On Social Media As A Tool To Open Hearts And Minds
News outlets across the world recently heralded the 25th birthday of the Internet. That birthday came on the heels of a fleeting cyberspace moment that, in my opinion, sent a significant message. Comedian Ellen DeGeneres “broke” Twitter by urging people to retweet a photo she took in the middle of the live broadcast of the Oscars presentations.
None of us truly could have predicted the changes in our lives the Worldwide Web has spawned. Social media is among the most amazing and important of these, in my opinion.
Properly used, platforms like Twitter and Facebook make it possible for us to connect more intimately with people from across all walks of life than was ever possible 25 years ago – heck, even 10-15 years ago. Social media offers us an opportunity to evangelize like never before. For me, at least, the impact of Ellen’s “selfie” proved it.
As I write this, the photo has been retweeted almost 3.4 million times. If every one of those Twitter users has only 10 unique followers, that photo reached 34 million people. I’m confident it reached a higher number, probably a much higher number.
Think about that for a minute – then imagine the power we have to reach people using Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets. Back on March 5, various Twitter hashtags related to Ash Wednesday led to the “trending” of the traditional start of Lent on the network. In other words, people were talking about Ash Wednesday in a big way.
My personal goal for social-media evangelizing is pretty basic. It’s the same I have with any form of communicating I use. I hope, simply, to move people to think. The Holy Spirit changes hearts and minds – not my Twitter feed. For that change to occur, however, people must have their hearts and minds open for the Spirit to enter.
I believe we can use our social media accounts to create such openings. I hope and pray we can because I don’t post out of any need for attention. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.
I posted to The Message Facebook and Twitter accounts about the “Light On for You” personal-confession event, which occurred March 19 across our diocese. I asked Facebook folks to like and share the post, which included the link to a short video about “Light On for You.” I asked Twitter followers to retweet it.
My hope and prayer in posting was that someone, somewhere, saw the post and felt moved to watch the video – and that their heart and mind opened just enough for the Holy Spirit to enter and move them to go to Confession. They may have seen the inside of a confessional for the first time in years … heard the precious words of absolution for the first time in a long time.
Maybe Confession moved them to tears. It often does that to me, producing tears of love and gratitude for God’s mercy and forgiveness. Maybe they shared the news of going to Confession with a friend or loved one – or even with their Facebook friends and/or Twitter followers. And maybe that sharing opened the heart and mind of someone they told – enough for the Holy Spirit to enter and move that person.
I believe that’s how we can evangelize through social media. God’s not interested in how many Facebook friends or Twitter followers we have. He’s interested in welcoming all of us to our eternal home with Him – not through our posts, but through His only begotten Son.
All of this leads me to my own Ellen-like request. As Lent continues to unfold, consider posting about our Savior and including the “hashtag” #INRI. Those letters, which we see on crucifuxes above Jesus, are short for the Latin "Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum" – Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
I’m not interested in “breaking” Twitter. I just hope to open cold hearts and closed minds for the Holy Spirit.
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