This past weekend I went to church for the first time in a long time.  Lent is soon upon us, and our priest had some suggestions in the way of Lenten observance.

There seems to be a “push” on the part of the Catholic Church to evangelize more.  Evangelization/Proselytization has never been anywhere on my to-do list because for me such behavior is in direct conflict with the Golden Rule, which I attempt to hold above all others: Do Unto Others That Which You Would Have Others Do Unto You.  I don’t want people walking up to me unsolicited and trying to “sell” me anything, be it their faith or a vacuum cleaner or a condo in Las Vegas; so I don’t go around telling people what I believe, let alone telling them why they ought to believe it too!  Now if someone comes up to me and ASKS me about my Faith and wants to have a conversation, that might be different (depending on the context of the question/conversation).

But the priest floated an interesting idea that I think I can actually get behind.  He urged us to take to social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and, on each of the seven Wednesdays of Lent, make a post that begins something like, “My Faith is important to me because…”.  The more I think about it, the less of a problem I have with it.  Facebook in particular is the ultimate tool of broadcast-based narcissism.  It is a bulletin board for your soul.  What you post there is there for anyone you want to to read if they choose to.  You are not “in their face.”  You are not writing on THEIR Facebook wall, after all.  It is not for anyone to judge you or refute you or even argue with you (unless you invite it), and if they do you can just delete their posts!  And anyone who decides they don’t like what you have to say doesn’t have to read it, even to the point of de-friending/un-following you so that they never have to see it again.

It’s perfect.

I don’t know if I’ll decide to participate, but I’m thinking about it.  It’s in interesting idea.

(PS: @TheTweetOfGod exists on Twitter.  Whoever owns it is pretty funny, if occasionally a tad irreverent.)