God in Cyberspace

God in Cyberspace
I have discovered a number of sites on the internet that may interest you. I once mentioned SacredSpace.ie That is a site run by the Irish Jesuits that offers online guided meditations. It is quite good even though I did not find it personally helpful. The English Jesuits have come up with what I consider a much better site, Pray-as-you-go.org This site has guided meditations for MP3 players (e.g., Ipod). They are ten to fifteen minutes long, starting with the ringing of a bell, the traditional call to prayer. Then follows some soft music and an introduction to the theme for the day. A reading from the daily Mass follows, and then some more music, with a few brief reflections interspersed. The reading is repeated, and the meditation ends. It is designed for busy people who want to use travel time to pray. I have been using it for the past few weeks, and found it quite helpful. The speakers have what sounds to me like a London accent that I find mildly distracting.

The sites run by priests on the internet did not impress me, with one exception. Fr. Stanislao, an Italian born priest now in a Parish in Delaware, has a website, Heavenwards.org He has a link to his podcast, The Daily Walk Heavenwards, that you can find on his site or on Itunes. He has a recording of his previous Sunday’s homily; I think he is a good preacher. He also has the Focolare’s Word of Life recorded.

The Carmelites from the Midwest have a podcast, Meditations from Carmel I found it on Itunes. It is a brief (two or three minutes) reading from one of the Carmelite spiritual writers. This is a rich spiritual tradition.

Just a few days ago I discovered the American Jesuits have a rather large site specializing in Jesuit meditations and retreats, http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html There you will find a wealth of material, retreats, Stations of the Cross, meditations, talks. I have just begun exploring the resources available there.

There is a lot more than just this. As you explore the vast resources of the internet you will find a lot of junk, a lot that is not good. But there is also a wonderful opening for promoting the Good News of Jesus Christ. I am sure St. Paul would have been on the internet all the time had it existed in his day. Come to think of it, he should be the patron saint of bloggers, podcasters, and internet mavens.