NEW TECHNOLOGIES
AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

J. C. Vásconez – R. Valdés

2017 Opus Dei
Information Office

www.opusdei.org

Contents

Introduction.

1. The New Technologies and Christian Coherence.

2. Interior Quiet in the Digital Age.

3. Social Media and Personal Relations.

4. Educating in the New Technologies.

5. Sailing Safely on the Digital Seas.

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Introduction

Nowadays we are surrounded by communication technology which has in a relatively short time entered all the areas of our life: our work, our friendships, our home, our leisure… Together with many positive effects, this development also presents some challenges. That is why it makes sense to reflect on how these new technologies affect our daily lives , how they change the way we relate to one another, and more importantly, how they influence our personal relationship with God.

Recently Pope Francis said, “today the modern media, which are an essential part of life for young people in particular, can be both a help and a hindrance to communication in and between families.”*. We need therefore to learn to use these instruments of communication so they really are means of uniting people, rather than obstacles that keep people apart and isolated. This task cannot be reduced to following a set of rules. Rather it implies developing the right personal attitudes and positive habits. In other words, it is a matter of learning to practice the virtues in the digital world.

This e-book offers some reflections and possible plans of action. The first three articles give some ideas on how to behave in the digital world, while the other two are directed more to parents and educators, with various suggestions on how to help others develop the virtues.

Juan Carlos Vásconez ‒ Rodolfo Valdés

February 2015

* Message of Pope Francis for the 49th World Communications Day, “Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love”, 23 January 2015

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The New Technologies and Christian Coherence

Technology is becoming ever more present in people’s daily lives. Easy access to mobile phones and computers, together with the Internet’s global and capillary presence, has made it possible to send words and images within seconds to faraway places.

This new culture of communication has given rise to many benefits. Families can keep in contact across great distances; students and researchers have quicker and easier access to documents, sources and scientific discoveries; moreover, the interactive nature of many of the new means facilitates more dynamic forms of learning and communication, thereby contributing to social progress.1

We can even say that, besides the physical environment where our lives unfold, there now also exists a “digital environment” that cannot simply be seen as “a parallel or purely virtual world, but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young.”2

Unity of life in the “digital world”

The new technologies offer great possibilities. They widen our knowledge in many areas, including news, work methods, business opportunities, and open up many options for those who have to make a decision on a specific matter. They enable information to be processed and updated quickly and spread all over the world, making it available anywhere, even in the smartphone we hold in the palm of our hand.

Christians see these new possibilities in the context of the positive exercise of personal freedom, as “a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness.”3 This virtuous exercise leads to acting in accord with what each one is, with the authenticity of the person who has “just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life that has to become, in both body and soul, holy and filled with God.”4

The call to holiness gives meaning to and unifies all the deeds of a Christian. As Saint Josemaria said: “We Christians cannot resign ourselves to leading a double life – our life must be a strong and simple unity into which all our actions converge.”5 We do not have one way of acting in “the virtual world” and another in “the real world.” Unity of life leads us to enter and take part in the digital world in a way that is coherent with our personal situation, employing all the possibilities available to us to fulfill our daily family, work and social duties better.

That is why each of us needs to enter the digital world with our own identity, a Christian identity.6 On the other hand, since the new technologies allow a person to act with some anonymity, and even create a false identity, the risk exists of making them a “refuge” that distracts us from the unavoidable reality we have to face. “Stop dreaming. Leave behind false idealisms, fantasies, and what I usually call mystical wishful thinking; if only I hadn’t married, if only I were healthier, if only I were young, if only I were old… Instead turn seriously to the most material and immediate reality, which is where our Lord is.”7

Today the digital world is like an “extension” of our daily life, and it is only natural that it also be a place where we seek holiness and apostolate, since we also influence others when we are on the web. This is especially important for those who, because of their job or position, have a strong influence on others: parents, teachers, managers, etc.

To behave as authentic Christians means to act “in such a way that those who know them sense ‘the good aroma of Christ,’”8 and can “recognize the Master’s face in his disciples,” also in the digital world.9

Practicing the virtues and being “souls of criteria”

Obviously, the use of the new technologies depends on each person’s situation, on one’s age, profession, social environment, possibilities and knowledge. Not everyone is meant to use them, and those who don’t shouldn’t be looked down upon because of that. We could compare computer skills to driving a car: not everyone needs to know how to drive, but it is very useful that some have this skill.

In a similar way, specific skills that are required and suitable ways of behaving when “traveling” in the digital world have gradually been formulated. In fact, in some places legislation on the use of information technology is being drawn up because of its repercussion on the common good. This new technology contributes to the integral good of the person when it facilitates the practice of the Christian virtues and respect for the moral law. Thus technical progress and an ethical life should go hand in hand, so that each person is strengthened in their “inner being,”10 and learns to use these means with freedom and responsibility.

In order to manage prudently the new technologies, besides having a minimum of technical knowledge, one needs to discern their possibilities and risks. This means keeping in mind, for example, that anything done on the Internet (writing an email, making a telephone call, sending a text message, uploading a video, etc.) is never completely private; other people can read, copy or change the content, and we may never know who did it or when.

Moreover, the user of this new technology needs to foster a reflective attitude in order to make effective use of the many possibilities offered. Often the ethical command “if you should, you can” is transformed by commercial interests into its opposite: “if you can, you should.” Prudence helps us to rise above the sense of urgency with which commercial offers are sometimes presented, and to take the time needed to ensure that our decisions in the “virtual world” correspond to our real needs. In the end, it is a question of striving to grow in being and not only in having, because Christ’s warning also applies to these new resources: For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?11

In a certain sense, the new technologies offer us “worlds” of information, news, contacts, and thus each person needs to reflect on how to make best use of these resources given their specific circumstances, in a way that is positive and without losing self-mastery over their actions. In any case, we need to reject “the idea that technology is self-sufficient, when too much attention is given to the ‘how’ questions, and not enough to the many ‘why’ questions underlying human activity.”12

However, it is not simply a matter of following a “list of rules” or “criteria,” since these could quickly become obsolete given the continuous change in this area. Such rules are useful, but the ideal is that using the new technologies should help foster the integral growth of the person.

