By Kaitlin Klein
Wonderful Adventure
There's quite a bit of research confirming this claim: excess screen time can be harmful. I believe it can be harmful in many ways, but here I'd like to offer some reflections about how it can negatively affect the spiritual life. Before I begin, know that I myself am not totally detached — I use a smartphone to communicate, gather information and use social media (occasionally), and I know technology and digital resources can definitely be positive and helpful. However, in a world that is so saturated with screens and information of all kinds, it is prudent to reflect on how this engagement affects our lives. We are body-soul composites; what our eyes see and what our brains consume directly impacts our thinking, our intellect, how we respond to the world and how we engage with the Lord. I'm not just talking about the obviously sinful material available online, but the ordinary things, none of it bad, per se, but the sheer amount of time we could spend on a screen is incredible. We could spend our entire lives online and on screens if we wanted. We can water virtual plants. Untangle virtual cords. Read books, play games, check the weather, find recipes, communicate with people, edit photos, and on and on and on. (You can find prayers, yes, and the Bible and Breviary are online as well. These are blessings, especially when a situation may warrant not having a paper copy. I personally choose to print or read the hard copy whenever possible.)
A phone or iPad or screen is a tangible connection to this earthly world. We live in the world that God created, and He desires us to pursue holiness in the ordinariness of life. In this day and age, it is expected to have a phone, so I'm not suggesting we all throw our phones away (though if you can ... that sounds freeing to me) — but we must be aware of how connected we are to them. Do we allow our presence to the duty at hand to be constantly interrupted by notifications from 15 apps on our phones? Our phones are so smart that they can do exactly what we tell them — you can remove all social media notifications and put your phone on "do not disturb" mode, only allowing calls to come through, for example.
We are called to be present to those around us and to fulfill the duty of the moment. As Catherine Doherty says, "The duty of the moment is what you should be doing at any given time, in whatever place God has put you.”
You may not have Christ in a homeless person at your door, but you may have a little child.
If you have a child, your duty of the moment may be to change a dirty diaper.
So you do it.
But you don't just change that diaper, you change it to the best of your ability, with great love for both God and that child ...
There are all kinds of good Catholic things you can do, but whatever they are, you have to realize that there is always the duty of the moment to be done."
And it must be done, because the duty of the moment is the duty of God.”
Let's not let screens delay us from completing our duty. Life is such a gift! There are dirty diapers to change! Real plants to water! Real cords to untangle, both literally and figuratively, and we are blessed each day with the opportunity to get our hands dirty in this wonderful world the Lord has made. There are more thoughts about the spiritual implications of screen time, but this is a good place to start.