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Friar Jack Muses About the Communion of Saints Just a day or two ago, an e-mail came sailing to my computer from the other side of the earth--from sunny Manila. It seemed like a miracle! It was from an old Franciscan colleague who reminded me that I was his "comrade in arms from the good old days." From 1969 to 1972, he and I had taught together at the same Franciscan Seminary (Our Lady of the Angels) just outside Manila. é His name is Jesús--Father Jesús Galindo, O.F.M.--and he is a friar and a bright light from Spain who is still serving in the Philippines as a member of the great Filipino Franciscan Province of San Pedro Bautista. He and I had not been in touch for almost 30 years. Father Jesús said he was just "fooling around with the Internet" and happily chanced upon our Web site (AmericanCatholic.org) and Friar Jack's e-newsletter. I'm happy he did. This surprise reunion is one of the blessings of the Internet, which helps old confreres and acquaintances and members of Christ's body to discover that we are closer than we realize. I asked my Franciscan friend Jesús to share his views on the meaning of Internet from his perspective in the far-off Philippines. He is happy to share these thoughts with our e-newsletter's 7,600+ readers around the globe: "The potential of the Internet for evangelization is so obvious," says my long-lost comrade. "You don't have to squeeze your brain to grasp it! Admittedly, the Internet is a two-edged sword. It is being used by many for questionable or downright evil purposes. That is precisely the reason why we should be so much more eager to use it for good ends. "Christ told us to 'be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves' (Matthew 10:16), warning that 'the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light' (Luke 16:8). He is telling us not to allow ourselves to be outsmarted by the forces of evil. And that goes for the use of the Internet, too! "Allow me to congratulate you and your co-workers at AmericanCatholic.org for having chosen this marvelous apostolate that brings the good news to people all over the world. Definitely, the Internet is the world's most powerful 'pulpit'--the Areopagus of today [see Acts 17:22]....I wish you the best of luck in your ministry!" Muchas gracias, Padre Jesús, for your affirming and encouraging words! My e-mail from Friar Jesús inspired my to consider how the Internet is affecting Christian life and ministry. You'll find my conclusions at the end of this e-newsletter. ~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~ ONCECATHOLIC.ORG IS LAUNCHED! AMERICANCATHOLIC.ORG EXPANDS WITH NEW LOOK "WAY OF THE CROSS" VIDEO FEATURE: THE JOHN PAUL II CULTURAL CENTER NOW OPEN!: CATHOLIC MEDIA AND THE WEB WHERE DO YOU SPEND TIME ON THE WEB? Send your new Web site recommendations to webcatholic@franciscanmedia.org and check back see if they are included in an upcoming "Web Catholic"! TAKE AN ONLINE POLL! <<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<< MASS FOR THE MASSES <<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<< CELEBRATE EASTER AT THE NEWLY REDESIGNED AMERICANCATHOLIC.ORG EASTER CATHOLIC E-GREETINGS: QUESTIONS FOR EASTER: ~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~ FRIAR JACK'S CHOSEN SITE: ~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~ CONCLUSION OF FRIAR JACK'S MUSINGS Remember, however, that there was an another internet that existed prior to our modern day electronic Internet. It's known as the "Communion of Saints." It's an internet composed of the vine and the branches--the whole internet of human beings united with God, the source of all life. Those of us who are Christians, of course, embrace Christ as the vine in whom we, the branches, have life and unity. Through the presence of the living God, you and I are immediately linked with each other and with all sisters and brothers throughout the world--and indeed with all creatures. No sooner do we ask God's loving help for a brother or sister--in the Philippines or in Sudan, for example--than it is done. The connection, the healing power is already there and at work. Our modern day Internet can be for us the "sacrament of our unity," as one of my co-workers puts it--a holy tool for drawing each other into God and one loving family. In more ways than one, this vision is inspiring new projects at AmericanCatholic.org. On March 29, we began a kind of worldwide prayer community. You can become part of this effort by clicking on Prayer Intentions, or going there directly: http://www.AmericanCatholic.org/PrayerIntentions/ Until next time let us strengthen our unity by praying for everyone in need--and with gratitude and praise to the One who sustains us all in the great Internet of Creation. ~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~ As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions via e-mail: friarjack@franciscanmedia.org. --Jack Wintz, O.F.M.
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