Therefore it is more important – and more attractive – to center our efforts on acquiring good habits, the virtues. A person who has acquired a virtuous “style” when using electronic devices and the Internet, will be able to adapt easily to any changes, and discern the advantages and risks of new developments in this area under the light of the Christian vocation. Using some words of Saint Josemaria, we could also say that the ideal here is to become “souls of criteria.”13

A new field for formation

Normally, one doesn’t learn how to drive on one’s own. We need to spend time with a relative or an instructor who gives us advice and points out the dangers on the road. Something similar happens with the use of the new technologies. We realize how important it is to be accompanied by someone, especially if the person starting to use them is young. For that person to attain the independence needed, like the driver who will soon have to drive alone, requires a solid work of education. “We are living in an information-driven society which bombards us indiscriminately with data – all treated as being of equal importance – and which leads to remarkable superficiality in the area of moral discernment. In response, we need to provide an education which teaches critical thinking and encourages the development of mature moral values.”14

Therefore centers of education will need to pay more attention to training students in the virtuous use of information technology. This task is not limited to providing “technological literacy” or knowledge of the latest developments, but will also help the students acquire the moral habits needed to use these devices with sound criteria, with good use of time.

Formation doesn’t end when one’s youth is left behind. At all stages in life it is natural to lean on the advice of people with more experience, family members and friends. After all, we are talking about an “extension of daily life” that we share with others. For example, many people find in personal spiritual direction a good opportunity to study together the best times to use the Internet or social media, how to confront a particular problem or misunderstanding that may have cropped up when using them, or apostolic initiatives that this area offers.

In the next articles we will go deeper into the virtuous use of the new technologies. We will cover habits and attitudes that are of particular importance, due to the nature of these instruments, such as temperance, study, recollection. Moreover, since many personal interactions nowadays take place in the digital world, we will also pay attention to virtues more closely related to our social nature, which enable us to make a reality of Saint Peter’s advice to Christians: always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you.15

J.C. Vásconez – R. Valdés

1 Cf. Benedict XVI, Message for the XLIII World Social Communications Day, “New technologies, new relations,” 24 May 2009.

2 Benedict XVI, Message for the XLVII World Social Communications Day, “Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization,” 24 January 2013.

3 Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1731.

4 Saint Josemaria, Conversations, no. 114.

5 Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 126.

6 Cf. Francis, Discourse to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, 21 September 2013, no. 2.

7 Conversations, no. 116.

8 Christ is Passing By, no. 105.

9 Ibid.

10 Cf. Eph 3:16.

11 Lk 9:25.

12 Benedict XVI, Enc. Caritas in veritate, 29 June 2009, no. 70.

13 Saint Josemaria, The Way, “To the reader.”

14 Francis, Evangelii gaudium, 24 November 2013, no. 64.

15 1 Pet 3:15.

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Interior Quiet in the Digital Age

The new technologies have increased the volume of constantly available information, and we no longer are surprised to receive news from faraway places in real-time. Being informed about what is happening all over the world is becoming progressively easier. But this rapid supply of facts brings with it new challenges, especially how to manage correctly so much information from so many different sources.

The growing amount of information available makes it important for each of us to cultivate a reflective attitude, with the ability to better discern the data that is truly worthwhile. At times this is difficult because “the speed with which information is communicated exceeds our capacity for reflection and judgment, and this does not make for more balanced and proper forms of self-expression."1 Moreover, since a wide variety of different stimuli may demand our attention (text messages, photos, music, etc.), we face the risk of getting used to responding to them immediately, and set aside the activity we were intending to carry out.

Silence too is part of the process of communication. It opens up moments of reflection that enable us to absorb what we have perceived and to give an appropriate response. “Ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves."2

Silence plays a very important role in Christian life, since it is a prerequisite for fostering the interior quiet that allows us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and to second his motions. St. Josemaría related silence to fruitfulness and effectiveness.3 And Pope Francis asked people to pray that “the men and women of our time, often overwhelmed by the noise around them, may rediscover the value of silence and know how to listen to God and their brothers and sisters."4 How can we achieve this interior quiet in an environment shaped by the new technologies?

The virtue of temperance: an ally

St. Josemaría refers to an experience we can easily relate to: “'My affairs buzz around in my head at the most inopportune moments,' you say. That is why I have recommended that you try to establish some times for interior silence, and to guard your external and internal senses."5 To attain the interior recollection that allows us to put our attention into the work at hand, and thus be able to sanctify it, we need to guard our senses. And this applies especially to the use of the electronic media, which like all material goods should be used in moderation.

The virtue of temperance is an ally in preserving our inner freedom when we enter the digital world. “Temperance is self-mastery,"6 since it places order in our use of these instruments and directs our actions to the good. It leads us to use objects correctly, giving them their true value in accord with our dignity as children of God.

To make right choices in our use of electronic devices and services, also when these are free, we need to consider not only their appeal or utility, but also whether they are in keeping with a temperate lifestyle. Will this help me make better use of my time, or will it simply be a source of distractions? Do the additional features justify another purchase, or could I continue to make do with what I already have?

