Finding God on YouTube Some More

I hope that at least some of you have gone over to YouTube and had some fun watching and praying with the super abundance of Catholic videos to be found there. I know I am continually discovering new hymns and Catholic musicians, as well as prayer videos.

How is it that praying along with a video can deepen a person’s faith?

I believe that it happens if we enter the experience with an attitude of prayer, our attention focused on Christ. It is not enough to merely watch the images scroll by while someone else recites. We must actively pray along with whoever is reciting or singing the prayer for it to have any deeper meaning.

The second way these videos can help us deepen our prayer life is through a form of Ignatian imaginative prayer. For those new to the prayers of St Ignatius of Loyola, one of the methods he teaches is for us to use our imaginations, placing ourselves in a scene from Scripture, and imagining being there ourselves.

For example, using the story of the woman at the well, a reader might imagine himself sitting on a bench nearby watching as the woman approaches Jesus at the well. Does she hesitate? Does He smile in welcome? How would you feel if you were in her place? Would you be afraid to approach a stranger? As the scene plays out in your imagination, what are you feeling? Are you as eager and excited as the woman was when she began to understand to whom she was speaking? Are you still a little leery? What might Jesus say to you to calm and reassure you, to bring you closer to Himself?

The art used in the YouTube videos can be a great place to jumpstart your imagination.

For example, as you contemplate each artist’s portrayal of Jesus’ Agony in the Garden, it becomes easier to sense how He felt, to place yourself in the picture mentally, and experience Gethsemane with Him.

Because at its core, prayer is not about the formula of saying words in a precise order for a precise reason. It’s about experiencing the truth behind the words, about spending time alone with our God in quiet adoration.

I have a few words of advice for people who are not frequent users of YouTube who might wish to try these videos. While you will find dozens, if not hundreds, of videos that will inspire you and help deepen your faith, be a bit cautious. Read the user description of the video before you start it to get a sense of who the user is and why the video was created. Not every video will be created from a Catholic viewpoint. Some will be decidedly negative. Use discretion when clicking. If you begin a video and find you don’t like the content, just stop the feed and move on to another.

And if you can’t find anything that speaks to you, that’s okay too. You might consider creating your own video with the music, prayers, and imagery that inspires you. Then post it, and share the joy. There is someone out there who needs exactly what you have to give.

Carol Ann Chybowski

Carol Ann Chybowski is a long time member of the Catholic Writers Guild. She has published book reviews at various websites and appears in two volumes of A Community of Voices: An Anthology of Santa Barbara. When not busy about her parish, Carol Ann can be found knitting, gardening, or on horseback.