A Sunday Thought About What's Really Going On Around Us
We don't really know what's really going on us around most of the time. So many of us think that keeping up with "current events," or tuning our ears and eyes into daily "news" - for example the recent federal government shutdown - keeps us "informed." about what's going on around us. Or maybe we're hooked into gadgets and websites that keep us "in touch." Whether you think such activity does or does not keep us really informed or in touch, I'm not talking about that now. I'm talking about what's really going on.
Technology can especially fool us into thinking that somehow we're on top of things. Heck, my calendar, which I keep on my laptops and my iPhone, is always beeping and telling me what I've got to do next. We all carry cell phones so a conversation for personal and business purposes is only a click away. Then there are the rather absurd amounts of time we e-mail and, of course, text each other - never mind those of you (count me out) who linger on Facebook to get your dose of what's going on in the world with people you know (or really don't know - but that's another story).
It's a busy and noisy world. If we're not careful we can be trapped in that world, that everyday world based on media "buzz" and the tools of tech. But really, so much of it boils down to nothing more than this, that and the other thing. As a result, we really need to take time to think. And the best way to do that is to take time to pray. Oh, and it being Sunday, don't forget that God gives us this one day a week to "rest" which we might think of as a respite from all the electronic and digital 'inputs" that have come to dominate so many us in our daily lives. I hope you understand this.
Back to what's really going on: If you're not sure what I'm talking about here, and why it's important, I'm going to pass on something Malcolm Muggeridge wrote. If you don't know who he is, he was a journalist and author, originally a rabid atheist, who finally, based on his experience of life, not only discovered God, but turned to Christ and - praise God - became a Catholic in the latter stage of his life. I've read some of his works and can highly recommend his writings. For now, read this. It's as good a summary of what's really going on around us as you'll find:
Technology can especially fool us into thinking that somehow we're on top of things. Heck, my calendar, which I keep on my laptops and my iPhone, is always beeping and telling me what I've got to do next. We all carry cell phones so a conversation for personal and business purposes is only a click away. Then there are the rather absurd amounts of time we e-mail and, of course, text each other - never mind those of you (count me out) who linger on Facebook to get your dose of what's going on in the world with people you know (or really don't know - but that's another story).
It's a busy and noisy world. If we're not careful we can be trapped in that world, that everyday world based on media "buzz" and the tools of tech. But really, so much of it boils down to nothing more than this, that and the other thing. As a result, we really need to take time to think. And the best way to do that is to take time to pray. Oh, and it being Sunday, don't forget that God gives us this one day a week to "rest" which we might think of as a respite from all the electronic and digital 'inputs" that have come to dominate so many us in our daily lives. I hope you understand this.
Back to what's really going on: If you're not sure what I'm talking about here, and why it's important, I'm going to pass on something Malcolm Muggeridge wrote. If you don't know who he is, he was a journalist and author, originally a rabid atheist, who finally, based on his experience of life, not only discovered God, but turned to Christ and - praise God - became a Catholic in the latter stage of his life. I've read some of his works and can highly recommend his writings. For now, read this. It's as good a summary of what's really going on around us as you'll find:
“As the astronauts soar into the vast eternities of space, on earth the garbage piles higher; as the groves of academe extend their domain, their alumni’s arms reach lower; as the phallic cult spreads, so does impotence. In great wealth, great poverty; in health, sickness; in numbers, deception. Gorging, left hungry; sedated, left restless; telling all, hiding all; in flesh united, forever separate. So we press on through the valley of abundance that leads to the wasteland of satiety, passing through the gardens of fantasy, seeking happiness ever more ardently, and finding despair ever more surely.”I hope this Sunday, this day of rest and recreation, brings you closer to Jesus Christ - the only real alternative to Mr. Muggeridge's stark, but I think accurate, description of what's really going on around us in this world.
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