An  A Day

"No devices whilst driving," Leland lovingly scolds. There's no shame in his voice—there is genuine joy in the opportunity to parent the parent.

I admit it. I'm an Apple fanboy. Today, the latest iPhone went on sale and by most accounts, it's an underwhelming upgrade. Granted, the Catechetical Blessing we captured this morning so that we could share it with you was made possible by two iPhones. So much of what has kept us connected during the pandemic was the ubiquity of high-quality technology.

Funny then, that my own family doesn't allow devices at the table. We curb Leland's screen-time by 20-minute increments measured by pirate coins—ten per week. At the same time, our parish encourages access to the digital worship aid on your device at Mass. You have increased online giving from 38% to 66% in the last 18 months—and it has sustained us.

It's all about relationship—to screens, to our faith, and to each other. St. Monica will always be a hybrid community: we meet people where they are—in all the binary ways (as proclaimed in our Welcome Litany) but more importantly, the beautiful spectrum in between. Apple's upgrades over the past few years mostly involved the camera lens: ever expanding the aperture—the opening—to allow more light. I pray in this new academic, catechetical, ministerial, and stewardship year that we challenge ourselves to expand our aperture. Let God's light flood our hearts and see more clearly and with more focus.