Abbey-Roads2

“In much speaking you will not escape sin.” - Rule of St. Benedict

In today’s Gospel, the people of Capernaum were “astonished at Jesus’ teaching because he spoke with authority.”  Later, when exorcising a demon, the people were even more astonished and said, “What is there about his word?  For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 

Who speaks today with such authority?  Of course we know that first and foremost it would be the Church, The Holy Father and the Bishops and their priests in communion with him.  Then as St. Paul notes, we have teachers, assistants, administrators, and so on.  Where do bloggers enter into this hierarchy?

I’ve limited my reading of various blogs for a variety of reasons.  Many are redundant and simply repeat the news, others are reflective of one’s personal piety, still others are fault-finding types of weblogs, while others seem to be more like watch-dog sentinels; yet few speak with any real authority.  Many blogs seem to be little more than self-opinion, and frequently not without error.  On the other hand,  there are very good, intelligent, and spiritual blogs which have an air of authority about them, as well as a few personal weblogs which I enjoy reading.  Yet I’m cautious even with the most spiritual blogs.  There are a lot of voices out there - talking heads -  a lot sounds good, or reads well, but discretion is advised.

“The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.” - St. James

I was looking for a quote from Teresa of Avila wherein she warned against trusting the direction of any priest who displays a tendency to vanity.  (I’m not writing about priests here!)  I need the context in which she wrote in order to develop the thought much further, yet for myself - not only in respect to other people’s writing, but my own - remembering what St. Teresa said is always a sort of warning flag when it comes to reading the profusion of posts on the Catholic Internet.  By what authority do I, or anyone else, keep a weblog?  Is it an exercise in vanity and pride, not to mention inordinate curiosity?  (Again, I’m asking myself this question.)

Searching for the quote from St. Teresa, I re-read passages in the Autobiography on her conversion.  It seemed to me her indulgence in vain and frivolous conversations in the parlour at the Incarnation, though often about God and prayer, were comparable to my wasting so much time on the Internet; writing this blog, reserching articles for posts, while skimming blog after blog - going from pastime to pastime, as Teresa would say.  I was struck by this analogy, and what a diversion from reality the Internet really can be, at the very least leading to a more distracted life, if not an occasion of sin, and perhaps at times resulting in many sins of speech.

The conversation of the weblog.

The following passage from St. Teresa’s Autobiography sheds some light upon this point, especially if you imagine her conversation to be the type of conversation that is a weblog:

“I engaged in these conversations thinking that since this was the custom, my soul would not receive much harm and distraction I understood comes from such companionship.  It seemed to me that something so general in many monasteries as this visiting would not do me any more harm than it did others whom I saw were good. I did not consider that they were better and that what was a danger for me was not so much for the others, for I doubted there was always a danger - but at least there was a waste of time.” Life, 7:6 

St. Jane Frances De Chantal once wrote to St. Francis De Sales saying:  “I want to learn never to say anything which can tend to my own praise or glorification.”  (Far be it from Mother Chantal to even think of chatter, gossip, complaining, fault-finding, criticism, etc. - much of which constitutes weblog posts and comments.) St Francis replied: “No doubt, it is a good thing to speak as little of ourselves as possible, for whether we excuse or accuse ourselves, such words are apt to foster vanity.  So unless charity require us to speak of ourselves, it is better to be silent.” - Letters, St. Francis De Sales.

No doubt, in much blogging you will not escape sin.