Laudato Si, Chapter 6 — Ecological Education and Spirituality

by Benjamin Webb

It has been a pleasure reading the thoughtful reflections of other blog contributors who have reviewed the first five chapters of Laudato Si, the Pope’s utterly remarkable encyclical, which in itself will define him historically as the first pope to use this highest form of Catholic social teaching to redefine the human/earth relationship as a Gospel mandate. To have such an environmental encyclical from one of the world’s great spiritual leaders and religious traditions calling all nations and people to “the care of our common home” is a very big deal in our global public discourse! With our seas rising at their fastest rate in 28 centuries and climate change melting our polar ice caps, we all need to be inspired — as Laudato Si does — to work together as we face these existential threats.

In the concluding chapter (Ch. 6) of Laudato Si, Pope Francis focuses on “ecological education and spirituality,” not as a substitute for activism, advocacy, and political and economic change, but to undergird it. He understands that we have to get ourselves onto another path — the long path of renewal — which poses a great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge to all of us. It will involve “new convictions, attitudes and forms of life” that must arise from a fundamentally new “awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone.”

In pointing us towards a new lifestyle, he begins with a classic critique of modernity and our market economy by suggesting they cannot, in and of themselves, offer us the guidance and direction we require as individuals or societies because they are too absorbed with the means rather than the ends or purpose of life. While some have criticized the Pope for failing to acknowledge in Laudato Si the constructive role that the market economy has and is playing with some environmental and climate change solutions (Cap and Trade, etc.), the benevolent force that markets can play is often generated by impulses and ways of knowing and behaving that transcend the ideology of markets, such as our spiritual traditions provide for millions of people.

No system or mental or social conditioning, the Pope reminds us, can suppress our “God-given ability to respond to his grace at work deep in our hearts.” So while humans may be capable of the worst, we are also capable of rising above ourselves and choosing again what is good, including the common good (versus radical individualism) which can bring about significant change in society. What our times require, Pope Francis suggests, is the “awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.”

Key to this new lifestyle is educating for the covenant between humanity and the environment. It’s no longer enough to educate ourselves about the gravity and risks of the ecological crisis, or the massive myths of modernity (unlimited material progress, endlessly rising material affluence, the unregulated market, etc.). “Environmental education should facilitate making the leap towards the transcendent which gives ecological ethics its deepest meaning.” While political institutions and other social groups are entrusted with helping raise people’s awareness, so too is the Church. All Christian communities have an important role to play in ecological education and deep change, since worldviews and ways of thinking (about human beings, life, society and our relationship with nature) really do influence our behavior. How do we counteract the fact that each ad is a small sermon that advances consumerism? Therefore the Pope calls on all “seminaries and houses of formation to provide an education in responsible simplicity of life, in grateful contemplation of God’s world, and in concern for the needs of the poor and the protection of the environment.”

Here the Pope turns to ecological conversion, a subject he states has a rich heritage in Christian spirituality over the past twenty centuries. Certainly much has been written about this in the past forty years, but Pope Francis points especially to the teachings of the Gospel and how its ecological spirituality can motivate us to a more compassionate concern for the protection of our world.  In doing so he highlights something vitally important, how the external deserts of our world are growing in proportion to the vast internal deserts of our lives, and how the ecological crisis is therefore also a “summons to profound interior conversion.” As Land Institute founder Wes Jackson once said, "The deterioration of our planet, our environment, and our social contract, is an outward reflection of an inward condition.  Like outside, like inside."

So we need to address both, says the Pope, through an “ecological conversion,” where the effects of our interior encounter with Jesus Christ also become evident in our relationship with the world around us. “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.” To keep the faith, we must also keep the earth.

The gospels also testify to the wonder and richness of the world God created and to Earth’s dynamism that we have no right to ignore; that each creature reflects something of God and has a message to convey to us; and that we do not understand our superiority as a reason for personal glory or irresponsible dominion, but rather as a caretaking role containing a serious responsibility stemming from our faith.

This then leads the Pope to the subject of “Joy and Peace,” where he writes, “Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption.” The enduring ancient lessons on Christian spirituality from scripture propose a “growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little.”

