Digitalizing the liturgy: faith in the age of screens
Gospel readings, responsorial psalm, the saints' calendar and the rosary in a single thread. Liturgical tradition adapts to the digital world without losing its essence.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The daily liturgy crosses the digital frontier
A single thread combines Paul's letter to the Ephesians, psalm 116, the homily by Father Santiago Martín and the praying of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at three in the afternoon. All of it accompanied by an evening rosary and live Mass at eight. The old practice of reading the Gospel of the day has moved to forums and messaging groups, where dozens of the faithful receive the readings and the saints' calendar with almost liturgical punctuality.
The attention economy spares not even prayer. Posting the full text of the first reading, the responsorial psalm and the homily is a way of ensuring the message arrives without filters or algorithms. Unlike the Vatican's official apps, here the intermediary is a user who copies and pastes, and who adds a personalized greeting – "Buenos días nos dé Dios" ("May God give us a good day") – that humanizes the message.
Among the mentions of dozens of users and the links to the Chaplet, the thread also offers a rarity: the Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers), compiled by the Jesuit Heribert Rosweyde in the 17th century. An eremitic tradition that arrives through the French translation by the monks of Solesmes. Scholarship blends with popular devotion.
To what extent is technology transforming the religious experience, or simply moving it to a new screen?
A single thread combines Paul's letter to the Ephesians, psalm 116, the homily by Father Santiago Martín and the praying of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at three in the afternoon. All of it accompanied by an evening rosary and live Mass at eight. The old practice of reading the Gospel of the day has moved to forums and messaging groups, where dozens of the faithful receive the readings and the saints' calendar with almost liturgical punctuality.
The attention economy spares not even prayer. Posting the full text of the first reading, the responsorial psalm and the homily is a way of ensuring the message arrives without filters or algorithms. Unlike the Vatican's official apps, here the intermediary is a user who copies and pastes, and who adds a personalized greeting – "Buenos días nos dé Dios" ("May God give us a good day") – that humanizes the message.
Among the mentions of dozens of users and the links to the Chaplet, the thread also offers a rarity: the Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers), compiled by the Jesuit Heribert Rosweyde in the 17th century. An eremitic tradition that arrives through the French translation by the monks of Solesmes. Scholarship blends with popular devotion.
To what extent is technology transforming the religious experience, or simply moving it to a new screen?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (24 replies).
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