A Waste of Insight

One

Catholic Content without Sanctity

There is a lot of Catholic content online these days. And there’s a lot of solid stuff online about life-hacks, relationship advice, and just general psychological and physical wellness tips. And, again, a lot of it is really good stuff. Really thoughtful, and really informative. But here’s the scary thing. A lot of us who listen to all this good advice, all this good content, all this super-insightful stuff, a lot of us aren’t getting any happier, or healthier, or holier. 

We consume, and we consume, but our lives aren’t changing, really. And, of course, that kind of defeats the purpose of listening or reading to all this life-directional content.

So what’s happening? Why, even after we put in hours and hours and hours of consuming, are we not becoming better? Maybe we can learn something from St. Paul’s experience preaching in Athens.

Two

Paul’s Preaching at Athens

When Paul was on his missionary journey in Athens, Greece, some men brought him to the center of the town square. They were really interested in what he had to say. And this is why they were interested: St. Luke tells us, “all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.” (Acts 17:21).

So Paul stands up in the town square, and he gives his super-sermon. He uses poetry, philosophy, and apologetics, and then leads up to the final revelation of Christ as the hope of all humanity, with Jesus’ resurrection from the dead as the proof. It’s an astonishing presentation. The ultimate content. The perfect fusion of insight, organization, and saving truth.

And what’s the result? Some think it’s silly, but the others say, “We must hear you again about this.” (Acts 17:32). In other words, they thought it was so good that they’re going to subscribe to Paul’s YouTube channel. He offered them a chance at salvation, and they think it was interesting. And so, as St. Luke reports, “Paul departed from them.” Because if they’re just going to treat Christianity as an intellectually stimulating idea, something entertaining, then they’ve missed the whole point.

Three

The Danger of Too Many New Insights

We were made for truth, and we were made to be surprised at truth. So there’s nothing wrong with being delighted by new insights. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to hear an idea you never heard before, or hear a presentation that gives you a new angle on an old idea. That’s good. Intellectual stimulation is good. But the danger is that when you flood yourself with ideas, with content, you don’t actually give it time to digest. You don’t sit with it and see what it really means, deep down, what it means for you.

You’re like someone who eats continually, nonstop. That’s obviously not healthy. You’re supposed to eat regularly, but not continually. You need time when you’re not eating to digest and use the food you’ve taken in. So when we read that the Athenians would do nothing besides listen to or talk about new ideas, we know something was wrong. Because we aren’t just supposed to go from one stimulating insight to another. We’re supposed to take time over insights, and, most importantly, we’re supposed to let insights change our lives.

Four

Insight without Resolution is Dead

Everyone knows the famous passage in the letter of St. James where he says that faith without works is dead. It’s not good to have faith if you don’t translate it into action. Dead faith profits no one. Similarly, the virtue of prudence isn’t actually a virtue until you translate your prudential decision into a virtuous action. Dead prudence profits no one.

So too, insight, and particularly religious insight, is worthless unless you can translate it into a resolution. And this is the great danger of becoming a connoisseur of religious content, catholic content. If you get to the point where you’re just absorbing new ideas, you won’t have time or mental energy to figure out how, concretely, you’re going to put it into practice. Just like the Athenians, who had gotten so used to hearing stimulating ideas that they’d lost the capacity to let those ideas change their lives.

If all you have is insight after insight, it will only increase the odds that those insights will remain dead insights. That’s why resolution, especially at the end of daily meditation, is so crucial. It makes sure those insights live on and become saving truths.

Five

Resolution

So, with what resolution should we end this meditation? Here’s two resolutions. One is this: consider one of the times when you’re tempted to listen to some podcast or another. Maybe when you’re in the car, or doing dishes. And instead of turning on that content, just be in silence, and ruminate about the last spiritual insight you remember. Think about it on your own, and think about the truth of it, and think about how maybe it could be put into practice.

Here’s another one: when was the last time you heard something, and you said, “Yes, I really need to do that. I really need to implement that in my life.” Take that resolution and write it in a little notebook. If it’s a long-term resolution, then start putting tally marks next to it for every day you keep it. If it’s a one-time resolution, then keep it in the notebook until you’ve completed it and then cross it out.

These possible resolutions are so that we do not let saving truth be just “interesting” or “inspiring.” The resolutions are so that when God sends us His truth, we really latch on to it and keep it alive.