He points to the profound imbalance many feel today which drives us to frenetic activity and makes us feel busy, in a constant hurry which in turn can lead us to ride rough-shod over everything around us. This too affects how we treat the environment. An “integral ecology” includes taking time to recover a serene harmony with creation, reflecting on our lifestyle and our ideals, and contemplating the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence “must not be contrived but found, uncovered.” In this we follow Jesus who was “completely present to everyone and to everything, and in this way he showed us the way to overcome that unhealthy anxiety which makes us superficial, aggressive and compulsive consumers.”

Chapter 6 contains other themes that may interest some readers, including: civic and political love, sacramental signs and the celebration of rest, the Trinity and the relationship between creatures, the Queen of all creation, and “beyond the sun.” In concluding his joyful and troubling reflections in Laudato Si, Pope Francis fittingly ends with poetry, not unlike his 12th century namesake who gave us the verses to hymns about Brother Sun and Sister Moon that we all treasure.

In absorbing the clarion call that Laudato Si makes upon the world’s religions and upon us, I am reminded of a comment Robert Bellah, a sociologist of religion, once made when I interviewed him.  Describing the problem before us in contemporary religion and society, he suggested that the “systems” of the nation-state (steered by power) and especially of the market economy (steered by money) are invading and colonizing the “lifeworld,” not only its institutions of meaning but devouring the world itself.  At the center of the lifeworld, Bellah says, stands the Church and all our religious traditions.  “This puts a heavy responsibility on religion whose life is organized linguistically – where language and story are its only resources – to take the initiative in response to these pressures and try to fight back.” Yet that is our task on this long path of renewal.

In Laudato Si, Pope Francis has dived into the enormous depths and riches of our spiritual tradition to summon the enduring power of religious language and story that can redirect us in support of the lifeworld now under threat everywhere. From the pinnacle of religious leadership that he now occupies, he has projected his voice yet humble example, showing us how we might wash the feet of this dear world as Christ’s servants in caring for our common home, this earth household -- this God household -- which all of us share but none of us possess.  For the earth is the Lord’s, and everything therein.

If you are looking for additional resources to support the alternative vision, education and lifestyle addressed so substantively in Laudato Si, check out this webpage for Interfaith Power and Light, or contact our state chapter at Iowa IPL to explore their services and programs available in your community and congregation.

Benjamin Webb is Priest-in-Charge at Christ Church in Cedar Rapids and author of Fugitive Faith: Conversations on Spiritual, Environmental and Community Renewal.

Pope Francis: Involve people of faith in “healthy politics” to address climate crisis

By Rob Hogg

Recent news reports show that the dangers of climate change are growing rapidly. The global record for the most abnormally hot month was just set in February 2016, breaking the record set in January 2016, breaking the record set in December 2015.

For the United States, it was the warmest winter on record. Alaska was a full ten degrees Fahrenheit warmer than its historic average.

On March 11, the National Academy of Sciences released a new report, “Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change,” showing increasing certainty in the link between climate change and extreme weather events.

During the warmest winter on record, we have again seen deadly flooding in Louisiana, deadly flooding in Missouri, and deadly tornadoes throughout the south.

These realities call out for a response. Wherever you are right now on the issue of climate change, you can get more informed, get more involved, do more, and speak up more.

To get more informed, many people of faith are looking to the Encyclical from Pope Francis, Laudato Si, for guidance. In Chapter Five, the Pope offers instruction on how people can get involved in politics, or public life, at every level – personal, local, regional, national, and international.

Pope Francis identifies the real ecological crises facing humanity, not just climate change, but also desertification, marine pollution, and loss of biological diversity.

While addressing these problems, Pope Francis sets forth the vision of a better future:  “a sustainable and diversified agriculture,” “renewable and less polluting forms of energy,” “more efficient use of energy,” “better management of marine and forest resources,” and “universal access to drinking water.” He also recognizes that local communities are using cooperative efforts to provide local self-sufficiency and the sale of surplus renewable energy.

But that is still not enough. Because the problems today are global in scope, Pope Francis sets out a vision of a cooperative global effort, in which wealthy countries act, accepting lower consumption and embracing better living, to help all survive. Pope Francis also cites examples of how the world can come together on a global basis to address problems, such as the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol and its amendments, which achieved “resolution” of the problem of stratospheric ozone depletion (the ozone hole).

