The British Jesuit Provincial, Fr Dermot Preston SJ, recently delivered a lecture as part of the Faith Matters series in Westminster Cathedral in London. In his talk entitled “Through a Google Glass Darkly – Finding God in the Digital Age”, Fr Preston explored ways that prayer has been shaped by the rise of the Internet.  Through the lens of the spirituality of St Ignatius Loyola he pointed out helps and hindrances that might be encountered by the modern pilgrim in a digital era. [British Province] 

Pope Francis also recently spoke about faith in the digital age.  In a meeting in December, he said the Internet must be used to meet “often hurting or lost” real people and offer them “real reasons for hope”.

“The announcement [of the Gospel] requires authentic human relationships and leads along the path to a personal encounter with the Lord,” he said.

“Therefore, the Internet is not enough; technology is not enough,” Pope Francis continued. “This, however, does not mean that the Church’s presence online is useless; on the contrary, it is essential to be present, always in an evangelical way, in what, for many, especially young people, has become a sort of living environment; to awaken the irrepressible questions of the heart about the meaning of existence; and to show the way that leads to Him who is the answer, the Divine Mercy made flesh, the Lord Jesus.” [Vatican Radio] 

Watch a video of Fr Dermot Preston’s talk below.

Faith Matters Autumn 2013: Fr Dermot Preston SJ from Catholic Westminster on Vimeo.