A Liturgy Before Doomscrolling

by Douglas McKelvey

O Lord, I know these algorithms 
are designed to fuel an amplified 
feedback loop, a whirlwind pushing 
back to me ever more extreme versions 
of my own interests and opinions. 

These feeds feed my worst tendencies,
trapping me in an insidious cycle of 
narrow perspectives and customized 
clickbait designed to rile my emotions. 

I know this is not a healthy space 
to habitually inhabit, but the promise 
of such an easy and instant gratification
is almost irresistible. 

Even so, I know this pattern 
needs to change.

For what will become of my heart,
if it marinates indefinitely 
in such a toxic stew?

I would rather learn the slow discipline 
of contentment in you, O Christ—to 
practice your presence moment by moment; 
to be still and know you, to meditate on the 
eternal truths of your words, to have my 
heart steeped in your Spirit that I might 
become a more fitting agent of your mercies. 

Fixed in you, I would have peace, even 
amidst a world in disarray. I would have 
eternal purpose, greater than this voided 
emptiness teeming with vapid and volatile 
content. I would find an anchor for my 
soul that could hold fast in any storm. 

Then, I would have something of worth 
to offer others confounded and bound by 
habit to this constant, digital chaos of 
fantasy, enmity, fluff, and conspiracy
debasing our screens: 
	the grace and peace of Christ, 
	made manifest in me. 
	Amen. 

---

Douglas McKelvey is the author of the EVERY MOMENT HOLY project, featuring new prayers and liturgies for the ordinary events of daily life through books, songs, and live events. Published by Rabbit Room Press, these resources are ways of reminding us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose even when, especially when, we are too busy or too caught up in our busyness to notice. The most recent release, Rites of Passage, contains over 150 prayers of sustenance and guidance for the unique day-to-day trials, joys, hopes, and griefs of early adulthood. Find out more about this project here.