The ideal of holiness entails going beyond what is merely licit (can I do this?), to asking: will this bring me closer to God? St. Paul's words to the Corinthians are very enlightening: “All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything.7 This affirmation of self-control on the part of the Apostle takes on new relevance in our day and age when we consider some computer products or services which, by ensuring an immediate or relatively quick “reward," encourage repeated use. Learning how to limit their use will help prevent a fretful and nervous attitude, or even a form of addiction. St. Josemaría's brief piece of advice can be very useful here: “Get used to saying No."8 And he urged us to focus this struggle in a positive way: “For this inner victory fosters peace in our hearts, and the peace we each bring to our homes, and the peace we bring to society and to the whole world."9

Our use of the new technology will depend on our particular circumstances and needs. In this area each of us, helped by others' advice, needs to find our own measure. An important question we always need to ask is: are we being moderate? Emails, for example, can be useful to stay close to a friend, but if they become so numerous that they entail constant interruptions in our work or study, we would probably be falling into frivolity and wasting time. If this were to happen, self-mastery will help us to overcome our impatience and to leave the answer for later, so we can devote ourselves to a task requiring concentration, or simply pay attention to the person we are talking with.

Certain attitudes can help us to be temperate in this area. For example, limiting Internet access to specific times, deciding in advance the number of times a day we will check social media or look at emails, disconnecting electronic devices at night, avoiding their use during meals and when greater recollection is called for, such as during the days of a spiritual retreat. We should access the Internet only at appropriate times and places, so that we don't end up surfing the web without a specific purpose, and thus run the risk of coming upon sites that offend a Christian, or are at least a waste of time.

The deep conviction that our highest aspirations go beyond the momentary satisfaction a click on the web can bring, helps us to strive with greater effort to live the virtue of temperance. Through this virtue a strong personality is forged and “life then takes on again shades and tones which intemperance had tended to blur. We find ourselves able to care for the needs of others, to share what is ours with everyone, to devote our energies to great causes."10

Value of study

The habit of study, which directs the desire for knowledge to higher goals, is usually seen as being related to temperance. St. Thomas Aquinas defines the virtue of studiositas as a “certain keenness of interest in seeking knowledge of things,"11 which requires overcoming comfort-seeking and laziness. The more intensely we apply our mind to something in an ordered way, the more eager we are to learn and to know.

The eagerness for knowledge is enriched when it is directed to the service of others, and contributes to loving the world with a clean heart. Naturally, we are eager to keep up with cultural and social changes around us, since we want to direct them to God. But this is quite different from a restless concern for what is happening in the world, with a curiosity shown, for example, in the desire to be informed about everything and not wanting to miss a single thing. This disordered attitude would eventually lead to superficiality, intellectual dispersion, difficulty in staying close to God, and a tepid apostolic zeal.

The new technologies, since they widen the available sources of information, are a valuable aid in carrying out academic research, choosing a site for family vacations, etc. However, the desire for knowledge can fall prey to many disorders. For example, by setting aside an obligatory task or study project and taking up another “less profitable study,"12 such as checking the latest news or replying to an email.

The disordered curiosity that St. Thomas characterized as a “wandering restlessness of the spirit"13 can lead to a sadness of heart, to a soul that is weighed down by its failure to respond to its vocation, which requires the effort to draw close to God and serve those around us. This listlessness of soul, sometimes termed “acedia," is compatible with agitation in one's mind and body, a reflection of internal unrest. In contrast, the habit of study gives us energy when it is time to work and to build relationships with others. It helps us to make good use of our time and even to find delight in activities that require great mental effort.

Protecting times of silence

Temperance smoothes the path to holiness since it creates the interior order that allows us to focus our intellect and will on the task at hand. “Do you really want to be a saint? Carry out the little duty of each moment: do what you ought and put yourself into what you are doing."14 To receive divine grace, to grow in holiness, we need to immerse ourselves in each activity where our sanctity is forged.

Do the new technologies foster superficiality? It depends on the way they are used. Nevertheless, we have to be on guard against dissipation: “You slake your senses and faculties at whatever puddle you meet on the way. And then you experience the results: unsettled purpose, scattered attention, deadened will, and aroused concupiscence."15

Obviously, when we yield to dissipation through the inordinate use of the phone or Internet, our life of prayer encounters serious obstacles. “We children of God have to be contemplatives: people who, in the midst of the noise of the crowd, know how to find silence of soul in a lasting conversation with our Lord."16

St. Josemaría wrote that “silence is the doorkeeper of the interior life,"17 and he encouraged the faithful living in the middle of the world to seek moments of more intense recollection, compatible with hard work. He gave special importance to preparing very well for the Mass. In an environment permeated by new technologies, Christians need to find time and space to draw close to God, where their senses and imagination, their mind and will are as recollected as possible. Like the prophet Elijah, we discover the Lord not in the noisy environment around us, but in the whisper of a gentle breeze.18

The spirit of recollection that opens up space to dialogue with Christ requires setting aside for a while other activities that demand our attention. Prayer requires disconnecting from whatever might distract us, often doing so even physically: disabling message alerts on a device, closing programs or even turning it off. The moment has come to turn our eyes to God and to leave the rest in his hands.

Moreover, silence leads us to be attentive to others and reinforces fraternity, enabling us to recognize “people who need help, charity and love."19 In an age when we have available technological means that spur us to fill our whole day with new activities and noise, it is good to foster silence in and around us. In his reflections on the role of the media in today's culture, Pope Francis invited us to “recover a certain sense of deliberateness and calm. This calls for time and the ability to be silent and to listen … If we are genuinely attentive to listening to others, we will learn to look at the world with different eyes and come to appreciate the richness of human experience as manifested in different cultures and traditions."20 The effort to foster a personal attitude of listening and to seek space for silence opens us up to others, and in a special way to the action of God in our souls and in the world.

