Conducting an ocular visit or feasibility study is essential before embarking on any mission in the physical world. This helps us familiar...
Conducting an ocular visit or feasibility study is essential before embarking on any mission in the physical world. This helps us familiarize ourselves with the location, understand the task, and determine the necessary steps. We evaluate the problem, analyze the situation, and leverage our principles and strengths to identify potential solutions. As Cybermissionaries, it is crucial to assess the terrain before proceeding with our mission.
To be a successful Cybermissionary, one must have unwavering trust in the Lord and His plan. Our mission is not dependent on our own strength, capacity, or intelligence but on our willingness to follow God's will. To do it in His name. It's important to remember that we are not in control and to remain open to embracing whatever God asks of us. It is important to remember, especially to the missionaries here, that we are not called because we are the best. Instead, we are called because God wants us to do something just as we are. Miracles only happen when God does extraordinary things out of our ordinary.
The internet is like a foreign land with different personalities, hopes, dreams, negativity, and positivity. As netizens, we encounter various circumstances, and in social media, we come across different expressions of ways of life, aspirations, faith, contradictions, and more. Take a moment to reflect on your digital presence and that of your relatives, neighbors, acquaintances, friends or even strangers. What kind of content do they usually post on social media? What are their common trends, aspirations, desires, and energy? What are they looking for or thirsty for? What do they want, and what are their wounds that need healing? It's essential to understand their realities to navigate the cyberworld better.
Once the terrain has been assessed, it's time to define our mission. We should align our principles and spirituality and draw our objectives and lines of action. TO LOVE THE LORD OUR GOD IS THE HEART OF EVERY MISSION. Loving the Lord is equivalent to loving our neighbor as ourselves. Helping those who need help is helping Christ. Is that all? You might think there's nothing new here. But this is the same formula for every known saint and every holy individual. I thought we were all imitators of Christ. We are not making ourselves present in the digital world so that we will be loved. We are making ourselves present because we want to follow Jesus’ command. It's the main principle of Joseph the Dreamer and the guiding principle in the mission of our Father Founder, Saint Anthony Mary Claret.
As we have said, you don’t need to be somebody or a techy guy to be a Cybermissionary. You have to have, first and foremost, a loving heart. You may wonder why you are part of this formation program when you might not know many techniques or don’t even know how to join Zoom meetings properly, or your Provincial or Major Superior just forced you. I don’t believe you are just here by coincidence listening to me. You are here because God chose you! Because He knows that you have a heart that can move mountains if only you will let Him do the work if you shrug off all the worries and trust in Him. You were chosen because you love God. Don’t you? And through you, you can inspire others to love Him.
As Cybermissionaries, our principles should be the same when doing missions in the digital world. We should not seek to be loved, gain likes, or become famous as the best influencers or communicators. Our purpose is to make God known to all so that everyone can love and praise Him. Through this, sinners can be converted, the just can persevere in grace, and we can all reach eternal glory. And that leads me to the parable of the Good Samaritan as the biblical foundation of the mission of the Cybermissionary.
WHY THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN?
During our community Spiritual Exercises in September of 2022 in Formia, Italy, I reflected on the parable of the good Samaritan, which was given to us as a text. Although the retreat focused on a different aspect, I realized that this biblical text could serve as the foundation of Cybermissionaries 2.0, which the General Chapter seeks. This reflection also coincided with the final message of the Encounter of the Major Superiors with the General Government in Nairobi a few days earlier. In February of this year, I considered sharing it with two groups learning website design, management, and social media presence, but I only shared some parts. Later, I was surprised that Paolo Ruffini, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Communications, used the exact scriptural text in his pastoral reflection on engagement with social media, titled "Towards Full Presence," released at the end of May this year. I saw this as a sign that our thoughts align with the Church's. Although I read Ruffini's reflection, I chose not to modify the content of my session and did not integrate any of its thoughts so that you can see how the Holy Spirit works.
Why use a biblical text as a basis for our mission?
