Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Kathleen Murphy reflects on Pope Francis’ April Prayer Intention that the use of the new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
“When I worked at a computer repair place, a guy brought a unit in to get repaired, and I looked at him and said that I couldn’t help him. He was kinda irritated and was asking why a computer repair place couldn’t repair his computer. I told him it was because he brought in a dehumidifier and not a PC tower.” (buzzfeed website)
We’ve all probably made some silly mistakes in our use of technology. However, Pope Francis can also see a more serious side of the use of technology today. He finds this concern worthy of our prayer. His intention for April is: Let us pray that the use of the new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times.
Journalist, Bill Schmitt considers Pope Francis’ thought on technology in an article entitled Perspectives on the Ethereal Battle of Man vs. Machine Learning. Let us look at some of these ideas.
One might say that four decades after Pope John Paul II concluded his landmark presentations on the “Theology of the Body,” Pope Francis is compiling a less formal “Theology of the Disembodied.”
Francis has said “At this time in history, which risks becoming rich in technology and poor in humanity, our reflections must begin with the human heart. . .. Only by adopting a spiritual way of viewing reality, only by recovering a wisdom of the heart, can we confront and interpret the newness of our time and rediscover the path to a fully human communication.”
Technical extensions of our natural abilities can help the world to overcome its language gaps, better understand our “patrimony of written knowledge from past ages,” and support our thinking in many disciplines “as a means of loving service,” he acknowledged.
However, digital dominance can also cause “cognitive pollution” that misinforms and misleads us. This is the battle of Man vs. Machine Learning, the Flesh-and-Blood vs. the Disembodied. Pope Francis has clearly studied both the benefits and dangers of any new “wisdom” that is not ensouled with human values and activated virtues.
Continuing with the same train of thought, in a message delivered to the Society of Saint Paul, the pope said, Use the most effective and up-to-date means of communication to bring the Good News to people where and how they live.”
He told the priests not to forget St. Paul’s message in the Letter to Romans to not be conformed to this age, but to be transformed by the renewal of their minds. Paul does not say transform the world, but … ‘let yourselves be transformed,’ that is, make room for the only subject who can transform you: the Holy Spirit, the Grace of God.”
The Holy Father continued, and now, after the early days of euphoria for technological innovations, we are aware that it is not enough to live ‘online’ or ‘connected,’ we need to see to what extent our communication, enriched by the digital environment, actually creates bridges and contributes to the construction of the culture of encounter.
How does all of this relate to hope and to Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures? You may recall an earlier citation of a thought from the Brothers of Taize that says: Far from being a simple wish for the future with no guarantee that it will come about, Christian hope is the presence of divine love in person, the Holy Spirit, a current of life that carries us to the ocean of the fullness of communion. Can this current of life that is the Spirit have anything to do with a technological reality? No! The Spirit can only live and move in a human heart and mind. The Spirit’s truth can then be shared and enlarged upon through technology as the tool of a human inspiration.
In terms of a glance at St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures, we can focus on the last two lines which say: Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks, and serve him with great humility. God has gifted us with intellectual gifts that have led to amazing advances in the field of technology. Yet, Francis calls us to serve God, not be become a god, not to be creation’s dictator. He also challenges us to serve with humility. This must be a true and sincere humility which recognizes the glorious person of our God. We are reminded of God’s awesome power in creating all that is and then to see our role in using our talents to preserve and complement the wondrous universe that surrounds us.
Perhaps this month we can take time to examine our own use of and attitude toward technology. Do we use it as a tool to make quality connections with people and worthwhile content? Do we use technology in ways that merely produce information and idea pollution in our minds and days? Do we allow our devices to dominate our time? Do we allow these tools to rule us by convincing us that certain gadgets, fashions or modes of entertainment are necessary for our comfort and happiness? When is the last time we used a technological device to bring truth or inspiration to our day? When is the last time we used technology to make a worthwhile and charitable connection with someone?
We pray in the words of the National Council of Catholic Women, Loving God, we seek balance in our use of our devices. May we use technology and our time wisely as a means to communicate your message of love to the world. Amen.
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