The question is not can we act to safeguard ourselves from environmental degradation, but rather will we do it. To that end, Pope Francis calls for people of faith to involve themselves in “healthy politics” that builds relationships and community among people and engages in a “frank dialogue in the service of life, especially human life.”

Politics is not a dirty word to Pope Francis. “What is needed is a politics which is farsighted and capable of a new, integral and interdisciplinary approach to handling the different aspects of the crisis,” Pope Francis writes.

He recognizes that there is sometimes corruption in politics, and even more often political failures which allow economic interests to exploit the situation to the detriment of others.  Our politics, he writes, “remains caught up in inconsequential discussions.”  That sounds so true today, in the midst of the 2016 presidential campaign.  But this is not a reason to turn away from politics.

Pope Francis argues it is the job of people of faith, drawing on “God’s grace” and our “deepest convictions about love, justice and peace,” to reject both the distractions and the cynicism of our current political system.

Pope Francis urges readers to take up the challenge of “healthy politics” that focuses on what the political process must accomplish for humanity and future generations.

That means we need to do more than just get more informed.  We need to get more involved, do more, and speak up more.  Our calling is clear:  to love God and God’s Creation, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, both at home and around the world, today and for future generations.  With God’s help, we can do it.

Rob Hogg is a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Cedar Rapids, former board president of Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, and a state senator from Cedar Rapids. He is the author of a 2013 book, America’s Climate Century: What Climate Change Means for America in the 21st Century and What Americans Can Do About It, available in libraries across Iowa. Please send comments or questions to senatorrobhogg@gmail.com.

Laudato Si: Chapter four - Integral Ecology

By Susie Tierney

As I read chapter four of Laudato Si, I instantly thought of the seven Major Themes of Catholic Social Teaching, as expressed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Even though I was Received into the Episcopal Church in January, I still have a soft spot for Catholic social teaching and find the themes rich and worthy of sharing.  Instead of “Integral Ecology,” chapter four could have easily been titled “Ecology through the Lens of Catholic Social Teaching.” In this vein, I would like to use this blog to share the Major Themes of Catholic Social Teaching, their prevalence throughout chapter four, and a few personal thoughts from this Franciscan Associate.

Life and Dignity of the Human Person

At the core of this theme is the sacredness of all life and our inherent dignity as people created in the image and likeness of God. Historically, this theme has been somewhat limited to human life. However, over the years this theme has become much more encompassing and would more accurately read today; The Life and Dignity of the Human Person and All of Creation. To this point, several years ago the Catholic Bishops in the Philippines named environmental degradation and the destruction of our planetary home the life issue of our time. Their assessment seems logical. If we destroy ourselves off our planetary home, then all other life issues – all other social issues – become a moot point. Pope Francis relates environmental degradation to a loss of meaning in our lives and a loss of what it means to live in community. 

In paragraph 145 he writes “Many intensive forms of environmental exploitation and degradation not only exhaust the resources which provide local communities with their livelihood, but also undo the social structures, which, for a long time, shaped cultural identity and their sense of the meaning of life and community.” 

The Call to Family, Community and Participation

This theme emphasizes the importance of the family (whether a family of one or a family of 10) and our rights and responsibilities to participate in and contribute to the larger community. I was once asked to do a presentation on this theme of social teaching because the person, in their words, “wanted to stay away from politics.”  However, part two of this theme emphasizes our responsibility as Christians to be informed about social and environmental issues, to be involved in the political process, and to be advocates for those who are poor, marginalized or oppressed - including our planetary home. In paragraph 144, Pope Francis recommends an approach that is both flexible and tailored to local communities. 

“New processes taking shape cannot always fit into frameworks imported from outside; they need to be based in the local culture instead,” he writes. “As life and the world are dynamic realities, so our care for the world must also be flexible and dynamic. Merely technical solutions run the risk of addressing symptoms and not the more serious underlying problems.”  

Rights and Responsibilities 

This theme states that flowing from our God-given sense of dignity are fundamental human rights that should be afforded to all people, including: food, clothing, housing, health care, education, security, social services, and employment. We first have a responsibility to do what we have the capacity to do for ourselves and our families.  However, when something prohibits us from obtaining these basic rights, as brothers and sisters in Christ, it is the larger community’s responsibility to make sure everyone’s basic needs are addressed. Pope Francis gives a good example of this in chapter four when he mentions a lack of housing. 

