Care for our Common Home

“Here, immersed in creation, we can also sense another beating: the maternal heartbeat of the earth. Just as the hearts of babies in the womb beat in harmony with those of their mothers, so in order to grow as people, we need to harmonize our own rhythms of life with those of creation, which gives us life.”   Pope Francis on his visit to Canada, July 26, 2022

 

We humans are united by the concern for our planet and every living thing that dwells on it. The poor suffer most from climate change and are increasingly forced to migrate in search of food, security, and other basic essentials. Tens of millions of people are now climate migrants or refugees, adding to the social pressures and unrest in so many parts of the world.

The complex ecological crisis has two important facets: climate change, and ecological degradation through overproduction and consumption. Ecological conversion involves a serious reevaluation of how we live day to day, what we see as “development” and “progress,” and what our attitudes toward poor and indigenous peoples are and need to become. Embracing global solidarity, renouncing consumerism, simplifying lifestyles, and working for sustainable justice for all people are elements of God’s challenging prophetic call. Conversely, communities living in poverty need to find ways of increasing their consumption to meet basic human needs while accepting the fact that the alluring lifestyles and wealth of the industrial nations are not—and should not be— an achievable goal. The way to a better life cannot be through economic growth and technological progress as modeled by developed nations of the industrial world. Rather, it must be through greater justice, sustainability, and solidarity. Ecological conversion may mean letting go of unrealistic material dreams for the future and for their families and communities. It may involve an appreciation of the values of indigenous peoples and poor communities because they have relied on the virtues of solidarity and mutual support, respect and care for nature, and living in harmony with creation.

 

Praying for Pope Francis

Pope Francis has a difficult job to do at this point in history when the Church is so divided. We have a responsibility to pray for him as a spiritual leader and decisionmaker, so that he may continue guiding the universal Catholic Church with wisdom and compassion.

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Pray

Lord God, I trust that you deeply desire to minister to your people
through the hands and feet of Pope Francis.
Thank you for giving us a leader so rich in mercy,
one who genuinely hopes to honor Jesus with all he does.
Today I ask that you grant him the grace of discernment
so that he can be sure of your guidance in all of his decisions.
Sustain him with the ability to feed your sheep
and seek unity in a time of division.
Strengthen his body, soul, and mind, and grant him good health and long life.
I pray that the Holy Father will feel your comfort and love
and continue to seek your will with all of his might.
Amen.

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Act

Pray the Lord’s Prayer on behalf of Pope Francis today. Follow up your prayer with a petition of gratitude for the pope’s guidance and strength.

[Source: franciscanmedia.org]

 

The Catholic Climate Covenant

The Catholic Climate Covenant is a worldwide campaign raising awareness of the Laudato Si’ message and encouraging 1.2 billion Catholics to take urgent action with the climate crisis. Through this organization, the Catholic Community is making a major contribution to the global ecumenical effort addressing the ecological crises we face and restoring reverent respect and care for the sacredness of creation. The human family is not facing separate and distinct social, political, economic, cultural and ecological crises. Rather, these are integrated crises requiring prayer and ecological conversion for the healing of the vast Web of Life. All life is interconnected. Visit The Catholic Climate Covenant Website

 

Bibliography

• Pope Francis, Laudato Si, On Care for Our Common Home, Liberia Editrice Vaticana, 2015
• KoenigBricker, Ten Commandment for the Environment, Pope Benedict XVI Speaks Out for Creation and Justice, 2009
• Lovins, Reinventing Fire, (Forwards by CEO’s of Exxon and Shell) Chelsea Green 2011
• Figueres & RivettCarnac, The Future We Choose, Surviving the Climate Crisis, Vintage, 2020
• Hayhoe, Saving Us, 2021
• de Chardin, The Divine Milieu, Collins, 1960
• de Chardin, Hymn of the Universe, Harper & Row, 1961
• Gore, Earth in the Balance, Plume (Penguin), 1993
• Davis, When Smoke Ran Like Water, Basic, 2002
• Oreskes & Jones, Merchants of Doubt, Bloomsbury, 2010
• Sovacool, Energy and Ethics, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013
• Sovacool, Sidortsov & Jones, Energy Security, Equality and Justice,  Routledge, 2014
• Ciuba, Creation at the Crossroads,Renew International, 2016
• Tirole, Economics for the Common Good, Princeton, 2017
• Maddow, Blowout, Crown (Penguin) 2019
• Nordhaus, The Spirit of Green, Princeton, 2021

Things to do Small and Large with Prayer and Contemplation