Saint Anthony of Egypt did not have a smartphone. An ascetic of early Christianity, Saint Anthony endured intense spiritual challenges during his life. A painting by a young Michelangelo depicts one of them: an assault by what I described for RealClearReligion as “a kaleidoscopic demonic legion.” A comparable work today, I mused, might “show someone being constantly pinged by notifications from apps.”
The approach of Lent in our digital, overstimulated age often inspires those who hope to abide by the season’s strictures to look with renewed skepticism at their relationship with technology. The Catholic Weekly recently surveyed some Catholics interested in restricting their use of smartphones or social media apps. These Catholics object to their own commodification, their manipulation by technology, and their replacing real world social interaction with digital. Technology may be morally neutral, but it remains a pathway to sin. Envy attaches itself naturally to Instagram. Wrath is the currency of Twitter/X. And all are conducive to sloth.
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