pope benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI is no stranger to the ways of the web. He's actually proven himself to be quite a fan of technology, having tweeted using an iPad to announce the inauguration of a Vatican news service and giving his thumbs-up to an iPhone app that lets believers keep track of their sins. There's even an official Vatican Twitter feed. Pretty cool to see the Pope keeping up with the times!

But the leader of more than a billion Catholics worldwide also recently shared some words of caution about sites like Google, Twitter, and Facebook that apply to all of us, no matter our faith and background.

The Pope said:

In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated, as long as those taking part in the conversation do not neglect to cultivate their own inner lives.

True that! That is superb advice and a stellar reminder. Pope Benedict is making me want to take a time-out from writing this post right now to "cultivate my inner life." Because even if we don't realize it, our daily online activity is making us more and more expectant of instant gratification and constant stimulation. And all this chatter and noise isn't always that good for us spiritually.

You gotta admit -- we could all use more quiet time, more self-reflection here and there. It's kinda difficult to make room for that when your iPhone is "Ding"-ing or "Chime"-ing at you, your email inbox is blinking at you, the icon for a software update is jumping around, and/or you just got a tweet or a Facebook status "like" you want to respond to. Eeesh, no wonder we're more and more scatterbrained these days, huh?

The Pope also advised we use "various types of website, applications, and social networks which can help people today to find time for reflection and authentic questioning, as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation, or sharing of the word of God." Or maybe we should just strive to incorporate contemplation without an "app for that," you know? We could turn off our beloved technology from time to time. It would likely do us more good than harm.

Do you agree with the Pope? Do you try to make time to "cultivate your inner life"?

 

Image via Sergey Gabdurakhmanov/Flickr