J.C. Vásconez ‒ R. Valdés

1 Pope Francis, Message for the 48th World Communications Day: Communication at the Service of an Authentic Culture of Encounter, 24 January 2014.

2 Benedict XVI, Message for the 46th World Communications Day, 24 January 2012.

3 Cf. St. Josemaria, Furrow, nos. 300 and 530.

4 Pope Francis, General intention for the apostolate of prayer for September 2013.

5 St. Josemaria, Furrow, no. 670.

6 St. Josemaria, Friends of God, no. 84.

7 1 Cor 6:12.

8 St. Josemaria, The Way, no. 5.

9 St. Josemaria, Notes taken in a get together, 28 October 1972.

10 St. Josemaria, Friends of God, no. 84.

11 St. Thomas Aquinas, S. Th. II-II, q. 166, a. 2 ad 3.

12 Ibid. II-II, q. 167, a. 1 c.

13 St. Thomas, De Malo, q. 11, a. 4.

14 St. Josemaria, The Way, no. 815.

15 Ibid., no. 375.

16 St. Josemaria, The Forge, no. 738.

17 St. Josemaria, The Way, no. 281.

18 1 Kgs 19:12.

19 St. Josemaria, Conversations, no. 96.

20 Pope Francis, Message for the 48th World Communications Day, 24 Janauary 2014.

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Social Media and Personal Relations

What should we do to attain eternal life? Saint Luke’s gospel contains this question put to Jesus by a doctor of the Law.1 Our Lord invites him to focus on what the Scriptures say about the commandment of love for God and neighbor. But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus. “And who is my neighbor?”2 The Master responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan, which can help us to widen the scope of our personal relations, as Jesus did for that doctor of the Law, so as to include all men and women from every background.

To be sincerely close to people around us is a teaching that has special relevance for our culture, permeated as it is by communication technology. Pope Francis refers to the story of the Good Samaritan to point out how these new tools have to lead to an authentic encounter among persons, and become a means to practice charity with others. “It is not enough to be passersby on the digital highways, simply ‘connected’: connections need to grow into true encounters. We cannot live apart, closed in on ourselves. We need to love and to be loved. We need tenderness.”3

Nowadays the times when we interact with parents, friends and colleagues are multiplying. Thanks to new technology the frequency of communication is growing; we can talk to someone who perhaps lives thousands of miles away, as well as share photos and video clips about what we are doing right now. Faced with this reality, we can ask ourselves what we can do to make this not just an exchange of information but a means to establish authentic human relationships, with a Christian meaning.

Identity on social media

The virtue of sincerity is essential in social relations. “Men cannot live together if there is no mutual trust, if they do not express the truth,”4 Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us. For order to be preserved in a community, those who are part of it need to speak the truth. Otherwise it would be difficult, for example, to undertake projects together or to trust a leader. This sincerity embraces not only external facts (for example, the price of a product or the results of a raffle), but also the identity of the persons themselves: who they are, what position they occupy in society, what their life history is, etc.

For our social relations to be enriching and lasting, we need to present ourselves in the digital world in a way that is coherent with what we are. This means that the identity, or profile, that we create on social media should reflect our true way of being and acting. Thus those we meet online can have the assurance that the data we share corresponds to the life that we live, and that we won’t use these means for purposes we would be ashamed of in the “real” world.

The reality of our social condition entails that as our relationships grow and mature, in the family or among friends, sincerity takes on a special importance. We seek to communicate not just external facts, but also what is taking place in our interior world: our likes and dislikes, our emotions and opinions. Revealing ourselves with simplicity becomes essential, without hiding our true identity. In the current context this effort often involves making use of the means that the new technologies offer: a text message, a post on social media, an email. We should not forget that, whenever we share news or opinions with others, we are also making ourselves known. As Pope Benedict said with regard to the social networks: "the people involved in them must make an effort to be authentic since, in these spaces, it is not only ideas and information that are shared, but ultimately our very selves."5

Protecting human relations

In the digital world, besides the sincerity that leads us to not hide our true identity, we need the prudence required to have a good grasp of who will actually be reached by our efforts to keep in contact with others. The public that will view what we place on the Internet will not always be the same. Sometimes we are addressing ourselves to family members, sometimes to friends or acquaintances, members of a group, etc. At the same time, we realize that what we send can be shared, and eventually reach a much wider public than we had initially intended (it is a common practice now to forward messages and photos to third parties).

At times this is exactly what we want to achieve, for example, when seeking to spread good news or an initiative that others might like to support. However when we send material with personal content, excessive spreading is not always a good idea. This material also often remains available on the web and could be accessed later when the context that made it understandable may have changed.

To set and control limits of what is private and what is public on the web can be quite difficult. The providers of this service seem to be ever more aware of this need, and it is good to keep informed about possible technical solutions. But this doesn’t eliminate our personal responsibility in the material we send out, for example, photos or remarks about a specific topic. A phrase that when someone is speaking would be readily understood as a joke (through the tone of voice, facial expression, etc.) can seem impertinent or rude on the Internet. A hastily written message could lead others to waste their time, or give a wrong impression of our relationship with another person, and without wanting to, could create confusion.

The new technologies, and social media in particular, lead the user to play an active role in creating and providing material. Therefore we need to be particularly prudent when sharing more personal and intimate information, whether about oneself or others. It is not just a matter of controlling information. Rather this need is closely tied to the sense of modesty that leads us to want to protect our own intimacy and that of others, protecting personal or family data that, if made know to others, could provoke curiosity or vanity.

Before sending out something that involves other people, it is good to ask ourselves if they would be pleased to see their names mentioned in this context, or if rather they would prefer that certain events or situations not appear on the web.

