"From the start of his papacy, this Holy Father has tried to model St.
Francis' simplicity and joy. And just as St. Francis treasured the
beauty of the world as a mirror of God's love, so Pope Francis seeks to
protect its beauty as a good steward....
Laudato Si speaks eloquently of inter-generational
solidarity; the beauty of the family; the dishonesty of population
control as an answer to poverty; the broad duties of rich nations to
those that are poor; and the dignity of the human body in its God-given
masculine and feminine forms....For the Holy Father, a
humane ecology includes much more than our treatment of the material
world. It involves our bodies, our sexuality and personhood as well" (
Archbishop Chaput, 6/18/15). Between
Laudato Si's introduction and its concluding prayers, its six chapters are "What is Happening to Our Common Home," "The Gospel of Creation," "The Human Roots of the Ecological Crisis," "Integral Ecology," "Lines of Approach and Action," and "Ecological Education and Spirituality." What follows are mere excerpts....
"48. The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate
together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless
we attend to causes related to human and social degradation...."
"49....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 neglect parts of reality. At times this
attitude exists side by side with a 'green' rhetoric. Today, however, we
have to realize 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"
"50....[To] blame population growth instead of extreme and selective
consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the
issues. It is an attempt to legitimize the present model of
distribution, where a minority believes that it has the right to consume
in a way which can never be universalized, since the planet could not
even contain the waste products of such consumption. ...."
"75....The best way to restore men and women to their rightful place,
putting an end to their claim to absolute dominion over the earth, is to
speak once more of the figure of a Father who creates and who alone
owns the world. Otherwise, human beings will always try to impose their
own laws and interests on reality."
"84. Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should not
make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose. None
is superfluous. The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his
boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it
were, a caress of God. The history of our friendship with God is always
linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal
meaning; we all remember places, and revisiting those memories does us
much good. Anyone who has grown up in the hills or used to sit by the
spring to drink, or played outdoors in the neighbourhood square; going
back to these places is a chance to recover something of their true
selves"
"90. This is not to put all living beings on the same level nor to
deprive human beings of their unique worth and the tremendous
responsibility it entails. Nor does it imply a divinization of the earth
which would prevent us from working on it and protecting it in its
fragility....At times we see an
obsession with denying any pre-eminence to the human person; more zeal
is shown in protecting other species than in defending the dignity which
all human beings share in equal measure...."
"102....We are the beneficiaries of two centuries of enormous waves of
change: steam engines, railways, the telegraph, electricity,
automobiles, aeroplanes, chemical industries, modern medicine,
information technology and, more recently, the digital revolution,
robotics, biotechnologies and nanotechnologies. It is right to rejoice
in these advances and to be excited by the immense possibilities which
they continue to open up before us, for 'science and technology are
wonderful products of a God-given human creativity'.[81 [This end note links to a 1981 talk given by Saint John Paul II:
'....science and
technology are a wonderful product of a God-given human creativity,
since they have provided us with wonderful possibilities, and we all
gratefully benefit from them. But we know that this potential is not a
neutral one : it can be used either for man's progress or for his
degradation....There are three temptations to be avoided in this
regard. The
first is the temptation to pursue technological development for its own
sake, the sort of development that has for its only norm that of its own
growth and affirmation, as if it were a matter of an independent
reality in between nature and a reality that is properly human, imposing
on man the inevitable realization of his ever new possibilities, as if
one should always do what is technically possible. The second
temptation is that of subjecting technological development
to economic usefulness in accordance with the logic of profit or
nonstop economic expansion, thus creating advantages for some while
leaving others in poverty, with no care for the true common good of
humanity....Thirdly, there is also the temptation to subject
technological
development to the pursuit or maintenance of power....I urge all
scientists, centers of research and universities to study more deeply the ethical problems of the technological society....I believe that our generation is faced by a
great moral challenge, one which consists in harmonizing the values of
science with the values of conscience....We must convince ourselves
of the priority of ethics over technology....]]
"116....our 'dominion' over the universe should be understood more properly in the sense of responsible stewardship.[94]"
"117....When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor
person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities – to offer just a few
examples – it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself...."
"119....Our
relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our
relationship with others and with God. Otherwise, it would be nothing
more than romantic individualism dressed up in ecological garb, locking
us into a stifling immanence."
"120. Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of
nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can
we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable
beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to
protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and
creates difficulties?...."
"128....Helping the poor
financially must always be a
provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader
objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through
work...."
