The internet may be the single-greatest invention
in history. At the tip of our fingers is basically every bit of information, song, video, picture,
or game ever created; you can video call people around the world, buy anything you need in a
single click. This device was used to topple dictatorships, to spread democracy, and
of course, to evangelize the Good News. There is no doubt that the internet
has done good things and that it can be used for incredible purposes… by
some people. But I’m not concerned with the internet as a concept or social
media for other people. What about you? If you were to look at your life as
it is today, where you are right now, can you say that you are better off
with the internet and social media? Are you happier with Tiktok in
your life? Are you more fulfilled with access to Instagram? Does Facebook
build virtue in you? Are you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually
edified by your time spent on YouTube? For some of you, the answer is yes. You use these
tools at your disposal to spread joy and truth, to connect with loved ones, to learn about the
wonders of creation, to be the sort of voice we need in this world. That’s fantastic.
If that’s you, keep up the good work. For the rest of you… I know that social
media can have quite the opposite effect. For some of you, social media is a source of
tremendous mental and emotional anguish. Many people, especially young girls, experience
“body dissatisfaction, appearance anxiety, lower self-esteem and depression.” An hour on
here is enough to send you into a downward spiral. For some of you, social media is an outlet for
anger and aggression. It’s a place to bully, hate, stalk, and condemn. It hurts me to my
core to see people claiming to be Christians… saying words that they would never speak in
real life. You may have an anonymous account, but judgment and condemnation are
still sins, and God knows who you are. For some of you, it is the place to be
troubled by and even distribute misinformation. The most sensational, controversial,
divisive things get the most traction, meaning that fear spreads, lies are
magnified, and fringe opinions are given the spotlight. Social media is not
for the gullible or the feint of heart. For some of you, it is a dopamine addiction
that always craves more but is never fulfilled. Hours and hours of scrolling, minor hits
of enjoyment, momentary doses to numb the pain. And then the guilt, the shame,
the emptiness. Where has the time gone? For many of you, it is an all-access pass to
any lustful desire you can dream up. There, with no need for imagination, is
anything and everything that can be seen, so much of which can never be unseen. And all the while, with any of these vices, there
is not only the negative effect that social media is having on you but the absence of virtue that
could be growing in its place if the time wasn’t being wasted. I mean the books that could be
read, the relationships that could be nurtured, the adventures in nature that could be
walked, the prayers that could be prayed. When we try to evaluate the fruitfulness
of our actions, it is not enough to look at the effects they have on us, we must
also consider what we could be doing in their place. Is there something else, something
better, that we could be doing with our lives? And so I ask you in no uncertain terms, maybe
the most important question you’ll answer today: does social media make you a holier person, bringing you closer to the salvation
of the Kingdom of Heaven, or not? Again, if yes, keep it up. There are
incredible resources and opportunities that we have in our age that can
be tremendously helpful and you should use them to your advantage.
These things can be used for good. But if not, if you find that social media is
at best making your life mildly less happy and at worst getting in the way of your salvation,
then please, listen when I tell you, sign off. Get rid of it. Delete your
account, remove your profile, do not log in another time. If this thing is
causing you to move further away from Christ, it should be the easiest decision of your
life to walk away and never turn back. Jesus says so much to the disciples. In the Sermon
on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel he exhorts us, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear
it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have
your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut
it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than
to have your whole body go into Gehenna.” Cut it off. It doesn’t matter if everyone
else is doing it; it doesn’t matter if it provides some entertainment and
makes you feel better occasionally; it doesn’t matter if it makes your life
easier. If it is causing you to sin, if it is causing you to risk your
salvation, it is not worth it. There is nothing more important that you
salvation. Nothing. I know that sounds so obvious, but so often we forget it. We bargain our
future because we’re so focused on the present, so caught up in the way the world is that we
forget how it should be, how we should be. As Lent approaches, I cannot think of a
better practice that to take a serious look at your life on social media
and to make some big adjustments. For some of you, that might mean
recognizing particular temptations that social media offers and making
major adjustments. Maybe you don’t struggle with lust but you do struggle
with self-esteem. Maybe you’re fine with time management but you become
uncharitable in your comments. For a few days, do an examination of conscience
after you’ve been on your phone for a little while and see if anything comes up. Maybe
the whole experience isn’t a waste—there might be some really fruitful aspects of it
all—but you might find that there are certain things that you need to do better, certain
things that need extra attention this Lent. For others of you, it might mean
cutting it off completely. Maybe for forty days as a test run, maybe for
good, but huge changes need to be made. As wonderful as the internet can be
and the benefits it can offer some, if it’s not causing YOU to grow in holiness, then
there is no point getting anywhere near to it. Some people can drink alcohol responsibly
with no negative effect to their soul, some people just can’t. It takes humility and
courage to realize you’re in the latter group. Do you have the humility to admit that you
have a problem? Do you have the courage to do what you need to do? I’m talking
about major issues with social media, but I’m also talking about any major
issue, anything that keeps you from Christ. It doesn’t matter if it’s TikTok, alcohol,
watching sports, eating certain foods, going to certain places, being around
certain people—if it causes you to sin, if it causes you to turn from
God, then you need to cut it off. Rather be welcomed into heaven with
only one hand and no smartphone than into Gehenna with every app you can imagine.
If you have something keeping you from heaven, now is the time to cut if off.
Don’t wait until it’s too late.