In paragraph 152 he writes, “Lack of housing is a grave problem in many parts of the world, both in rural areas and in large cities, since state budgets usually cover only a small portion of the demand. Not only the poor, but many other members of society as well, find it difficult to own a home. Having a home has much to do with a sense of personal dignity and the growth of families.”  

As a former food pantry manager, I can certainly attest to the fact that when one is lacking any of these basic human needs, it not only affects their personal dignity, but also makes it nearly impossible to embrace any programs that aim to empower them out of their hunger or poverty.    

Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

At the heart of this theme is our Gospel call to care for those who are poor and marginalized. Nothing seems more prevalent throughout the scriptures than Jesus’ invitation to give to the poor, and to challenge systems and structures that disregard those in need.  

Imbedded in this theme is the principle of Subsidiarity. Subsidiarity simply means problems or issues need to be addressed closest to their source. In other words, people who are directly affected by an issue must be involved in the decision-making process when addressing that issue. Pope Francis certainly echoes this when he writes about including the voice of the poor and indigenous communities when addressing environmental issues that affect their well-being. 

In paragraph 146, Pope Francis says “…It is essential to show special care for indigenous communities and their cultural traditions. They are not merely one minority among the other, but should be the principal dialogue partners, especially when large projects affecting their land are proposed.”  

This sounds easy enough, but I’ve learned it is one of the hardest principles for many of us to embrace. I can’t tell you the number of times good-hearted, well-meaning, compassionate individuals backed up to the food pantry door with truckloads of all sorts of things we did not need, simply because they did not call and ask what we did actually need.  

Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

While I may not feel like this on a Monday morning, this theme validates work as a good thing that helps give us a sense of dignity and worth. A testament to the truth of this theme is the number one question I received on a daily basis at the food pantry: “Do you know where I can get a job?”  As I think about the environmental crisis and this theme of the Dignity of Work, I am reminded of how often I am asked if potential environmentally-threatening industries or business practices can have a “free pass” if they create (much-needed) jobs in our communities. My response is typically that the two – respect for the environment and job creation – do not have to mutually exclusive. Economic progress does not have to be at the expense of environmentally healthy businesses or business practices. 

In paragraph 156 Pope Francis writes, “Human ecology is inseparable from the notion of the common good, a central and unifying principle of social ethics.” 

There doesn’t seem to be a more urgent principle of the common good than environmental stewardship – especially within businesses and institutions.    

Solidarity

This theme can best be summed up by the punchline of the Cain and Abel story: “We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers;” or in Franciscan language, “living in right relationship with each other and all of creation.” Pope Francis takes the idea of solidarity one step further than my immediate relationship with others and the earth.  In paragraph 159, he writes about “intergenerational solidarity.”  

He says “We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity… Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.”  

To emphasis intergenerational solidarity, Pope Francis goes on to quote the Portuguese Catholic Bishops: “The environment is part of a logic of receptivity.  It is on loan to each generation, which must then hand it on to the next.”  

Care of Creation 

Laudato Si is an entire encyclical written about the theme of caring for the created world. One of my favorite lines is in paragraph 139, “When we speak of ‘environment,’ what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it.”  

We are not separate from, but a part of this magnificent, wonderful world. And, in the words of Ronald Sider, “The One who gave us this gorgeous token of affection is asking us to share it with others.”  

Peace, prayers and Lenten blessings to you, 

Susie Tierney

Riding the Light-Rail through Iowa with Pope Francis: Gleanings from Laudato Sί Chapter Three

By Cathleen Chittenden Bascom        

        I remember a heated debate about the environment I had with another student after exiting an ethics class in Chicago circa 1985. Lonnie was a Saul Alinsky inspired seminarian from the Rust Belt. I was a green-minded seminarian from the Colorado Rockies. We turned up our collars against the ear clipping wind as we waited for the elevated train to take us into the city.

“God delights above all in the created order. Everything together,” I argued, emphasizing the word everything, “Everything is very good. It’s like you’ve never read Genesis 1:31.”

“God cares more about the poor. Love your neighbor as yourself. One of Jesus’ top two!” Lonnie says. “I was in Youngstown when 1,400 people lost their jobs in one day and the EPA Environmental regulations were a major factor. 14-percent unemployment. Depression. Alcoholism. God cares about them.”  He flicked his cigarette as the train came. “No offense, but Enviro-types like you… white, wealthy…don’t give a damn about the people in the margins.”

