THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT

This is coming from the messages of the late Pope John Paul II to all mass media makers. Pope John Paul II said, “I would like to recall our attention to the subject of media access, and of co-responsible participation in their administration. If the communications media are a good destined for all humanity, then ever-new means must be found – including recourse to opportune legislative measures – to make possible a true participation in their management by all. The culture of co-responsibility must be nurtured.”

The Father is reminding as not us by the proper use of this media. This media must be utilized by all the people for the development of the community of God. This media communication is given by God for humans as tools for all human to be united. Furthermore, as members of the community we must also find new way to communicate to others the teachings of the Church which is the voice of God.

While reading this text of the Father, I was caught be this message. As if the late Father is telling me that I must be careful always in using this media around me because this media is very powerful that it can even change the way people think. Truly media is very powerful and “great power means great responsibility.” The main issue here is not who’s the most powerful media maker or publisher but it the issue of who use it properly. However, sad to say that at this present time media is used as means to fool the mind of the people. The main reason for this is profit that they get. Competition is the name of the game this time. Many of this media makers and publisher forget their great responsibility to other people. They are so much blinded with their power. From now on I will be much carful in using this media.

As members on one community which is the community of Christ we must be responsible co-workers of Jesus in spreading His message to His people. We must use this media as means to spread His words to unite use all and this must be a hindrance for us to stretch our hands to other who is in need of our help. We must not forget this “the great possibilities of mass media in promoting dialogue, becoming vehicles for reciprocal knowledge, of solidarity and of peace.”

THE CHURCH AND INTERNET

“Pope Paul VI said the Church would feel guilty before the Lord if it failed to use the media for evangelization. Pope John Paul II has called the media the first Aeropagus of the modern age, and declared that it is not enough to use media simply to spread the Christian message and the Church’s authentic teaching. It is also necessary to integrate that massage into the new culture created by modern communications. Doing that is all the more important today, since not only do the media now strongly influence what people think about life but also to a great extent human experience itself is an experience of media.”

Truly the use of the internet is a vast arena where the ideas, feeling, insights, etc., of different people from different part of the world are posted and being discuss and evaluated. After reading this document of the Church “The Church and Internet” I feel good that there is such a document that says that the Church to join this vast and crowded arena of media in particular the internet. It is really true that media take a huge part in affecting the life of people. It is not but right for the Church to use this modern means of communication to spread the Christian message and the Church’s teaching to the people. And to enter the new culture of this modern world which is created by modern communications. However, I am afraid to the consequence that this modern means of communication might cause the Church’s teachings. That through the constant use of this internet the teaching of the Church might appear to be just one of the advertisements in the internet. That someday it will lose its meaning and authority because of the effect of media.

However, this fear of mine will not happen if we will be careful of our use of this media. If we will only help our brothers and sisters in Christ know the real purpose of this media and that this media is a gift from God. Therefore, this should be use for us to go nearer to Him. Furthermore, this media should not lead us away from his loving embrace.

ETHICS IN ADVERTISING (Advertising and Social Responsibility)

The desire of man “to have and to enjoy rather than to be and grow, man consumes the resources of the earth and his own life in an excessive and disordered way. Man thinks that he can make arbitrary use of the earth, subjecting it without restraint to his will, as though it did not have its own requisites and a prior God-given purpose, which man can indeed develop but must not betray.”

As co-creator of God, man has the responsibility toward the creatures and especially to his fellowmen. This responsibility is communication. We need to communicate to others for the reason that God created us to be man for others. We are not meant to live alone “no one is an island.” Communication is an important factor for a community to survive. It needs to communicate the knowledge and skills that was handed down to them from the past generation. It is also the same to the community of God. The love that is coming to God needs to be shared to others, as one saying goes love is not selfish.” What is the role of solidarity in communication? Solidarity is “a consequence of genuine right communication and the free circulation of ideas that further knowledge and respect for others.” We need to share the knowledge that we have to our fellowmen through the use of these media. If all man would be responsible and sensitive enough to the needs of others, man could save the world where he is living and all the beings that live on it. A great example of this issue on ecology is the horrifying Global warming. If man would be responsible in informing others about this terrifying truth I think we can prevent the destruction of own mother earth.

Let us join our hand in preventing our home from destruction. Let take a step and help in our own way in saying our mother land. This is our home we need to preserve it for the future generation. Let us always put in mind that this is not ours, it is gift coming from God and so we have no right to destroy it. And always put in mind that there’s no place like home.”

100 YEARS OF CINEMA

The main topic of discussion in this paper is the proper use of media in particular the television and the rule of adults in educating the children and the young of this present generation on the proper use of it. In our day to day living we are confronted with this media without really knowing the effects brought by these media in our life. We may be conscious or unconscious of this fact. After reading this paper I came to may senses that it is really true that we are slave of this media.