An authentic dialogue

“The development of social networks calls for commitment: people are engaged in building relationships and making friends, in looking for answers to their questions and being entertained, but also in finding intellectual stimulation and sharing knowledge and know-how.”6 The social media foster dialogue and frequently make it richer, by adding images and relevant quotes. They also enable people from very different cultures and places to interact. This possibility places before us the challenge of establishing a fruitful dialogue that preserves the capacity for reflection when the speed of communication seems to demand an immediate answer. Without wanting to, we can diminish the dialogue by not being ready to wait and consider the matter more calmly.

Saint James teaches us that controlling our tongue is an act of true charity, and that failing to do so can cause incalculable damage. The tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!7 And Saint Josemaria asks: “Do you know what damage you may cause by throwing stones with your eyes blindfold? Neither do you know the harm you may cause—and at times it is very great—by letting drop uncharitable remarks that to you seem trifling, because your eyes are blinded by thoughtlessness or passion.”8

If a spoken comment can have such unforeseen consequences, how much more care is needed in digital communication, where words can be spread with unimaginable speed? “The social media thus need the commitment of all who are conscious of the value of dialogue, reasoned debate and logical argumentation; of people who strive to cultivate forms of discourse and expression which appeal to the noblest aspirations of those engaged in the communication process.”9 We will give authentic Christian witness if we try to practice special refinement, always being positive and respectful on the Internet.

Friendship and apostolate on the Internet

It is only natural that those who have received the gift of the faith want to spread it with respect and refinement to those they interact with in the digital world. “We have to conquer for Christ every noble human value,”10 and striving to spread the Gospel by all the means at our disposal is a consequence of being a Christian. But to transmit the Christian message effectively it is good to know the specifics about the means we are using and the relationships that are formed there. Charity requires much more than just sending spiritual messages to a list of contacts; we need to take a real interest in the persons themselves and try to help each one, both within and outside the Internet

Those who are well prepared, also technically, can find ways to transmit the faith effectively by digital means. However, it is good to be aware of the real impact these means can have, and avoid investing energy that could be better employed in other initiatives of greater apostolic impact. Simple and effective means to influence society are within everyone’s reach, such as sharing a piece of news or a good article, or writing a note to the author of a publication. Thus, taking into account our own personal circumstances, we will learn how to employ the new technologies correctly and virtuously, in a way proper to a Christian in the middle of the world.

The new technologies are a new channel for developing friendships. The social media can help further what Saint Josemaria called the “apostolate of friendship and confidence.” “Through your personal contact, through you loyal and true friendship, you create in others a hunger for God and you help them to discover new horizons.”11

The Internet can be a means to come in contact again with an old friend or to stay in contact with someone who has moved. However we know that personal friendships are forged mainly in the real world. And we can never overlook the fact that personal apostolate counts primarily on direct contact: “the Gospel tells us constantly to run the risk of a face-to-face encounter with others, with their physical presence which challenges us, with their pain and their pleas, with their joy which infects us in our close and continuous interaction.”12

The sincere desire to pass on the treasure of the faith will spur Christians to go out to encounter others with an authentic personal apostolate that makes use of all the available means, including those in the digital world.

R. Valdés

1 Lk 10:25 ff.

2 Lk 10:29.

3 Pope Francis, Message for the 48th World Communications Day, 24 January 2014.

4 Saint Thomas Aquinas, S.Th. II-II, q.109, a.3 ad 1.

5 Benedict XVI, Message for the 47th World Communications Day, 24 January 2013.

6 Benedict XVI, Message for the 47th World Communications Day, 24 January 2013.

7 Jas 3:5.

8 Saint Josemaria, The Way, no. 455.

9 Benedict XVI, Message for the 47th World Communications Day, 24 January 2013.

10 Saint Josemaria, The Forge, no. 682.

11 Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 149.

12 Pope Francis, Apost. Exhort. Evangelii gaudium, 24 November 2013, no. 88.

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Educating in the New Technologies

The new generations are born in an interconnected world unfamiliar to their parents when growing up. They gain quick access to the Internet, social networks, chat rooms and video game consoles. Their learning ability in this area progresses at the same breakneck pace as the development of these new technologies.

From an early age, children and young people are exposed to a world seemingly without borders. This situation offers a lot of benefits, but also involves some risks that make parental closeness and guidance even more necessary.

We need to take a positive attitude towards the “digital age.” As Benedict said, this technology, “if used wisely, can contribute to the satisfaction of the desire for meaning, truth and unity which remain the most profound aspirations of each human being.”1 But at the same time, reality presents facts that cannot be ignored: for example, that children’s over-exposure to screens has been tied to health risks such as obesity, and aggressive or disruptive behavior at school.

Technology shapes to a great extent our lives today. We need to be in control of it so that its use helps us grow in virtue, and to be attentive so that children use it properly. Education requires a good deal of patience and planning, but when it comes to new technologies parents also need to acquire some specific knowledge, both ideas and a bit of practice, in order to develop sound criteria and guide their children correctly.

Increasingly, technological devices are tied to the Internet. This makes it possible to reach very large audiences and opens up the possibility of disseminating messages immediately and at virtually no cost. In turn, it produces uncertainty about who will have access to these contents and when.