We got on the train together, but chose different sides of the aisle. No common ground.

Chapter Three of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Sί transports me. In my imagination Lonnie and I are riding a light-rail train that now extends from Detroit to Denver (dear God may it someday be true…)  It is 2016 and we share the same seat on the same side of the aisle. For we have witnessed that, as the ecological crisis unfolds in the 21st-century, it is the people of little or no economic means who suffer most. Together we now mourn the near-extinction of Iowa’s tallgrass prairie. Together we now ponder the growing food security needs of our globe and Iowa’s need for jobs.

To our surprise, who should board the train? But Pope Francis! He sits near us and we turn to learn from him. These are some of his teachings:

1. We must acknowledge the human origins of the ecological crisis. The Pope quotes John Paul II: “instead of carrying out his role as cooperator with God in the work of creation, man sets himself up in place of God. …” (117)  Francis takes this foundational thought to very detailed, specific teaching. While noting with gratitude the incredible contributions of science to the common good, underlines our anthropocentric world-view that must change. He critiques the paradigm views every new technological or scientific power as progress. This is especially dangerous, he notes, when it goes arm in arm with an economic system that accepts every advance in technology with a view to profit (sections 105-109 of the Encyclical.)  “The idea of infinite or unlimited growth, which proves so attractive to economists, financiers and experts in technology” is an illusion.  While many of us would never affirm these one-dimensional scientific and economic theories with our words, we too often support them with our deeds! Moreover, “our immense technological development has not been accompanied by a development in human responsibility, values and conscience.” (105) We must grow in ethics and wisdom commensurate to our technological advances.

 2. The Pope in his encyclical calls us to “An authentic humanity built on synthesis with the natural world and all people.” A less anthropocentric paradigm was operative in past centuries: “Men and women have constantly intervened in nature, but for a long time this meant being in tune with and respecting the possibilities offered by the things themselves. It was a matter of receiving what nature itself allowed, as if from its own hand.” But “Human beings and material objects no longer extend a friendly hand to one another, the relationship has become confrontational.” (106)  Yet Francis believes that “we can once more broaden our vision. We have the freedom necessary to limit and direct technology (112).

3. There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself. There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology. Our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with one another and with God.”  Human work is a setting for rich personal growth. Its meaning is not only, nor even primarily, economic. Ecological changes must consider the wellness of human beings. Issues of employment and of abortion are specifically named by Francis in the Encyclical. The Pope takes a complex view of genetic modification. “The risks involved are not always due to the techniques used, but rather to their improper or excessive application.” (133) “Discussions are needed in which all those directly or indirectly affected (farmers, consumers, civil authorities, scientists, seed producers, people living near fumigated fields, and others) can make known their problems and concerns, and have access to adequate and reliable information to make decisions for the common good, future and present.” (135)

I tell Pope Francis that the Episcopal Iowa Creation Stewards hopes to have such listening events across Iowa in the coming months, including at the Ministries Retreat in Grinnell this summer. He offers his intelligent, affable smile. Speaking of Grinnell, the train pulls in, this is the Pope’s stop, and he must leave us (probably to lecture at the college?)

The preceding fantastical trip with Pope Francis across Iowa on a light-rail train is fictitious. His teaching on “The Human Roots of the Ecological Crisis” in Laudato Sί is not! It is accessible to all and very worth the read.

Chapter 2: The Gospel of Creation

Chapter 2:  The Gospel of Creation

By Mary Jane Oakland

As I begin to write this I am reminded of the words of our dearly loved priest, The Rev. Dr. Barbara Schlachter and the work she did in retirement to organize and take action for the good of the environment:  “I have always seen creation as a gift from God and where God is revealed… I believe we are called to be partners in the ongoing care and use of creation. Teaching my grandchildren to be caretakers of creation and to live in harmony with it and in community with people the world around is part of my call, and so is taking action to protect the planet I will leave behind."  

The title of the chapter is notable, calling attention to the Good News of Creation. It opens with acknowledging that many reject “the rich contributions which religions can make toward an integral ecology and the development of humanity….Nonetheless, science and religion, with their distinctive approaches to understanding reality, can enter into an intense dialogue fruitful for both.”

