But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life. // Romans 6:22
I roll over, bleary-eyed, poised to pick up my phone, unread notifications pleading for my attention. But I stop, remembering to Whom I owe the first fruits of my day, the first moments of waking. I know changing positions or turning on a light will waken the toddler to my left or the lump across the end of the bed, which of course is another child who has crawled in for comfort.
I close my eyes and recite in a whisper a morning offering, three Hail Marys, and an Our Father. Simple, but a start. A moment of silence contemplating Christ’s suffering on the Cross and how that changes me. Mutterings behind me, and it’s time to start the day.
Day in and day out, the temptation to see what I’ve missed or just “quickly” check in on the glowing device beckons tantalizingly. But the time spent racks up quickly. It’s far too easy to become slaves of our devices. Today’s First Reading of Romans 6:19-23 talks of being “slaves of sin” and queries: “But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed?” (Romans 6:21)
It’s not that our phones and tablets are evil—in reality they are just tools, but if they control us, they are, in a way, enslaving us. When we cannot say no to their tempting pull to glance at notifications or flip through Instagram Stories, they win. God deserves our best, our first and last moments of each day. He is essential for our well being, the path to our sanctification.
Sister, let’s make it our goal that at the end of the week our recreational Screen Time reports would show less time than our time spent in prayer and service. How can you make that happen in your life?
Sarah Ortiz is a Catholic convert, wife, and mother to five boys while living in a 200-year-old farmhouse in Western New York. When not folding laundry, she can be found reading, experimenting in the kitchen, keeping the family library, or snagging amazing antique furniture deals. She was a contributing author to Set a Fire. Find out more about her here.
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