Gone are the days of giving up chocolate or potato chips or soda for Lent. Well, in Italy, at least.
In the run up to Ash Wednesday, Archbishop Benito Cocchi of Modesta suggested that Catholic youth give up text messaging on Fridays in order to “detox from the virtual world and get back in touch with themselves.”
Other bishops in Italy have picked Cocchi’s message are encouraged the youngsters in their dioceses to abstain from Facebook, texting and iPods.
Now, this so-called ‘text message fast’ that bishops are quick support and impart can be taken one of two ways.
First, we could see it as a positive sign. Cocchi and his supporters are recognizing the ‘signs of the times.’ They are acknowledging that while it may no longer be meaningful for folks to eat fish on Fridays instead of meat, it might actually be a sacrifice for people to limit their use of electronic communications.
However, at the same time, it could also show how out of touch these bishops are with how young people relate to their faith.
In the Catholic tradition, Lent is a time for reflection, spiritual nourishment and growth. For most young adults, this act of seeking will not take place in a pew but rather behind a computer screen.
Mike Sweitzer-Beckman explains it best in an article for the National Catholic Reporter:
[T]here is church taking place online: connections on Facebook, reflections on blogs, and sharing religion through other media on the Internet. I would venture to say that it is important for Catholics to be a part of all these dialogues — whether it’s in an actual parish, learning from the documents passed down through the hierarchy, or learning from what real faithful people are sharing online.
Now, you may want to mark this down because I am about to compliment the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). While some bishops in Italy are pushing for limited technology during Lent, the USCCB has amped up its website to include myriad online resources for people of faith during the Lenten season. The website includes everything from articles and podcasts to audio retreats and video meditations.
This website shows that – in this instance, at least – the US bishops and the folks working with them are trying to know their audience and use whatever tools work to disseminate their message. They are trying to be a place for online spiritual seekers.
By suggesting that young adults should cut their lines to technology during the Lenten season might also be cutting some young adults off from the place where they seek their faith – their church. And that is not something you want to do during this season of reflection.
