“If San Pablo were to use technology”

San Pablo (Saint Paul) is known as the bearer of good news, one of Christ’s apostles who spread the word of God far and wide. I remember a conversation with Sr. Dianne Galapate, PDDM during a spiritual direction where she shared an insightful thought: if San Pablo were alive today, he would undoubtedly use the fastest mode of communication—social media—to spread the message of Christ. This inspired me to reflect: Is my newsfeed feeding me God’s strength or is this trying to fool me to make me crave for something more of God’s blessing? When sharing information on social media, will this please God? Of course, I still enjoy memes and inside jokes with my friends, but when it comes to reaching out to the youth, I wonder: Does this make them feel that Christ is alive today?

So, here’s a starter pack for those of us navigating social media: When you open Facebook or any social media, consider some following pages that could serve as reminders of God’s presence in your life. I suggest following the Davao Archdiocesan Youth Coordinating Apostolate (DAYCA), San Pablo Youth Apostolate (SPYA), and San Pablo Parish. These pages can be a source of daily reminders that, as Catholics, we also have a responsibility to share the word of God, much like Saint Paul did.

This 4-out-of-5 series is a gentle reminder that social media algorithms often influence how we perceive ourselves. Instead of focusing on what we may feel we lack, we should take a moment to recognize and appreciate the countless blessings in our lives. One of the greatest blessings is simply being alive today, being able to read this article, and finding joy in our faith.

Social media can sometimes be overwhelming and even toxic. I believe the issue isn’t with us and how the platform engages through its audience, but rather the choices we make and the decisions we take about what we consume. We all have the power to adjust our digital environment. By making intentional choices, such as searching for Bible verses or inspirational messages once or twice a day, we can shift the flow of our feeds and focus on what truly matters.

In the end, social media is what we make of it. By curating our experience to align more with our values, we can transform it into a tool that brings us closer to Christ and each other. Going back, if Saint Paul were to be alive today and he would be able to use technologies, he would certainly remind each and every youth to think Christ-like, share posts that would please Him, and guide us with the proper ways and means to consume social media properly just as how he taught the people in their era how to follow Jesus. (Sophia Beatrice V. Sison | San Pablo Youth Apostolate)