(Note, January 2021: This post was published eight years ago; in February, 2013. Since then some things have changed: I tend to “blog” a bit more often [though I still try to take my own advice here, and keep it not too often!], I’ve received my Master’s in Theology, I’m 3 years into working on my PhD in philosophy, and I’m in my fifth year of serving as a college philosophy professor. I am still, however, an unworthy sinner)
I am sometimes asked why I write so rarely for my blog (less than once a month, on average): those who ask me say that, in order to have a serious blog, I must post every day (or at least every week) so that the blog 
subscribers can count upon this regular flow of posts, so that I will have better odds of appearing in search engine results, so I can gain revenue from ads (but I will never run ads), so I can maintain regular interaction with other bloggers via trackbacks, pings, etc.
Well, it is certainly not lack of inspiration. Almost every day I have to mortify my desire to post some thought that comes to me, and I have hundreds of articles that remain unpublished.
Rather, here is why:
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Pregnant mothers considering abortion do not first Google search “What does Daniel O’Connor have to say to me about whether or not I should let my child live?” They simply walk into the Planned Parenthood, and I need to be there.
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The sick, elderly, forgotten souls in nursing homes do not have access to a computer, nor do they particularly need to be instructed or persuaded on the orthodox view of current events. They need someone to go in on a regular basis and pray the Rosary with them, to help them prepare for death, and remind them that they are still beloved children of the God who has not for one moment forgotten them.
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The Third Spiritual Work of Mercy, to admonish the sinner, ceases to be meritorious if done from the comfort of an armchair, writing strong words to people who already agree with them. Thirty minutes spent on a busy street corner with a small group of people holding signs in support of truth (e.g. a rally for traditional marriage, a public prayer event) – and bearing with prayer, patience, and love the persecution that comes from that, or going out and having an actual respectful conversation with someone who disagrees with you – will have more effect than countless hours spent ranting against same-sex “marriage” on a blog.
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I am not a bishop, priest, or a theologian. I do not receive messages from heaven. I do not hold any extraordinary experience, wisdom, or status whatsoever that especially qualifies me to frequently instruct the faithful.
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The youth, mired in dissolution and chained to misery, do little with the internet but view illicit media and spend themselves in social networking; yet they need to hear what I have to say, so I must reach them directly on the streets.
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I have countless relatives, friends, and acquaintances with real problems of which I am aware, and about which I could speak to them and help them greatly, so why not favor that over addressing an issue in a blog post that might be utterly irrelevant to everyone who reads it?
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I’ll have much to answer for on Judgment Day if I write about spiritual matters more than I pray.
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I recognize now that simply promulgating papal homilies, encyclicals, council documents, etc. is better than commenting on them.
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It is truly sad to see a Catholic who feels too busy for daily Scripture reading, daily Mass, and daily Rosary; but not for daily pouring over blog posts, and I do not want to contribute to that.
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Because the world doesn’t need more “musings, reflections, perspectives, random thoughts, commentaries, ramblings,” or whatever other descriptive subtitle many blogs use in their headings. It needs more martyrs, witnesses, signs of contradiction in the assembly, prayer warriors, and the like; souls who rely more on the power of the grace working through their conduct than on the potency of their own arguments.
Please do not think that I rarely blog because my day to day life is chock full of the above endeavors; how I wish that were so! Please pray for me that it may become so. I rarely blog because I recognize that it would not be conducive to what I mentioned above, and it would take away from my goals to do much more of the above. As a daily or weekly blogger, I know I would be tempted to (foolishly) say to myself “well, I’ve fulfilled my mission, mercy, evangelization quota!” I of course see great value to a blog; that’s why I have one – I am only trying to explain why I post relatively rarely. One additional note: I am sure there are many daily/weekly bloggers who do not in the least neglect the above; I just do not think I have the strength to do both.
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