Okay – warning y’all I’m boutta step on my soap box.

As Catholics, my friends, we are not allowed to form our consciences through Instagram. We are not allowed to supplement our prayer lives with blog posts, and we also should not be in the business of “Jesus wins so I don’t care what happens in the world.”

Let’s unpack that.

It’s been a YEAR – quite a year. Swirling scandals, chaos, disappointment, unrest, illness, abuse, uncertainty, confusion…the enemy has really done a number. But really, what else is new. Satan hates you, your mom, and everyone else. 

One of the most tragic things I’ve seen this year are Catholics who are ardently defending things that definitely don’t line up with Catholic teaching, and not even knowing it. Just because someone (oftentimes, another Catholic) posts a beautiful graphic or compelling words, it’s taken as dogma. 

What.

Next: periodically, I’ll post questions on my story about how people are doing, or how I can pray for them. It’s an honor to hear the hearts of so many I’ve never even met – and as so many speak about issues, it inevitably comes out they’re not really working on a prayer life. We’re talking practicing Catholics, following every Catholic influencer possible, who are not taking time to encounter the Lord on a daily basis. 

Friends, I’m not speaking this from a point of perfection – in confession this past Sunday, I confessed not taking enough time for prayer. I get it – the busyness, the occasional boredom, all the things. 

But this world cannot afford, and you cannot afford, to skip out on receiving Father’s love for you.

On the issue of the inevitable victory of the Lord – it is not an excuse for us to shut ourselves up and not know what is going on in the world. Jesus told us to be in the world, not of the world.

So, regardless of what’s going on in our government or world, here’s my challenge to you: use your beautiful brain, gifted to you by the Lord. For real. Seek to understand Church teaching. Seek to read things that challenge you. So many of us have settled for the lowest common denominator: we don’t like to engage with what is going on, because we feel out of control, or it’s too confusing. We don’t like to allow our hearts to be affected because it’s uncomfortable and scary.

But we need to know what’s going on, in our Church, and in our world, so here’s my challenge to you: spend less time on Instagram in the next week, and more time with the Catechism. It’s literally all online; look up a section you’re interested in on pretty much anything, and read about it. Read a current events article from a trustworthy source, and look up words or references you don’t understand.

Let’s not be passive consumers. Let’s not let the inevitable victory of Jesus make us insensitive to suffering or confusion around us; let us love with the truth, in both words and actions. 

And bring it all to prayer. Add three minutes to your usual prayer routine allowing your heart to be affected by the world, and bring it to Jesus. Intercede where you’re most affected by the blatant need – and

Social media and blogs, ordered rightly, should make us create more space in our lives for Jesus. That moment when you audibly “mhmmm” at poetic, striking words? Let it bring you to your knees, not just impact you in that moment. 

Okay, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. It takes great strength to be grounded in the truth of the Gospel, and while it is so beautiful to flood our feeds with truth – go to the source. Whether that’s the Catechism, an encyclical, a newsource, or the Source of Life Himself, Jesus Christ, don’t settle for the lowest common denominator of media consumption.

And, hey, leave me a comment and let me know what you’ve learned, or how He’s speaking to you.

United in the Eucharist – let’s pray for this world.