The experience of recent years shows that the new technologies are not just a tool to improve in the reach and level of communication. In a certain sense, they have become an environment, a “place,”2 and one of the connecting elements in our culture, by which personal identity is expressed.3

Part of the task of Christian parents today is to sanctify this environment, by helping children to behave virtuously in the digital world, and showing them it is also an environment where they can express their Christian identity. With the continuous and radical changes in the digital world, it would not be effective only to provide a list of rules that quickly become obsolete. Rather, the task of education is to help young people grow in virtues. Only thus can they come to lead a good life, putting order in their passions and exercising control over their actions, joyfully overcoming the obstacles that prevent them from growing in virtue in the digital world. As Pope Francis said, “the issues are not principally technological. We must ask ourselves: are we up to the task of bringing Christ into this area, or better still, of bringing others to meet Christ?"4

At the same time, to avoid putting children at risk unnecessarily, parents need to study when it is it appropriate to start using digital devices, and which are more in accord with the maturity they have attained. In many cases, it will be possible to “include the use of filtering technology in devices, to protect them as much as possible from pornography and other threats,”5 knowing at the same time that a virtuous life is the only unfailing filter and that it is available at all times.

Growing in virtues: the importance of good example

The family is a school of virtues, which grow through education, deliberate acts and persevering effort. Divine grace, in turn, purifies and elevates the virtues.6 Since the family is the place where the first notions of good and evil are grasped and the importance of sound values is learned, it is there that the edifice of each child’s virtues needs to be built up.

Certain lifestyles help children to find God, while others hinder it. Christian parents should naturally seek to form a Christian mentality and heart in their children, and try to make their home a school of virtues. The goal is to help every child learn to make decisions with human and spiritual maturity, in accord with their age. New technologies are another aspect that should be present in conversations and in the rules drawn up for the home, which usually are few and depend on the children’s ages.

Virtues cannot be lived in isolation, in a few specific aspects of life but not in others. For example, helping children not to give in to whims regarding food or games will also help them to behave better in the digital world, and vice versa.

New technologies attract everyone. Teaching virtues requires that parents should know how to make their personal self-demands contagious, setting an example of moderation. If children see our own struggle, they will be spurred to make a greater effort themselves. For example, by paying attention when speaking with them: putting the newspaper aside, turning down the television, making eye contact with the person speaking, not checking messages on the phone. And when the conversation is important, any devices should be turned off so that it is not interrupted. Education requires “prudence, understanding, a capacity to love and concern for giving good example.”7

When they are still young

Childhood is the time to begin practicing the virtues, and to learn the right use of freedom. It is at this stage when character development more easily occurs. We could even say that in childhood we build the “highways” that we will later travel in life.

Although any general rule can be nuanced, the experience of many educators is that when children are very young it is better for them not to have advanced electronic devices (tablets, smartphones, consoles). Also, in order to instill temperance and detachment, it is advisable that these devices belong to the family as a whole and be used in shared places. Parents should provide a plan to help children be moderate in their use of them, with family schedules and rules that protect other critical times for study, rest and family life, and that facilitate good use of time.

While children are coming to know the benefits and limits of the digital world, parents also need to teach them the value of direct human contact, which no technology can replace. At the appropriate time, we need to accompany them in their travels through the digital environment like a good mountain guide, lest they hurt themselves or cause others to be hurt. Checking the Internet together, “wasting time” playing on a console or fixing the settings on a smartphone are opportunities to engage in deeper conversations. “Parents and children should discuss together what we see and experience in cyberspace. It is also useful to share with other families that have the same values and concerns.”8

At this age, it is usually best for them not to have devices that are constantly connected to the Internet. It is better to follow a specific plan, with clearly set times and places for Internet access (disconnecting the devices or turning them off at night). While children need to be taught to protect themselves from dangerous situations, they also need the peace of mind that comes from knowing they can always turn to their parents for help. As St. Josemaria taught, “the ideal attitude of parents lies more in becoming their children’s friends–friends who will be willing to share their anxieties, who will listen to their problems, who will help them in an effective and agreeable way.”9

Adolescents

Upon reaching adolescence, children forcefully claim spheres of freedom that often they are not yet ready to handle properly. This doesn’t mean depriving them of their rightful autonomy. Rather the parents’ task is a much more difficult one: to teach children to manage their freedom responsibly. Only then will they be able to achieve the breadth of vision that allows them to aspire to higher goals.

As Benedict XVI stressed, “educating means providing people with true wisdom, which includes faith, in order to enter into relationship with the world; it means equipping them with sufficient guidelines in the order of thought, affections and judgments.”10 Adolescents need to open themselves freely to formation. While certain rules will always be required for family life, parents have here a fundamental resource: dialogue. It is important to explain the “whys” of certain ways of behaving, perhaps perceived by young people as over-rigidity, as well as the underlying reasons for certain ways of doing things that might be seen as limits, but which in reality are not petty prohibitions but strong affirmations for forging an authentic personality, by enabling young people to go against the current. It is more effective to show how attractive virtue is right from the start, appealing to the magnanimous ideals that fill young people’s hearts, the great loves that move them: loyalty to their friends, respect for others, the need to live temperance and modesty etc.

The parents’ work here is easier when they know their children’s interests. This does not require “spying” on them, but rather generating enough confidence for them to feel comfortable talking about what attracts them, to know what interests them and, where appropriate, spending time with them and sharing in their interests. Some young people have blogs or use the social networks, but their parents are unaware of this and have never looked at what they write there, so that children may think their parents don’t care or don’t like what they are doing. For some parents, looking from time to time at what their children are writing and doing on the Internet will be a pleasant discovery and a source of enrichment for family life and conversations.

This age is also appropriate for instilling the value of austerity in the use of devices, gadgets and software (applications, etc.). Parents need to teach children how to live detachment, not only because of the cost of hardware and software, but also so as “not to be dominated by feelings, going from one thing to another without discernment in search of what is fashionable.”11 This behavior is sometimes encouraged by those selling these devices, exerting a strong influence on children that is hard to counteract.

Adolescents also need to be taught to live self-restraint in the time they spend on social networks, video consoles, online games, etc. Explaining very well the reasons for behaving in this way will be a big help here, as well as, and above all, giving good example themselves. Living these guidelines personally is the best way for parents to communicate their importance in an atmosphere of love and freedom.

