In 1 Corinthians 9, St. Paul speaks of the race, and how the Christian must run to obtain the prize. According to Angela Santana, Honors student at St. Mary’s University, the Catholic Church has fallen behind in the race of media and technology.
In a world which puts much emphasis on the internet and social media, the Church can answer those needs in employing technology to evangelize. In her paper, Santana speaks of parallels in marketing and evangelizing. In marketing, one must know everything about their target audience so as to effectively communicate with and meet their needs. It is more than advertising, it is building a relationship.
Those in the Church can learn from this model. If we cannot reach our “target market” in a meaningful way, the message will never be heard, and relationships will not be built. This does not mean changing the message of salvation, but merely communicating on the level of our audience.
“Precious aid”
Pope John Paul II said in, The Rapid Development, that media provides “precious aid for spreading the Gospel and religious values, for promoting dialogue, ecumenical and inter-religious cooperation, and also for defending those solid principles which are indispensable for building a society which respects the dignity of the human person and is attentive to the common good.” Media is not an obstacle for evangelization, but can be a valuable tool in spreading the faith.
It cannot be denied that it is the vocation and role of the youth to evangelize to their peers, and to be the example of a new and faithful generation. While it is not limited to the youth, to them specifically, is given the responsibility of using media for the glory of God.
Read the entire paper, “New Media, New Evangelization: The Unique Benefits of New Media and Why the Church Should Engage Them,” by Angela Santana.