"136....it is troubling that, when some ecological
movements defend the integrity of the environment, rightly demanding
that certain limits be imposed on scientific research, they sometimes
fail to apply those same principles to human life. There is a tendency
to justify transgressing all boundaries when experimentation is carried
out on living human embryos. We forget that the inalienable worth of a
human being transcends his or her degree of development. In the same
way, when technology disregards the great ethical principles, it ends up
considering any practice whatsoever as licit. As we have seen in this
chapter, a technology severed from ethics will not easily be able to
limit its own power."
"142. If everything is related, then the health of a society’s
institutions has consequences for the environment and the quality of
human life....social ecology is necessarily institutional, and
gradually extends to the whole of society, from the primary social
group, the family, to the wider local, national and international
communities...."
"155. Human ecology also implies another profound reality: the
relationship between human life and the moral law, which is inscribed in
our nature and is necessary for the creation of a more dignified
environment. Pope Benedict XVI spoke of an 'ecology of man', based on
the fact that 'man too has a nature that he must respect and that he
cannot manipulate at will'. [120] It is enough to recognize that our
body itself establishes us in a direct relationship with the environment
and with other living beings. The acceptance of our bodies as God’s
gift is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift
from the Father and our common home, whereas thinking that we enjoy
absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking
that we enjoy absolute power over creation. Learning to accept our body,
to care for it and to respect its fullest meaning, is an essential
element of any genuine human ecology. Also, valuing one’s own body in
its femininity or masculinity is necessary if I am going to be able to
recognize myself in an encounter with someone who is different. In this
way we can joyfully accept the specific gifts of another man or woman,
the work of God the Creator, and find mutual enrichment. It is not a
healthy attitude which would seek 'to cancel out sexual difference
because it no longer knows how to confront it'. [121]"
"156. Human ecology is inseparable from the notion of the common good,
a central and unifying principle of social ethics...
"157. Underlying the principle of the common good is respect for the
human person....It has also to do with the overall
welfare of society and the development of a variety of intermediate
groups, applying the principle of subsidiarity. Outstanding among those
groups is the family, as the basic cell of society...."
"181....in the absence of pressure from the public and from civic
institutions, political authorities will always be reluctant to
intervene, all the more when urgent needs must be met...."
"185....we know that water is a scarce
and indispensable resource and a fundamental right which conditions the
exercise of other human rights. This indisputable fact overrides any
other assessment of environmental impact on a region."
"189....Today, in view of the common good, there is urgent need for
politics and economics to enter into a frank dialogue in the service of
life, especially human life...."
"200.... Believers themselves must constantly feel challenged to
live in a way consonant with their faith and not to contradict it by
their actions...."
"202.... A great cultural, spiritual and educational
challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the
long path of renewal."
"211....There is a nobility in the duty to care
for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how
education can bring about real changes in lifestyle. Education in
environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly
and significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use
of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse,
cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other
living beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees,
turning off unnecessary lights, or any number of other practices. All of
these reflect a generous and worthy creativity which brings out the
best in human beings. Reusing something instead of immediately
discarding it, when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love
which expresses our own dignity."
"213....In the face of the so-called culture of death,
the family is the heart of the culture of life'.[149]
In the family we first learn how to show love and respect for life; we
are taught the proper use of things, order and cleanliness, respect for
the local ecosystem and care for all creatures. In the family we receive
an integral education, which enables us to grow harmoniously in
personal maturity. In the family we learn to ask without demanding, to
say 'thank you' as an expression of genuine gratitude for what we have
been given, to control our aggressivity and greed, and to ask
forgiveness when we have caused harm. These simple gestures of heartfelt
courtesy help to create a culture of shared life and respect for our
surroundings."
"217....some committed and prayerful
Christians, with the excuse of realism and pragmatism, tend to ridicule
expressions of concern for the environment. Others are passive; they
choose not to change their habits and thus become inconsistent. So what
they all need is an 'ecological conversion', whereby the effects of
their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship
with the world around them. 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."
"221....I ask
all Christians to recognize and to live fully this dimension of their
conversion. May the power and the light of the grace we have received
also be evident in our relationship to other creatures and to the world
around us. In this way, we will help nurture that sublime fraternity
with all creation which Saint Francis of Assisi so radiantly embodied."
"222....We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different
religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that
'less is more'...."