Knowing how to explain the “whys” doesn’t demand having advanced technical knowledge. In many cases the advice children need for their behavior in digital environments is the same required for their behavior in society: good manners, modesty and decency, respect for others, guarding their sight, self-control, etc.

Depending on each child’s age, it is crucial to have deep conversations about guiding their affections and about true friendship. It is good to remind children that what is published on the Internet is usually accessible to countless people anywhere in the world, and that almost all actions carried out in the digital environment leave a trail that can be accessed through searches. The digital world is a vast space that children need to learn to navigate with naturalness, but also with a lot of common sense. If no child would begin a conversation with the first person encountered on the street, neither should this happen on the Web. Effective and open family communication will help children understand all this, and create an atmosphere of trust in which they can voice any questions and resolve uncertainties.

Juan Carlos Vásconez

1 Benedict XVI, Message for the 45th World Communications Day (2011).

2 Cf. Benedict XVI, Message for the 47th World Communications Day (2013).

3 Cf. Benedict XVI, Message for the 43rd World Communications Day (2009).

4 Address to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, 21 September, 2013.

5 Pontifical Council for Social Communications, “The Church and Internet” (2002), no. 11.

6 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1839.

7 St. Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 27.

8 Pontifical Council for Social Communications, “The Church and Internet” (2002), no. 11

9 St. Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 27.

10 Benedict XVI, Address to Italian Bishops, 27 May 2008, “The Crisis in Education,” no. 11.

11 Francis, Address in Basilica of Saint Mary Major, 4 May 2013, no. 3.

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Sailing Safely on the Digital Seas

Today’s educational adventure includes the challenge to learn and teach others how to channel the new means of communication so that their use helps us to mature as persons, and doesn’t undermine the quality of family life but rather improves it. Therefore it would be counter-productive to simply forbid the use of new forms of technology – exclusion is not always the best way to educate. Instead, it is more beneficial to learn how to put these new means to good use, drawing the best from them. As the Holy Father advises, “good communication helps us to grow closer, to know one another better, and ultimately, to grow in unity.”1

We need to accompany young people so that they acquire an upright conscience, and help them to prepare for the battles of daily life. Then they will mature and learn how to act in every environment with naturalness and Christian conviction. Educating effectively requires building firm virtues, along with strong personal principles. Only then will children be able to lead a good life, order and moderate their natural impulses, control their actions, and overcome obstacles cheerfully in seeking and doing the true good, also in the digital world.

Since each person is different, we need to consider the best way to reach each child. Husband and wife should spend time together discussing the needs of their children and how best to help each one. One topic for these conversations should be the use of new technologies. Educating well in any area requires time, dedication and an ordered approach.

The goal in educating children is to help them acquire self-dominion. This is achieved by teaching them to struggle and win out in specific small battles. They need to learn to live a schedule, to respect others’ times of silence, to have a set timetable for playing video games and being on the Internet. As Saint John Paul II said, “struggle and personal effort is necessary whereby the body is made temperate but even more importantly the entire human being gets to experience the joy of both self-discipline and overcoming hurdles and difficulties. This indeed is one of the elements of maturity that marks the years of youth.”2

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion” (no. 1809). Temperance results in self-mastery in the use of created goods, achieved through ordering one’s inclinations towards the true good. “Life then takes on again shades and tones which intemperance had tended to blur. We find ourselves able to care for the needs of others, to share what is ours with everyone, to devote our energies to great causes.3

Digital decorum

“The anxiety to be connected to digital technology can end up isolating us from our neighbor, from the people who happen to be at our side.”4 An ever-present challenge is that of fostering personal interaction with others. For example, more significant matters are best communicated via face-to-face conversations. Important topics cannot be settled by text messages or in the virtual world. This family policy would be very beneficial at home. A personal conversation is the best way to ask someone’s pardon after offending them or to consult special plans in the family.

At the same time, it can be helpful to explain the value of not getting carried away by what is immediate and short-term. Precipitation could lead, for example, to a lack of courtesy or good manners with our neighbor. Other useful rules of “digital decorum” could include not taking calls while speaking with someone, turning off electronic devices during meals, respecting set times for using the computer at home, etc.

It is also useful to explain to children why responding to messages when annoyed or upset isn’t a good idea, especially when a wide audience is reached, as is the case with social media, Whatsapp groups, etc. In these situations, one’s irritation could lead to saying or writing things that one may later regret. If parents are attentive and notice that a child is acting in anger or haste, it could be an opportunity to have a deeper conversation about the need to temper their character, and encourage them to behave serenely and not to overreact due to momentary flare-ups.

Learning to control curiosity

A good way for parents to win the trust and confidence of their children is to try to find answers to their curiosity, even when they are still very young and begin to ask the “why” of things. Children will open up to their parents when they discover they are ready to listen to all their concerns. It is good to make it easy for them to talk freely about all the questions and doubts that naturally start arising. At times parents may not have the answer to every problem. But they can tell their child clearly: “I don’t know but I’ll try to find out.” And later they can return with an explanation.

If children trust their parents to resolve doubts and questions that arise, they won’t need to always have recourse to the Internet. Many parents are worried about the ease with which children can access pornography or other harmful content such as messages that foster hate or manuals that explain how to make weapons, etc. One can come across such material without even looking for it. With just a few “clicks,” a curious boy or girl can access a world of violence and hate, sensuality and offensive language, etc. At times this information is found on apparently harmless websites. Therefore it is important to teach children to use the Internet with a clear goal, and never just to waste time. And if harmful content does appear unwanted on the screen, they need to block it out immediately, putting Saint Josemaría’s advice into practice: “Allow me to repeat it: have the courage to run away and the moral strength not to dally with your weakness or wonder how far you can go.”5

At times it can be good for parents to ask their children for help to configure the privacy options for their personal social network, or speak about a “malicious” email that one of the parents has received. Thus parent can gradually give solid criteria to their children, who are the ones ultimately who will have to act freely. Parents need the “risky trust” of allowing them to grow in responsibility in accord with each child’s age.