- Servants of the Word
- Rooted in Christ
- Biblical Animation of all Pastoral Ministries
THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT
Luke 10:25-37
25 An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. [a] “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
29 But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is the best biblical foundation and model for cybermission because the text/parable addresses several important topics. Firstly, it was in response to the question of attaining eternal life. As Father Claret put it, “in reaching eternal glory.” And the answer to that is the answer of the expert in the law: love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Secondly, it highlighted the actions of the Good Samaritan and the question of who was considered a neighbor to the man. Lastly, Jesus commanded his followers to go and do likewise. The attitude of the Good Samaritan coincides with the attitude of Joseph the Dreamer and St. Anthony Mary Claret.
1. ETERNAL LIFE = LOVE GOD + NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF
As Cybermissionaries, we believe in carrying out missions even in the digital world because we recognize that real people with souls live in that parallel world. They are not just mere digital imprints or virtual people, but our neighbors. We also acknowledge that even AI has a person behind its creation and cannot be neglected. We need to understand their stories, realities, wounds and needs so that we can do something. We do not want to be like the priest or the Levite who ignored the wounded dying man, following strict rules that they believed would lead to eternal glory. Instead, we value flexibility and disregard rules for the sake of the human soul. I know some of you are irritated with flexibility and tolerance, changes in rules, and disregard of proper procedures, like those who condemned Jesus, with a “Judas” mind I often say, that’s why he ended up betraying the Lord. As Cybermissionaries, we have to be like the good Samaritan if we want to gain eternal life.
We undertake missions because they are necessary. It is what the people are looking for. It is essential to identify these needs accurately. We do not fabricate “needs” for netizens to create a mission, similar to what we do in workplaces, offices, schools, mission stations, and churches. We should not invent things for our benefit, just to have a mission, even if it does not address the needs of those we serve. That is why I have asked you to identify them first at the start of our session. Because if we see that there is no need, no wounds to heal, no person to love, then Cybermission will not have any meaning at all. Better stop our nonsense.
2. THE ACTIONS OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN = THE ACTIONS OF A CYBERMISSIONARY
A. SAMARITAN (KNOW) - In the Bible, a Samaritan was someone who hailed from the region of Samaria, situated to the north of Jerusalem. During Jesus' era, the Jewish inhabitants of Galilee and Judea held the Samaritans in disdain, deeming them as a mixed-race people who followed a corrupted, half-pagan faith. The Jews of the New Testament era loathed the Samaritans and refused to have any association with them. The most well-known Samaritan in the Bible is the one mentioned in Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). A Jewish legal expert had tested Jesus by asking Him to expound on the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself," specifically, he asked Jesus to define the term "neighbor."
Jesus told a parable about a man in need, where the story's hero was a Samaritan. The lawyer listening to the story did not expect the Samaritan to act lovingly and compassionately towards his neighbor due to prejudices against Samaritans. The story aimed to shock the audience of prejudiced Jews and show that true love should surpass all human boundaries, including race, religion, nationality, economic class, and educational status…and even in the digital world. “True love” can be propagated even in the digital world.
As Cybermissionaries, we are like Samaritans, we might be looked at as “we don’t have anything to do with them” (netizens). We are strangers as they are also strangers to us. Netizens may hate us for being Christians and because of the “Church” because of the many realities of the church in the real world. And here we are insisting ourselves to be with them…again. But the Samaritan didn’t care. He was just concerned about the person wounded and needed attention. I think one thing that will make the Cybermissionaries unique to the rest of the influencers out there, different from the usual posting here and there, homilies here and there, IS THAT THE CYBERMISSIONARIES OPT TO DEDICATE TO THE PERIPHERIES OF THE CYBERWORLD, TO THE MARGINALIZED, TO THOSE WHO ARE WOUNDED AND ARE LINGERING IN THE INTERNET LOOKING FOR HOPE, LOOKING FOR TRUE HAPPINESS, LOOKING FOR A DEEPER FAITH. That’s my challenge to you. Otherwise, you will be the same as those already in the digital world. You don’t make a difference. But with that, we not only realize the Dream of biblically animating all our pastoral ministries, of intelligent use of the various forms of communication media, but also the dream of being committed to universal brotherhood, audacious and itinerant, following the example of Mary in proclaiming and fulling the Word of God, rooted in Jesus Christ and Claretian Spirituality. In short, we live the Claretian Dream in the cyberworld. We live Fratelli Tutti of Pope Francis.