"227. One expression of this attitude is when we stop and give thanks
to God before and after meals. I ask all believers to return to this
beautiful and meaningful custom. That moment of blessing, however brief,
reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it strengthens our
feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation; it acknowledges those
who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it reaffirms our
solidarity with those in greatest need."
"229. We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we
have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being
good and decent are worth it...."
"235. The Sacraments are a privileged way in which nature is taken up
by God to become a means of mediating supernatural life. Through our
worship of God, we are invited to embrace the world on a different
plane. Water, oil, fire and colours are taken up in all their symbolic
power and incorporated in our act of praise. The hand that blesses is an
instrument of God’s love and a reflection of the closeness of Jesus
Christ, who came to accompany us on the journey of life. Water poured
over the body of a child in Baptism is a sign of new life. Encountering
God does not mean fleeing from this world or turning our back on nature.
This is especially clear in the spirituality of the Christian East.
'Beauty, which in the East is one of the best loved names expressing the
divine harmony and the model of humanity transfigured, appears
everywhere: in the shape of a church, in the sounds, in the colours, in
the lights, in the scents'.[164]
For Christians, all the creatures of the material universe find their
true meaning in the incarnate Word, for the Son of God has incorporated
in His person part of the material world, planting in it a seed of
definitive transformation. 'Christianity does not reject matter. Rather,
bodiliness is considered in all its value in the liturgical act,
whereby the human body is disclosed in its inner nature as a temple of
the Holy Spirit and is united with the Lord Jesus, who Himself took a
body for the world’s salvation'.[165]"
"236. It is in the Eucharist that all that has been created finds its
greatest exaltation....the Eucharist is also a source of light and motivation for our
concerns for the environment, directing us to be stewards of all
creation."
"237....Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which
heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others and with
the world....the day of rest, centred on
the Eucharist, sheds it light on the whole week, and motivates us to
greater concern for nature and the poor."
"238. The Father is the ultimate source of everything, the loving and
self-communicating foundation of all that exists. The Son, his
reflection, through whom all things were created, united himself to this
earth when he was formed in the womb of Mary. The Spirit, infinite bond
of love, is intimately present at the very heart of the universe,
inspiring and bringing new pathways. The world was created by the three
Persons acting as a single divine principle, but each one of them
performed this common work in accordance with his own personal property.
Consequently, 'when we contemplate with wonder the universe in all its
grandeur and beauty, we must praise the whole Trinity'.[169]"
"239. For Christians, believing in one God who is trinitarian
communion suggests that the Trinity has left its mark on all creation...."
"240....The
human person grows more, matures more and is sanctified more to the
extent that he or she enters into relationships, going out from
themselves to live in communion with God, with others and with all
creatures. In this way, they make their own that trinitarian dynamism
which God imprinted in them when they were created. Everything is
interconnected, and this invites us to develop a spirituality of that
global solidarity which flows from the mystery of the Trinity."
"241. Mary, the Mother who cared for Jesus, now cares with maternal
affection and pain for this wounded world....we can ask her to enable
us to look at this world with eyes of wisdom."
"242. At her side in the Holy Family of Nazareth, stands the figure of
Saint Joseph. Through his work and generous presence, he cared for and
defended Mary and Jesus, delivering them from the violence of the unjust
by bringing them to Egypt. The Gospel presents Joseph as a just man,
hard-working and strong. But he also shows great tenderness, which is
not a mark of the weak but of those who are genuinely strong, fully
aware of reality and ready to love and serve in humility. That is why he
was proclaimed custodian of the universal Church. He too can teach us
how to show care; he can inspire us to work with generosity and
tenderness in protecting this world which God has entrusted to us."
"243....Eternal life will be a shared experience
of awe, in which each creature, resplendently transfigured, will take
its rightful place and have something to give those poor men and women
who will have been liberated once and for all."
"244. In the meantime, we come together to take charge of this home
which has been entrusted to us, knowing that all the good which exists
here will be taken up into the heavenly feast. In union with all
creatures, we journey through this land seeking God....Let us sing as we
go. May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away
the joy of our hope."
"245. God, who calls us to generous commitment and to give Him our
all, offers us the light and the strength needed to continue on our way.
In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is
always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for
he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly
impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him!
* * * * *
"246. At the conclusion of this lengthy reflection which has been both
joyful and troubling, I propose that we offer two prayers. The first we
can share with all who believe in a God who is the all-powerful
Creator, while in the other we Christians ask for inspiration to take up
the commitment to creation set before us by the Gospel of Jesus...."
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