Multimedia an opportunity to evangelize with what inspires you

Images imagined with Midjourney

The original version of this column was first published in Trenton Monitor.

We often think of “mission territory” as those cultures in areas of the world yet to be evangelized and catechized, but it goes far beyond places on a map. There are many new forms of media, for example, that are ripe for evangelization. We are well aware of the potential to evangelize in the world of social media, but what if I told you that’s only the beginning? Multimedia is a frontier that has been scarcely visited by missionaries. 

In the game Sid Meier’s Civilization, for example, players can build their own civilization and start or inherit a religion to spread throughout the game’s world. Catholicism is one of the religions a player can choose, and I’m delighted to say I have converted many foreign cities to the Church in the game.

Sid Meier’s integration of religion into his game intrigues me not just because I get to spread Catholicism far and wide, but also because it is one of the first video games even to include real religions in its gameplay.

The greatness of our faith is in its ability to use just about anything to spread the Gospel. In the forests of Europe, Catholic scholars and monks gave Slavic languages written form so the tribes could have Bibles in their own languages. In the “Dark Ages”, the liturgical calendar and stained-glass windows introduced stories of Scripture and the saints to the illiterate. In 19th and early 20th-century America, schools built by priests and religious sisters were havens for immigrant families to pass on their faith to their children.

We can see the same audacity from great Catholic witnesses in more recent times. Pope St. John Paul II wrote plays like The Jeweler’s Shop to spread his Theology of the Body message through theaters in Poland. When the Nazis suppressed the arts, he invented the the Catholic underground, literally hosting plays in the basements of churches. The Venerable Fulton Sheen broadcasted his words across America's first TV networks and received an Emmy for “Most Outstanding Personality” in 1953.

All of these great people used mediums many others considered out of their reach to share their faith. They saw new technology, and even suppression, as new opportunities to spread the Gospel in new ways. It just goes to show that whatever the circumstances, the Church finds ways to evangelize.

In 2005, Pope St. John Paul II wrote in his Apostolic Letter, "The Rapid Development":

In the communications media the Church finds a precious aid for spreading the Gospel and religious values, for promoting dialogue, ecumenical and inter-religious cooperation, and also for defending those solid principles which are indispensable for building a society which respects the dignity of the human person and is attentive to the common good. The Church willingly employs these media to furnish information about itself and to expand the boundaries of evangelization, of catechesis and of formation, considering their use as a response to the command of the Lord: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15).

Still, today when we think of sharing our faith, we often get discouraged. Maybe we feel we don’t have the right tools, background or skills to effectively spread it. Maybe we feel like we’re not in the right environment, or we don’t get excited enough about evangelizing.

I was in a similar rut over the past two years as I struggled to find the inspiration to restart this column. Recently, I went to Confession and resolved to open myself up to God again. At the very next Mass, the choir sang “The Summons,” which reminded me to stop hiding and “quell the fear inside” because – quite simply – it’s not about me. It’s about sharing my faith with the world.

That’s why we should encourage one another to share our faith no matter what is holding us back. Today we have more than just written language, calendars, schools, theater and television to spread the Gospel. The possibilities for evangelization are endless if we learn to use these new tools available to us.

With means to spread the power of Christ’s message increasing every day, I cannot help but be intrigued by the evangelistic potential of multimedia endeavors. I hope to see the day when everything from video games, to music, to science fiction TV shows possess an element of the divine that points to our transcendental end. All forms of art and communication are reaching for something just beyond our grasp. No one has a better reason to use multimedia’s potential than the Catholic whose passion is to bring Christ to this new frontier. 

Midjourney prompt: A Catholic missionary explorer holding a Bible and a Rosary, looking out toward a huge frontier with mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, and deserts. A narrow path meanders into the distance. Use next-gen video game art, like Xbox series s

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