B. SAW AND MOVED WITH COMPASSION (LOVE). As Cybermissionaries, our first step should be to overcome indifference. You previously shared what you saw and observed. How did those situations make you feel? Did you feel moved, indifferent, or pity? Do you believe those individuals require help, a listening ear, and comfort? Like in the real world, we should be moved to engage with these people. Let the reality of our neighbor touch us, move us. We should focus on building relationships with our neighbors and with God through our digital connections and ministries. By demonstrating love to our neighbors and guiding them towards the love of God, we are fulfilling our mission. Making so many connections is not the key to fulfilling our mission, it’s by touching many hearts and lives and ours as well. Communication is not just done by talking. God’s communicators and holy people talk less by mouth but more by heart.
C. WENT TO HIM, BANDAGED HIS WOUNDS, AND TREATED HIM WITH OIL AND WINE (SERVE). As someone who understands the needs of those who use the internet, it's essential to know how to help someone who is hurting. There are many ways to provide digital inspiration to those who may be losing hope, struggling with their faith or feeling hurt by the church, living a double life, tired of fake news, or dealing with LGBTQ issues. It is crucial to provide assistance without worsening the situation. What to do to kill addiction, fake news. What treatment or support can you provide to aid in the healing process? Cybermissionaries should consider specific approaches and innovative actions to make the digital realm more personal and interactive.
D. PUT ON HIS ANIMAL, BROUGHT HIM TO AN INN AND TOOK CARE OF HIM (PRAISE). The Good Samaritan generously offered his time and resources to help someone in need. Many people may not be willing to do this because it requires sacrificing something without any expected gain in return. However, Cybermissionary expect nothing in return because they trust that the Lord will repay all of their sacrifices and efforts. The Samaritan didn't just stop at feeling compassion and providing first aid. Instead, he went above and beyond by taking the person to an inn and ensuring they received continued care. As Cybermissionaries, we have to give our all. Giving all of ourselves - from the soul and body to the mind, heart, and hands. This holistic approach not only fosters gratitude in the person receiving help but also directs their gratitude towards God for his blessings and salvation. Who will not praise the Lord for this second life given to the wounded man? The Cybermissionary should be careful not to let the overwhelming praises, likes, and comments defeat the purpose.
E. GAVE MONEY AND ORDERED THE INNKEEPER TO TAKE CARE OF HIM (AN INFLUENCER-SYNODALITY-SYNERGY). Our mission to love the Lord our God is not just for ourselves but should be shared with everyone we can. The gesture of involving the innkeeper, involving others in caring for those in need sets an example for others to follow in loving and serving others. As Cybermissionaries and influencers, it is gratifying to know that our actions can inspire others to learn more about God, love Him and those around them, serve the Lord, and praise God.
You might have noticed that the first four points A to D are also titled, know, love, serve, and praised. I suppose these words are very familiar to you. These words summarize the parable of the Samaritan, they summarize the life and mission of St. Anthony Mary Claret. They summarize even the person of Joseph the Dreamer.
You may wonder about the technical assistance and knowledge we provide our Provinces and Delegations. You will be asked to do that. But that is secondary. The priority is God above all else, and trust me, everything will fall into place if you put Him first above all else. God first before everything, and everything else will follow.
3. GO AND DO LIKEWISE
The parable concludes with Jesus instructing the legal expert to "Go and do likewise!" This command of Jesus applies to us, whether in the physical world or online. What does it mean? It means we should love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. By doing so, not only will we gain eternal life, but we will also positively impact the lives of others.
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