For the most part, social media exists to help us waste time. We click on Twitter to read the latest hilarious quick takes, open up Instagram to enjoy the sights being experienced by others, and stream Snapchat to take a quick glimpse into lives we’d otherwise know very little about.
But, did you know social media can also be a great place to encounter those who can make us think more deeply? And even more so, a great place to delve more deeply into the profound mysteries of our Catholic faith?
When it comes to Catholic Thinkers on social media, here are five “must-follows”:
Laura Kelly Fanucci (@LauraKFanucci): Laura is an author of several books, including Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting, and uses social media to share profound thoughts on the faith, especially in light of the grief she has experience after the death of her twin daughters. She has a gift for putting the pain of losing a child into a message that every can understand. She is able to share the truth so easily with tweets like “The terrible truth about grief is that if you don’t want to lie to your kids, you have to answer 90% of their questions with ‘I don’t know,’” and gives advice via her “Real Grief Tips” like, “Grief brings many tender days. Some are hidden. Ask your grieving friend what their hard days are, then pray/call/text.”
Mark Hart (@LT_TheBibleGeek): The self-proclaimed Bible Geek may say “The shortest distance between two souls is laughter” in his profile, but he routinely drops 140 character reflections that give us all a chance to pause and ponder. From the seemingly simple reminder, “When all others reject you… When all others judge you… When all others despise you… When all others forget you… He is there for you” to the motivating challenge “It’s always easier not to care… not to forgive… not to love… but easy ain’t the Gospel. Love finds a way. Selfishness finds an excuse,” Mark Hart is a great follow to get you thinking.
Rae (@VitaCatholic): She may consider herself a “Snarky Catholic,” but the truth is that she consistently ignites our thoughts by posting a point of view that lines up with the radical Gospel message while pushing our comfort zone at the same time. When it comes to people voicing their opposition to the message of Pope Francis, she shares, “There is no holiness (though much delicious irony) in maligning the pope for spreading confusion because he doesn’t speak in your style” and she has gone out of her way to provide a sure fire plan for increasing in holiness, “Final reminder: if it’s holiness you seek, maybe just unfollow me, maybe stop looking on Twitter.”
Angry Catholic (@AngryCatholic): Yes, Angry Catholic is funny (his profile is “There’s a special place in hell for people who don’t use their turn signal”), but his angry rants also inspire us to take a moment and ponder more deeply about our faith, and he isn’t afraid to tell it like it is: “Just let the children into the other choirs instead of randomly sabotaging the music at Mass with their poor instrument play.” His unique insights into parish life should have everyone thinking about how they could improve their own: “Inside a Parish Council Meeting: Mark: ‘When should we have Confessions?’ Jane: ‘What times are least convenient to families w/ children?’”
Sr. Theresa Aletheia (@PursuedByTruth): Sr. Theresa is one of the Daughters of St. Paul, also known as the “Media Nuns,” and while many of her fellow sisters are on social media, few of them provide such thought provoking and poignant messages as her. If you need to hear a straight-up truth like “Jesus is real and He speaks to our hearts,” she’s there for you. She’s also there for you if you decide to buy her a beer sometime: “’Buy a Priest a Beer Day’ needs to expand to ‘Buy a Priest OR NUN a Beer Day.’”
When you want to take a quick moment to ponder all the beautiful mysteries of our faith, these folks are a great place to start. Click Follow on any or all of them and enjoy!
And today we celebrate...