I would like to share my own observations on the effect of media to the people especially to Filipinos. Here in the Philippines almost every house has this kind of media called television. To some it is a source of information, for some it is an entertainment and for many televisions is a way to escape the harsh reality of poverty. Maybe this is one of the reasons why many houses in slam areas have their own television. I see this phenomenon every time we go to the houses of the children that we are doing apostolate. In their little houses the center of everyone’s attention is the TV. The mother was cooking and watching her favorite “teledrama”. The children are watching cartoons display violence. Instead of doing their home works or playing outside with their friends they choose to stay in front of the TV. Many of the Filipinos are dependent so much on television. I can say the many of the Filipino cannot do without television.

Television indeed slaves many of us it can control our life if we will not be careful of using and choosing the right and useful shows for us. To avoid this enslavement of media we adults be aware of the possible effects of media and for us guide our children and our young. I highly recommend this paper of the Church entitled 100 Years of Cinema as an additional knowledge about media. These are some reminder coming from the 100 Years of Cinema in using media in particular television.

1) How things are told: this concerns films, or tales and legends associated with the group’s own environment or daily life.

The films selected should be the kind that provoke discussion. Some age-groups could present accounts of them using sound and pictures, that is, with audio-visual language. In this case, the discussion that follows will be particularly important.

2) The techniques used: both in the analysis of the film chosen to be discussed and in the creative techniques employed to present the narration, the use of audio-visual teaching materials is recommended.

3) How they grasp the message: recognizing the values it contains is a decisive step in affirming certain values as higher than others.

AETATIS NOVAE

According to a part in Aetatis Novae “Catholic media work is not simply one more program alongside all the rest of the Church’s activities: Social communications have a role to play in every aspect of the Church mission. This, not only should there be a pastoral plan for communications, but communications should be an integral part of every pastoral plan for it has something to contribute to virtually every other apostolate, ministry, and program.”

This part of the Aetatis Novae for me is a nice reminder for as all whom is involve in promoting and proclaiming the Good News. It highlights the importance of the use of mass communication in Churches activities. In our parish this activity in proclaiming the Good News to the people in through the use of this modern way of communication is already being applied. Even though our town is not yet that advance in terms of this mass media, the lays and ministers of our parish tries to use available media in our town such as the radio. Many of the barangay in our town are far from our Parish and some areas have the problem in transportation. There are only four priests in our Parish so they cannot celebrate mass in all our barangay every Sunday. As a response to this problem our Church broadcast in our local radio station the Sunday mass for those people who cannot attend the Sunday mass. This radio is really a great help for the priest to communicate the word of God the unfortunate people who cannot attend the mass. The distance is a hindrance in proclaiming the word of God to His people.

This mass communication is really a gift from God. We should be thankful of this useful, productive gift that helps us improve our day to day living and for our spiritual sustenance. However this media can also destroy our well being if we will not use it properly. This is a reminder, for all broadcasters, producers and especially users of this media to be very extra careful of this media.

PORNOGRAPHY AND VIOLENCE: INFLUENCE ON CHILDREN

“A fundamental message of pornography and violence is disdain, the consideration of others as objects rather than as persons thus, pornography and violence can eat away at tenderness and compassion and can foster insensitivity and even brutality.”

Today almost all the young and the children are exposed to media. They spend more than half of the day reading, listening or watching these media. Why media is so attractive to children and even to adults? This is their only way to escape reality and fantasize things which they want to have or to happen in their lives. Media provides entertainment for persons who want to forget for a while the problems that they are encountering, provides information and satisfies curiosity. Many of the children who are born in this modern time and experience to use these media in particular the television, are more violent than children who were born without experiencing these modern way of communication. It is because of the uncontrolled exposure of the children to violence in television. And so they become insensitive to their own peers and playmates. This conclusion of mine is not a product of my own imaginative mind but base on my experience with my family.

Some year ago we had our family reunion. Many of my cousins, aunts, and uncles attended the celebration. We all stayed in the house of our grand Lolo and Lola. My sharing will be about my three cousins. They are all boys. Carlo who was eight years old and he is the eldest of the three. Carlie was six years old that time and he is the younger brother of Carlo. And Addie was also six years old that time. Carlo and Carlie grew up in manila and so they have the easy access to media such as television, while Addie grew in the province. One of the days that we were together I saw Carlo and Carlie playing (they call it that way) wrestling. Then suddenly Carlie hit his head in the floor so hard the he cried out loud. While they were playing Addie was watching them. And I ask him why don’t he join the two playing. His reply to me was: he don’t want to get heart and they are not playing he told me. Then, I came to know that my two cousins Carlo and Carlie were found of watching World Wrestling Federation (WWF). They are imitating the characters/actors of this show. What is shown in this show WWF are all violence and must of their viewers are children. The show influences these growing children in the wrong way. They pollute the minds of these innocent, curios and playful children. And so these children thought that violence is good.

