A prominent aspect of the Roman Catholic faith is their notable emphasis on the understanding and teaching of their sacred text encompassed in the Bible. Therefore, in order for the Catholic community to better understand Biblical texts and improve relationships with God among modern times and new technologies, the church has had to adopt new methods in which they recount these texts besides simply reading them.
Traditionally, weekly Catholic services include readings from the Bible followed by a homily helping to portray the scripture. The homily is typically given by the priest where he uses the scripture texts to illustrate a teaching of the Catholic faith to the collective audience. In addition to the spoken word, Catholics communicate stories from the Bible through other media including stained glass windows, sculptures, paintings, mosaics, and more.
A typical Sunday Catholic service occurring today differs from one just some 30 years ago. Current services have introduced new technologies and are further customized to the culture of the 21st-century audience. According to Robert Bannon (2003), “Today we must add video screens and electronic visual media, today’s stained glass, to our liturgical media mix” (p. 94). Thus, Bannon is portraying his belief that the way of communicating Biblical texts to the Catholic community, there needs to be an introduction of this new technology for the liturgy.
In the attached photo, my family and I are taking a picture in front of St. Peter’s Basilica and square in Vatican City. In the background, to the left of my father, there is a grey box. This box is, in fact, a screen that is used to display a larger picture of the speaker to the audience among the vast square. On this specific day, Pope Francis was planned to give a speech. Therefore, the chairs and screens are set out to provide a better way to communicate his message and teachings.
It is new technologies, like video screens in Vatican City, that the Catholic church has introduced to more effectively communicate scripture. Thus, people can interpret the Bible and the Catholic faith through this new media in liturgy and find understanding in its significance.
Reference List:
Bonnot, R. (2003). Inter Mirifica at 40: The media as wondrous gifts of God, given for our sanctification. 90-94.