Twitter has officially jumped the shark :
The leader of Ireland’s four million Roman Catholics has urged social network users to start sending daily prayers by text, Twitter or e-mail.
“Make someone the gift of a prayer through text, twitter or e-mail every day,” Cardinal Sean Brady said. “Such a sea of prayer is sure to strengthen our sense of solidarity with one another and remind those who receive them that others really do care.”
The cardinal also told prayer Tweeters to turn off their televisions, computers and mobile phones to pray more effectively.
The story runs with the title “Roman Catholics told to Twitter Prayers,” which seems to miss the cardinal’s point. I think he wanted to say that we could use these new forms of communication—not to pray—but to let others know we’re praying for them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told his audience to turn off their computers and cell phones when they pray. Still, I think there are better ways to let people know we care about them than Twitter.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