Section 1:  The Light Offered by Faith

Perhaps this section can be summed up in this quote:  “If we are truly concerned to develop an ecology capable of remedying the damage we have done, no branch of the sciences and no form of wisdom can be left out, and that includes religion and the language particular of it.”  

Section 2:  The Wisdom of the Biblical Accounts

This section begins with the creation accounts in Genesis describing the braiding of the relationship with God, with our neighbors, and the earth. And there is a lengthy discussion of Genesis 1:28, “have dominion over the earth” and contrasting the misunderstanding of that phrase with Genesis 2:15 to “till and keep.” To cultivate and work the earth garden while caring, protecting and preserving. Our responsibility is to God’s earth and “we are not God.”  This section moves from Creation to Cain and Abel, the descriptions of Sabbath in Deuteronomy including Sabbath for the land, the laws in Leviticus about sharing the produce of the land, and ending with sections from the Psalms and the prophets.  This section ends with these summary sentences: “A spirituality which forgets God as all-powerful and Creator is not acceptable.”

Section 3:  The Mystery of the Universe

“In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the word ‘creation’ has a broader meaning than ‘nature’ for it has to do with God’s loving plan in which every creature has its own significance.”  This section begins the work of looking at how the scientific study of nature and the work of the church must work together to care for nature and protect humans from self-destruction.  

Section 4:  The Message of Each Creature in the Harmony of Creation

This section can be summarized in this quote from the Bishops of Japan, “To sense each creature singing the hymn of its existence is to live joyfully in God’s love and hope." And it comes to an end with the hymn of St. Francis of Assisi: 

Praise to you, my Lord, with all your creatures,

especially Sir Brother Sun,

who is the day and through whom you give us light….

Section 5:  A Universal Communion

The issues discussed in this section are underlined with these words from Pope Francis, “Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.”

Section 6:  The Common Destination of Goods

This section argues that the natural environment is a collective good, and the support for the right to private property must be balanced so that the goods may serve all. The section ends with a question posed by the New Zealand bishops in 2006; “What does the commandment ‘Thou shall not kill’ mean when twenty percent of the world’s population consumes resources at a rate that robs the poor nations and future generation of what they need to survive?”

Section 7:  The Gaze of Jesus

Jesus was attuned to the beauty of creation (the wild flowers, the birds) as he taught the people. Jesus was not extreme ascetic, but came eating and drinking (Matthew 11:19). He did not despise the body or the things of the world. Jesus spent most of his life as a craftsman affirming the work and toil in everyday life. In the incarnation we see the continuous arc of God’s work begun in creation.  

I found this chapter to be an important one as we continue to develop our understanding and our language as we bring our faith together with the knowledge from a broad range of disciplines to “care for our common home.” This chapter puts together an understanding of creation with our faith in Jesus that I believe will be useful for all of us. I especially commend this to all working with children and youth. For those of us who preach, this chapter is basic as we shape our language and thoughts in our proclamation of the Gospel. As you plan for rogation and care of creation services this spring, I think this chapter may be helpful. 

Reading and reflecting on Laudato Si during Lent in Swaziland is a deep experience, as the people here are coping with the aftermath of severe drought. And the worst is yet to come as the maize harvest over the next weeks will be very small in relation to need. 

I am writing to you from Swaziland on a day when there is no water in our taps, as part of the “water shedding” program in the city of Mbabane. The rhythm seems to be two-to-three days off followed by two-to-three days with running water. David and I visited St. Francis primary and high schools (with over 1300 students) today and their water is turned off, too.  They do have water tanks so they are managing. The Diocese of Swaziland has identified two schools in this city that have sent the children home, because they do not have water tanks. As I am writing, water tanks are being installed and treated water will fill the tanks, so those schools can again open and children can learn. The poorest will continue to bear the brunt as more and more people become food insecure following the harvest (over the next weeks). I can only encourage us  all to “read, mark and inwardly digest” to become more faithful stewards and heralds of our “Common Home.”

Chapter One: What is happening to our common home?

Chapter One: What is happening to our common home?

It is almost as though we cannot catch up with ourselves in the intensified pace of life. The Pope contrasts the “rapidification” of change occurring among the human race with the naturally slow pace of biological evolution. Change is something desirable and yet not all change good change. The impact of all of this is evidenced in several major areas.

