“Live in peace with one another” (Mk 9:41-50).
Caring for communion and harmony is a wonderful and challenging task. We need to learn to dialogue and encounter one another, without blurring, affirming our identities and preserving our differences, but in peace and unity. Our society needs true artisans of dialogue and encounter, peacemakers.
Peace begins in our hearts when we are able to look at events with hope in spite of difficulties, if we let a bad answer pass us by, if we are able to smile in the face of problems and look for the possible in the face of obstacles. Peace is an art that is realized in the differences. Harmony and peace are built by respecting each person in their dignity, valuing the good they can give and dialoguing in the midst of difficulties.
What can the use of new technologies bring to the cultivation of harmonious human relationships? The Pope asks us that human relationships should not be replaced. And we can add that they should not be undermined, degraded, or damaged. That they do not exacerbate differences, and that they are not channels of aggression, humiliation, or contempt. That they be a means for encounter, for healthy recreation, development and the promotion of culture. This challenge is largely in the hands of those who use this technology.
This April we are invited to make good use of technology. We can ask ourselves: How does it help us, how does it help us to develop deep human relationships, how does it help us to achieve peace and encounter with others? In our daily life, we have the opportunity to make alive the challenge that Pope Francis proposes to us: Let us pray that the use of new technologies does not replace human relationships, respects the dignity of persons, and helps to face the crises of our time.
It is up to you to make this challenge a reality in your daily environment. Are you up for it?
Maria Bettina Raed
Vice International Director
Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network