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Yesterday, I went on YouTube to finish watching a video I’d started from Bishop Robert Barron. As I was finding it, another video was suggested to me with a title that said, “Bishop Robert Barron: Stop Wearing This To Mass—It’s a Serious Sin.” It was just an audio recording. I thought, “Huh, that’s weird. Bishop Barron doesn’t use titles like that.” Curious, I pushed play and immediately knew it wasn’t really him. I’ve been listening to Bishop Barron for years. Every Sunday, I listen to his homily and I know the cadence of his voice, the way he pauses, and even how he takes hard swallows. This recording has none of that. Sure, it sounded like his voice, but I knew it wasn’t him. So, I looked at the show notes and there was a disclaimer that said that “This isn’t actually Bishop Barron but the messaging is like what he would say.” (Paraphrasing) I knew it! It was a stupid AI mimic of him and all the people in the comments were fooled into believing it was actually him. I was livid. You know what else is a serious sin? Using people’s names and voice-likeness to make recordings that get you thousands of likes and views so you make money off of them. I wrote as much in the comments. As a creative person, I absolutely 💯 percent hate AI. And if you are here to talk me into it, save your breath because I will not be convinced. AI destroys our humanity and it really destroys art in any form—writing, music, painting. I work very hard to make content that is meaningful and captures who I am. I use pictures my family takes, I write my own stuff. It’s all coming from my mind. It is deplorable when people use AI to make money off other people’s hard work and use their name to generate interest because they are too lazy to build or make their own content. Just burns me up. I don’t wanna see your AI generated cartoon-y Lisa Frank circa 1989 picture of Mary and Jesus that took all of five seconds to make. I wanna see art that a person put time, effort, and their SOUL into. Be watchful, Catholic Pilgrims, and support people who actually try and produce their own stuff. God did not create us to be surrounded by trash made by a soulless robot. Live the Faith boldly and travel well.
Continue ReadingWhen was the last time you fretted about something and it didn’t come to pass? The honest truth is that I fret about a lot of things and most of those things never happen AND I can’t even tell you what I was stressing over. Now, obviously, bad things happen, but quite a lot of what stresses us out never materializes. Yet we are encouraged to freak, freak, freak. Be angry, be angry, be angry. Lose hope, lose hope, lose hope. In reading the Gospel today on the sower and the seeds, I realized that the thorns are those things that choke out our hope and faith. The thorns start to creep into our lives when we lose our sense of humor, see everything with a pessimistic attitude, and grumble and gripe pretty consistently. The thorns choke out laughter, gratitude, and hope. We should definitely be aware of the things that are happening in the world that pose a threat, but if we only look out at the world through our prison of thorns, our faith in God will die. Make sure to keep the thorns at bay, Catholic Pilgrims, or you will be too bitter to make positive change in your life and your community. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
Continue ReadingHave you ever noticed how inconsolable you are when you are miserable? We can be miserable for a number of reasons: sickness, sadness, bitterness, or disappointment. We tend to wrap up in ourselves and we refuse help. Mary Magdalene was so distraught, understandably so, at finding Jesus’ tomb empty that she couldn’t appreciate the appearance of two angels. She couldn’t even recognize Jesus when He was right in front of her. She was so utterly consumed with grief that she couldn’t see Jesus—Goodness Itself—standing in front of her. Jesus had to forcefully say her name in order to shake her from her misery. There are certainly times when it is completely appropriate and understandable to be sad, distraught, depressed, or angry. What we can’t do, though, is allow these feelings to “potentially become a self-centeredness” that blinds us to goodness, beauty, redemption, and healing. Mary Magdalene had been at the foot of the Cross and was devastated by what she saw. I know she felt miserable that morning when she went to the tomb. For a brief period of time that misery blinded her from seeing Jesus. Thankfully, she snapped out of it and was witness to the greatest miracle the world has ever known—The Resurrected Christ. Have a blessed Tuesday, Catholic Pilgrims. St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us! *Statues of Christ and Mary Magdalene are found at Mission Santa Barbara
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