We are a “throwaway culture.” We quickly reduce things to rubbish and make a great deal of waste. Unlike nature’s recycling job, “our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and consumption, has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products.”  When we add this to the pollution that comes from transporting our goods and selves around the globe, from industrial fumes and agricultural enhancements, the overall picture is not a pretty one.

“A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system.” These are not stunning words in themselves except for their power as an endorsement from an unexpected source. We have come a long way from the reactivity of a Church that attacked Galileo, or responded to the rise of the scientific revolution of the nineteenth century by declaring the Doctrine of Infallibility. The gift of the Pope’s engagement among the scientists is his ability to address more deeply the ethical value implications of climate change.

After referring to things we are now sadly too familiar with – excessive carbon footprint, its warming influence, the rising of the seas, its impact on drinking water and the losing of biodiversity and the consequential imbalance created in nature which then affects food supply, in turn giving rise to increased migration and a propensity for war as we wrestle for safe boundaries between us – the Pope laments the indifference to human suffering at an international level. Of course, the migrations in Europe had barely begun at the time of writing, nor was much of the escalation of warring noises across the Middle East, Ukraine and now SE Asia in North Korea and the South China Seas. The very hawkish tone of current Presidential candidates underscores the Pope’s point. Climate change does not only impact weather patterns and create natural extremes; it puts increasing pressure on human behavior with each other and encourages our instinct to self protection at all costs.

“Many of those who possess more resources and economic or political power seem mostly to be concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms, simply making efforts to reduce some negative impacts of climate change.”  While many of us are numb to the realities around us- “distraction constantly dulls our consciousness of just how limited and finite our world really is. - Financial interests prove most resistant (to address the realities and the impact of the “deified market”), and political planning lacks breadth of vision.”

The pope gives some treatment to each problem cited above, providing the occasional zinger – for example on the eradication of bio-diversity. He writes “we seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something we have created ourselves.” He protests that “we were not meant to be inundated by cement, asphalt, glass and metal, and deprived of physical contact with nature,” noting at the same time that “frequently we find beautiful and manicured green spaces in so called safer areas of cities but not in the more hidden areas where the disposable of society live.” 

This chapter is a hard read as the Pope lays out the issues. He does not write without hope and faith in God’s image in humanity. He believes in the true wisdom of self examination, dialogue and generous encounters among people; and he urges us to real relationships beyond internet communication that may shield us from real pain of our neighbor, or consequence of our actions.

“The lack of physical contact and encounter, encouraged at times by the disintegration of our cities, can lead to a numbing of conscience and to tendentious analyses which neglects parts of reality. At times this attitude exists side by side with a “green” rhetoric. Today however we have to see that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”.

+Alan   

A Welcome to the 2016 Lenten book study from our Bishop

In inviting us to study the Pope’s encyclical  On Care for Our Common Home. Laudato Si, I want us among whatever elsewhere have decided to assume during this time of Holy Lent to take the opportunity to look around us. Pope Francis reminds us that “we have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of (earth’s) elements, we breath her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.” To me this is as significant a response to the Lenten invitation to self-examination and repentance as anything else.

I am grateful to those who will share their reflections each week. The encyclical can be ordered from the US Conference of Bishops, or downloaded.

In the short introduction, the Pope acknowledges that many share his concerns, most notably Patriarch Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch. Bartholomew refers to the ethical issues of human behavior alongside the technological response. He asks us to "replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism which entails learning to give and not simply to give up."

It is this broader appeal moving beyond the mere technological – essential as that is – that drew me to my choice. We share our Christian lives as companions across the world where the impact of global warming hits very vulnerable populations whose resources are limited at the best of times. There are economic inequalities questions to be answered and desperate people will always find it hard not to respond to scarcity and fear in violent, self protective ways. 

The Pope’s cites his inspiration in the life and witness of Francis of Assisi. “Francis helps us to see that an integral ecology calls for openness to categories which transcend the language of mathematics and biology, and takes us to the heart of what it is to be human.” This is a call to a new and universal solidarity, one which will require “everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation. All of us cam cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.”

There is our invitation, our motivation and our inspiration. Please join us in these weeks of Lent.

+Alan