How Much Does Entertainment Cost?

We in America are often told to think ourselves fortunate. We can wake up without fear of persecution and death. We see food in our cupboards and clothes without holes in our closets. There is money in our wallets, ready to pay for our favorite morning drink at the most popular coffee shops in our area! And through it all, we have our phones by our sides! What was once a simple cordless telephone is now a miniature entertainment center, complete with game apps, music blasting out our favorite tunes, videos to have us rolling in the aisles with laughter, and of course, our social media sites ever at the ready with the touch of a finger to keep us updated with the latest trending topics. How lucky are we, to have such a convenience such as this, hmm? Oh no. In fact, more's the pity for us to have such a continuous stream of entertainment in such an easy fashion!

As Catholics, we are called to live as if this world is not lasting; which it isn’t. Through the Mass, the Sacraments, prayer, meditation, and even moments of silence, we can partake in the inner peace only God and His graces can provide amidst the chaos of the age we live in. Through “growing up”, however, we have been trained, almost like performing seals, to grab our phone, switch on the TV, or flip open the laptop to access whatever we want that is pleasing to us individually. Where our ancestors had the lives of the saints to contemplate on, bringing souls to repentance and conversion, our biggest concern is which movie to go spend money on this season, or which celebrity couple is getting together or breaking up. Where our ancestors had great works of art to sculpt or paint, cathedrals to build, and goals to achieve, our biggest desire is to watch that video that’s trending, or gush over pictures of animals for hours on end. What was once held as mere entertainment before, is taken as more than air itself!

In continual search for entertainment, we slowly bring into our brains, which lead to our hearts and souls, all the world desires us to believe: that it doesn’t matter what you do, but how you feel while doing it. Such opens to door to accepting fornication, adultery, pornography, contraception, abortion, euthanasia, homosexual acts, gender identity theory, disobedience to His Church, and disbelief in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. And if we see our favorite movie or tv stars doing it, it can’t be so bad, right? No matter what the entertainment industry says, every one of these things is evil, and cannot be excused. By continually excusing these things, because we want to keep enjoying performances or pleasures, we numb our souls to what God has written on the hearts of each one of us: His natural laws, which guide us to seek an understanding of what is good or evil.

Even in all of this, God tries to gently call us out of our vain, selfish, or mindless pursuits, and into serving Him by charity toward others, and the worship of Him, both of which lead to love of Him. How often, sadly, do each of us respond to such a calling with “I don’t have time”, “It’s too much effort”, or most of all, “I lost track of time”? We have mistaken the hours, minutes, and even the seconds as ours, when every microsecond of living is a gift from God. When someone needs a hand, or needs immediate help, almost on instinct we shout or comment “give me a minute.” Such an impulse kills the desire to love in us, because automatically, the other person’s need is subservient to our own, and their relief is tied to however much energy and time is devoted to answering their call for aid. Such pride and sloth might be unintended or unrealized in daily habit, but they are what they are. Once we acknowledge them as such, we must be willing to ask the big question: “What do I do now?”

We are called to love, know, and serve God. We do this by worshipping Him, and putting the needs of our neighbors above our own. This means being repentant for any sins we know we have committed, and rooting out those which remain. This means changing our daily schedule to include prayer and make even little acts of charity where we can. This means being willing to accept we cannot always have it our way, and simply ask for the grace to accept what is not ours to control, and do what is within our power to do. Above all else, we must be willing to place Christ in the center of our lives by returning to Mass every Sabbath, being willing to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and humble ourselves to continually ask “What can I do for others today?” We are made for an eternity of joy, so let us no longer indulge in a temporary life of emptiness and self-gratification.

“Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:22-24