Learning to focus

A common complaint nowadays is that the digital technologies lead to superficiality. But what is often not mentioned is that the root of the problem lies in trying to do three or four things at the same time, which leads to dispersion and lack of attention. Some young people, while trying to read a book, not only listen to music but keep checking for updates on social media and new messages on their smartphone. The boundary between one activity and another is blurred. Certainly some tasks can be performed simultaneously fairly effectively, while others, such as studying, need more concentrated attention. The mind cannot maintain the same intensity while engaged in multiple activities at the same time. Therefore children need to be taught ways to focus their attention on one task at a time, which is also one of the best pieces of advice to help them become good professionals in the future.

Here parents need to help children grasp the why behind the rule. When asked why they cannot watch a short 3-minute video now, children should be told that it is not only a question of time, but also of resisting the impulse to respond to every stimulus around us, which distracts us from the work we are doing right now: “do what you ought and concentrate on what you are doing.”6

Pope Francis reminds us: “We need, for example, to recover a certain sense of deliberateness and calm. This calls for time and the ability to be silent and to listen.”7 We have to be on guard against dissipation. Teaching children to avoid dispersion and to focus their attention helps them to concentrate when studying and also to pray more readily. Otherwise they will find it hard to do anything worthwhile. “You slake your senses and faculties in whatever pool you meet on the way. And you can feel the results: unsettled purpose, scattered attention, deadened will and quickened concupiscence.”8

Superficiality and vanity

Many present-day technological advances, if not properly used, can lead to a growing individualism and to focusing exclusively on how one appears to others, characteristic of a superficial mentality. “Young people are particularly sensitive to the empty, meaningless values that often surround them. Unfortunately, moreover, it is they who pay the consequences.”9

A clear sign of vanity is the obsession to increase the number of contacts (friends and followers) accumulated in the digital world. On the social networks, those who regularly post material that is interesting or funny or very personal usually acquire a greater following. “First of all, we must be aware that the truth we long to share does not derive its worth from its ‘popularity’ or from the amount of attention it receives. We must make it known in its integrity, instead of seeking to make it acceptable or diluting it. It must become daily nourishment and not a fleeting attraction.”10

A possible temptation is that of wanting to bring into the public domain things that are more private or intimate, which attracts people’s attention and awakens curiosity. Young people will learn to avoid these dangers if they carry out an optimistic struggle, through specific victories in little acts of virtue and self-dominion.

Good communication at home will help young people understand the underlying issues and create an atmosphere of trust where they can freely raise their doubts and uncertainties. Saint Josemaría encouraged parents to speak in a noble way with their children and be happy to see them mature, gradually removing restrictions and allowing their freedom and personality to strengthen.

Sociability

Human beings are social by nature. A great part of our personal growth involves being in touch with others and communicating who we are. Adolescence is the phase during which these social relations begin to take clearer shape and depth. The need to relate to others socially is closely connected to feeling part of a group. The digital technologies offer young people resources to strengthen their group of friends. In fact, it is quite common to form virtual groups for sharing content just among friends (although sometimes friends of friends are accepted in the group, and thus the content of the information shared ends up being accessible to a large audience.)

At times the strong sense of belonging to a group can lead young people to be excessively concerned about checking updates in the status of their friends and new contacts. It can also happen that in social gatherings or parties they are more concerned about the photos they take and how fast they can upload them on social media than actually enjoying the company of the other people present. The challenge is to take advantage of these opportunities to teach young people in a friendly way about the respect they owe others and the need for good manners.

Fortitude and freedom

Teaching people how to say ‘no’ is the same as teaching them how to say a generous ‘yes,’ by showing them the beauty of the virtues as the pathway to a happy life. Therefore it is very helpful to explain the value of knowing how to say ‘no,’ clearly and firmly, if the situation calls for it. Saying ‘no’ will be a tangible expression of self-mastery, without losing one’s calm or good manners.

Children should find in their parents the greatest defenders of their personal freedom. Freedom should combine with responsibility, depending on each one’s age, when it comes to the private use of electronic devices. When children have smartphones or tablets, it might not be opportune to deny them the ability to use passwords; although in some families the parents may also encourage them to share their devices with one of their siblings from time to time, in which case their private information will become accessible to others. Thus young people will learn to be transparent, since one of their siblings may have to make use of their device unexpectedly. This should be done not in order to pry into their activities, but rather to create an atmosphere of detachment and sharing with others in family life.

When all is said and done, we cannot forget that the secret of family happiness lies in the most ordinary daily events, “in making the best use of all the benefits that civilization offers to make family life pleasant, life simpler and education more effective.”11

Juan Carlos Vásconez

1 Pope Francis, Message for the 48th World Communications Day, 23 January 2014.

2 Saint John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Dilecti Amici, no. 14.

3 Saint Josemaría, Friends of God, no. 84.

4 Francis, Message for the 48th World Communications Day, 23 January 2014.

5 Saint Josemaria, Furrow, no. 137.

6 Saint, Josemaria, The Way, no. 815.

7 Francis, Message for the 48th World Communications Day, 23 January 2014.

8 Saint Josemaria, The Way, no. 375.

9 Francis, Angelus, St. Peter Square, 4 August 2013.

10 Benedict XVI, Message for the 45th World Communications Day, 5 June 2011.

11 Saint Josemaria, Conversations, no. 91.

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