation party, or awkward gathering of people I have to make small talk with.

The fact that I keep craving and carving out increasing amounts of alone time made me ask, "wait I am an extrovert right?" In many ways I think I am, I will be a depressed little pile of Fiona if I haven't had interaction with people in about a day, BUT more and more I either want nice short, sweet, fun interaction with strangers or good solid, quality interaction with close friends, I have lost all taste for the middle grounders who you talk about everything and nothing with for hours.

So, this is my official and public confession, I am an introverted extrovert. If you are interested in quality relationship or quippy strangerhood, then I am pleased to accept your invitation of time spent together, but if you want to stay in the awkward middle ground but expect me to squeeze you into my schedule, I'm sorry but I will be busy when you are free, I will be sitting in my room in a pair of pj's reading a book or putting pictures on my walls.

The All -nighter

The other day after yet another one of these babys (I think this semester there have been 5.)
I realized, while being scolded by my roommate, that I have mastered this process. High school taught me a lot of things, one of them being that the night is not nearly as long as you think it is. I have been working on this perfect formula for a hellish night for almost 4 years now and think it's ready to be shared.


First of all I would like to mention that an all-nighter is a tool, not a toy. There was a group of people I know who stayed up all night the week before finals for fun...just don't be that kid. Use only when absolutely needed and with an understanding of the costs and consequences. Extreme limit: 2 in one week.

Step 1. Coffee
Here's the thing, although we all wish to be super human, a nice kick start early in the evening without end is a cup o'Joe.

Step 2. Water
This step is little known but highly important. At about 1 am stop drinking coffee and stop eating junk food, at this point drink and drink and drink water. I swear you will feel less like a zombie for it later and in the mean time you will have to get up and pee so often that there is no way to fall asleep on accident.

Step 3. Shower
Not sure what sicko thinks that it's ok to not shower when pulling an all-nighter. "I didn't go to bed" is not even close to an excuse. Shower. But don't just shower at any time, shower at the time when you MOST want to crack and climb into your bed. For me this is between 5 and 6 am. I am thinking, "no way can I live through this whole day" at that point, take a hot shower, and get dressed, you feel almost like a person again and in your pretend world a new day has officially started.

Step 4. Dress for success
yupp I did use that obnoxious line. But seriously, put something shnazzy on and rock it. Use superficiality to your benefit and hide the bloodshot eyes and dark circles under them.
2 reasons here. 1. You feel better when you look good.
2. When you look amazing no one notices that you look like you have just gone to hell and back.
I kid you not I get more compliments on these days than any other day. No one has come up to me and said "wow you look haggard." but I have gotten a whole lot of "wow you look great today."  "looks like someone is having a good day"...etc

Step 5. Coffee
Fuel your day, but use caution and moderation.

Step 6. Nap
GO. TO. BED.
seriously take a nap for your own sake and the sake of those around you, tired people do and say STUPID things. Finish and turn in whatever you stayed up all night in order to do and then with grace and dignity put yourself to bed and take a good nap.

I usually end these babys with early morning Mass and some breakfast to kick start my day. laugh a lot and try not to go around telling people. It makes you into a victim and self-pity is not what you need.