This is one of the many effects that could possibly happen to our children. If this media will continue to pollute, poison the mind of our children and even adults with wrong information, what would happen to our future? This is a strong message to all of us who are aware of the bad effects of media not only to children but also to all of us. No one can say that he can be exempted to the influence that media brought. We may be conscious or unconscious of its effect to our lives. The best thing that we can do to prevent this, I may call it media virus is to make other people aware of the bad effect of these media. Parents are given the responsibility to guide and monitor the growing children in a very delicate manner. The paper Pornography and Violence reminds and informs parents to “re-double their efforts to provide for the sound moral formation of children and youth.”

COMMUNIO ET PROGRESSIO

“Modern man cannot do without information that is full, consistent, accurate and true. As a man we have the right to be informed. However, along this right in information goes the duty to seek information.” In our modern time we are bombarded with a lot of information from every side. Further, they are all saying that they are telling and bringing the truth. Many people in this modern time are confused on what to believe and to whom they would believe. Because of this bombardment of information majority of the people are tired of seeking the truth and knowing what have happened.

This is also our problem here in our seminary. We are all dependent on the media about what is happening in the outside world. The only source of our information here is the newspaper. We are not allowed to use other media like television as part of our formation. Majority of us read newspapers everyday for us to know what is happening to our country. I always believe on the news in the newspaper as the whole truth until our professor Fr. Rene told us that not all the information in the newspaper is the truth. They are just one the point of view of the author of what had happened. That time I told myself “Oo nga no?” Ever since I’m so dependent on newspaper, I never considered the totality of what have happened and I never tried to know the whole truth.

The message here is that we must always put in mind, every time we encounter media that not all the information that they present is true. Reminder to everyone, even do we are bombarded with information from every side; we should be kin in accepting information and in seeking for the true and useful information.

Training of Future Priest Concerning the Instrument of Social Communication

This paper “Training of Future Priest” is addressed to seminarians who are under formation and to the formators or teachers who are involve in forming the seminarians. It is clearly said in the paper that I had read that all seminarians must be train properly in using this mass media for their future ministry.

As a forth year seminarian, I am say that I am not that mature enough in handling this new technology. I say that I am not mature because here in our seminary cell phones and mp4s are not allowed but I insisted to use them without the knowledge of my formators. There are a lot of abuses here in the seminary regarding this modern way of communication or mass media. This maybe because I have a little knowledge on how could this be use properly and fruitfully. I admit that I have this confusion regarding this mass media. In the document of the church it is said that all seminarians must be trained on handling properly this mass communication. But, I observe here in our seminary we are not permitted to own this media (ex. Cell phones). How can I be trained if I will not have a first hand experience in using these media. I think theories about these mass media are not enough for us to be trained in our future ministry. Cell phone are not allow here in our seminary because of many abuses which means many seminarians are not properly inform on this aspect. Furthermore, we are not allow to own these modern gadgets because we not practicing to live a life of poverty. We must practice our selves to detach from these material things. I still have a lot of questions about mass media being taught to seminarians. I cannot understand this vast field of mass media. As of now I don’t have yet the answer to my questions. This only means that I must broaden more my knowledge on this aspect. I am just a forth year seminarian, I still have more or less eight years before becoming a priest. Hopefully it is not yet too late for me.

Inter Mirifica

I was not aware that there is a document of the Catholic Church that allows the use of modern technology in propagating the catholic faith. Thanks to my professor Fr. Rene Ramirez for giving us this Inter Mirifica as a reading for us. I have learned a lot about social communication. Truly social communication can be very helpful for all the members of the community if only all the members will have a sensitive heart that would help others through their simple important information. These media communications are neutral, it can be very useful or it can lead people to do foolish things depending on the people who use these media. So the people who are involved in making this media must be extra careful in making and publishing their information. The media men must consider their viewer because often times their viewers are curious children who wants to learn something. The things that the children see can be very influential to them.

I want to share my experience about the bad effect of media in my life. When I was still in high school, I am an addict of computer games. In particular Counter Strike. Every Monday my parents gave me my whole week allowance. Instead of going to school to attend classes i went to the computer shop and I spend my whole week allowance just to satisfy my craving for this game. I was not only playing games, i was also watching porno cliffs which are not suitable for my age that time. My parents didn’t know that i am not attending my classes. Until on day my teaching went to our house and told my parents that I am not attending the class. That was during my third year high school. In short I was an addict for almost three years. I also become violent to me peers. Now i am already a seminarian a forth year seminarian but still I cannot move away from this addiction from the computer games. Five years had passed and still I cannot move control my craving for this computer game, every time I see computer I always want to play any game, maybe because media have imprinted in my mind that playing computer games is a good thing to do.

This is the bad effect of media to my life. Media controls the mind set of the people. I learned one thing that every time I see, hear or use these media I must be very careful because if not these media will control my decisions.