“You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

BOLD WOMEN: PRESENCE AND PASSION AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

Catholic Women in Business’ Lenten Theme

On reflecting on and discussing Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, the Catholic Women in Business leadership team saw a common theme: women. In the New Testament, we read of bold women who encountered Jesus and were forever changed. These women boldly spoke to him, boldly loved him, and boldly took his message into their communities. This Lent, our writers will be exploring this theme in their articles. Share how you are carrying your cross boldly and passionately in our Facebook group!

I enjoy social media. I enjoy seeing the photos my sister and best friend post of their children. I enjoy seeing the updates from the nonprofits and small businesses I like to support, and I enjoy hearing from my favorite writers and speakers. I unapologetically love my Instagram feed, which I somehow managed to curate into an uplifting, inspiring, and educational group mostly of Catholic women.

But — like just about everybody, it seems — I have problems with social media. I spend time on social media that I should spend in prayer, I allow it to distract me when I should be spending time with loved ones, and I let it affect my emotional state.

I finally deleted my Twitter app about a week after the coronavirus pandemic picked up steam in the U.S. I still use Twitter professionally, but only on my desktop, and I don’t allow myself to browse the newsfeed. The doomsday tweets, the neverending news reports that may or may not be true … it was all too much for my anxiety disorder, and I had to stop scrolling. I’d keep up with state government updates and rely on my fiancé and family for important updates, I decided, and I’d let the rest go.

I’ve also deleted my Twitter app for Lent before. It often becomes a near occasion of sin, as I see people debate my personal hot-button issues like abortion and women’s health care. I have typed out tweets and then deleted them just in time. I have tweeted things I wished I hadn’t. And I have been too afraid to tweet things that I probably should have.

It’s hard to find that balance — to walk that line of evangelization versus prudence, of supporting others versus taking care of yourself. It’s something I am still working on, so I reached out to a couple of experts to see what they had to say: Daphne Lindsey, our social media manager at Catholic Women in Business, and Sr. Maria Kim-Ngân Bùi, FSP, a Daughter of St. Paul (the #MediaNuns) and the director of marketing and sales for Pauline Books & Media.

The Boldness of Charity

“It takes a lot of courage and charity to engage well in social media,” says Sr. Maria Kim, “because we all represent the Church in our own way and our own vocations.” She adds that “sometimes small gestures of kindness take tremendous courage that only God sees, because God sees our hearts.”

To decide whether you have the right balance, she recommends considering:

• How do I feel when I put my phone down? Do I feel like I need to keep checking to see who is “liking” and interacting with my posts?

• Can I be honest with myself about my intentions for posting? Is what I’m about to share online for my own ego? Does it build up, or does it tear down?

• Am I angry? (Sr. Maria Kim says, “I never post immediately if I am angry.”)

Daphne agrees with Sr. Maria Kim: “One of the best ways I’ve found for helping myself use social media appropriately is to recognize why I’m showing up in the first place. Am I showing up because I have a message to share or because I’m bored? Am I showing up because I want to connect with others, or am I just scrolling endlessly? Do I feel uplifted and inspired by the accounts I follow, or do I end up just comparing myself and my business to others?”

If you find yourself “feeling ‘less than’” or unable to identify the reasons you’re using social media, Daphne recommends thinking about taking a break from it. “Maybe it’s just a week, or maybe it’s longer — but use that time to step away from the constant stream of content and to consider what you want to use social media for and what you hope to gain from it.”

Social Presence as Evangelization

Social media can be a form of evangelization by demonstrating “the beauty of life in Christ and in the Church,” says Sr. Maria Kim — even if you aren’t posting content that’s explicitly related to Catholicism. “It doesn’t have to be churchy, but it should always edify.” In fact, she believes that Catholic women working in secular professions have “great potential … to spread goodness and beauty and love in this sometimes dark world.”

Daphne agrees that as Catholic businesswomen, we can use social media for evangelization. In fact, she believes it’s our responsibility. “That doesn’t mean we have to use our social media accounts to only share prayers and practice apologetics,” she says, “but our social media use should reflect who we are as Catholic women.”

It’s good business advice, too: Meaningful content is authentic content, especially on social media, and as Christians, “we don’t just love Jesus in our personal, private time — we love him all the time. The way we live is based on this love and should be reflected in how we use social media.”

Daphne suggests sharing moments of grace in between sharing your favorite outfits, celebrating feast days in between sharing funny photos of your dog, and talking about your faith in between sharing business tips. “Wholly embracing who you are as a Catholic woman in business can help you take control of your social media use. It helps shape your ‘why’ and directs your motivations when scrolling through your newsfeed and following others.”

Sr. Maria Kim recommends that women in secular professions who want to share their faith online should “pray to the Holy Spirit and trust that God will guide you if you let Him.” Maybe it’s just through “little references to prayers or thanksgiving you give God when you are posting about something you are happy about. You could post an image and some words about something that you find helpful in your spiritual life.” These posts are honest and authentic, and they can help you uplift and inspire others.

Building up the Body of Christ

“St. Paul says, ‘Build one another up,’” says Sr. Maria Kim (1 Thessalonians 5:11). “This is a brief quote that is at the heart of St. Paul’s teaching on how to live holy lives: live in Christ and in the Church — the Body of Christ.”

As business leaders and, more importantly, as Catholic women leaders, we are called to build up that body of Christ. Social media is one of the tools we can use to do so, but it’s important that we use it as just that: a tool. Not a lifestyle, not as part of our identity, but as one of many ways we can connect with others and share God’s love.

Taryn Oesch is the managing editor of Catholic Women in Business, a contributing writer and assistant editor at FemCatholic.com, and a fertility educator in training. An active volunteer, Taryn is the board secretary and communications chair at The Power of the Dream, a head coach at Miracle League of the Triangle, and a volunteer at Birthchoice of Wake County. You can follow Taryn on Twitter; on Instagram; on Facebook; and on her blog, Everyday Roses.