I have a few rules to follow when reading news articles or social media posts:
- Don’t read it while you’re in a hurry.
- Read with the intent of understanding, and not for ridicule or immediate judgement.
- Don’t just read the headlines.
This path has helped me stay calm in the sea of conflicting ideas and viewpoints that permeate our news and social feeds. They are always seeking to capture our immediate emotion for views and engagement, so by moving away from that immediate emotional trigger, we can more clearly see the points that are being made.
Headlines are there to excite us, but they may not reveal the full picture of what the article is about. The headline might only cover a portion of what is being said, or worse; it may be completely out of context to the rest of the piece.
The Headlines of Others' Lives
What about the headlines of life? These might be titles we give a person as a way to characterize who they represent to us. The upcoming Sunday readings give us a warning on using the titles of “rich” or “poor” as a means of value.
My brothers and sisters, show no partiality
as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes
comes into your assembly,
and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes
and say, “Sit here, please, ”
while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves
and become judges with evil designs?”James 2:1-5
The Headlines of Your Life
In many ways, we can also create headlines about our lives.
- "I've made so many mistakes."
- "I have no plan in life."
As mentioned above, we are called to go beyond the headlines, to seek what is real. In that process, we are called to invite God into our story.
One person who did this was born into a high-society family, and he easily fell into a life of partying and irresponsibility. When he faced an ultimate turning point, he was so convicted of his life's mistakes that he fled into the forest and wept for days. However, instead of staying at the 'headlines' of his life, he prayed and allowed God to help him see a different future. He soon encountered a beggar, and his heart was forever changed. This is the story of Saint Francis of Assisi; someone who is still impacting the world hundreds of years after his death.
Hope In Action
Let us work to refocus the immediate titles we give others, ourselves, and our lives; trusting that God has a plan for all of us. Let us be open always to seek the full story.
Daniel Quintero is a stand-up comedian currently attending Mary, Mother of the Church Catholic Parish. His favorite motto: “Awkwardness does not exist.”
Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
