In an address after his Angelus blessing Sunday at St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis posed a question: What if we checked the Bible like we checked our cellphones?
“What would happen if we turned back when we forget it, if we opened it more times a day, if we read the message of God contained in the Bible the way we read messages on our cellphones?” he said.
Some may think it diminishes the foundational book of Christian faith to compare it a device we use to take selfies and post a scathing review of our local car wash. But Pope Francis could be onto something.
Some may think it diminishes the foundational book of Christian faith to compare it a device we use to take selfies and post a scathing review of our local car wash. But Pope Francis could be onto something.
We feel bare and incomplete when we are without it. We reach for it to capture the important moments in our lives. We rely on it for messages of love and validation. We turn to it whenever we have a question.
And for most of us, “it” means our cellphone.
That’s why the leader of the world’s Catholics is urging his followers to turn that energy away from the screen and put it into scripture.
Pope Francis said “the Bible contains the word of God, which is always topical and effective.”
Meanwhile, the iPhone you bought last week will be obsolete next year.
Don’t have the willpower to put down your phone?
Don’t worry. There are apps that will send you daily Bible verses and devotionals so you can have your Google AND your gospel.