by Jason WildeA rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’" (Luke 16:1-2)
While it is true that in Genesis, God gave man authority over all of His creation, we have to remind ourselves that it is HIS creation! What does this mean? Well, let's put it this way - if you left your house one evening and told your eldest child that he was in charge, what would you expect when you came home? Maybe since he was in charge, your son decided to knock down a few walls and create a giant game room. Or maybe, as in many cases, you come home and find the place absolutely trashed. Is this what you expected when you said he was in charge? Recently, Pope Francis announced a synod on the Amazon. In an Italian interview, he states precisely that this synod is a child of Laudato Si', "which is based on a "green" reality, the custody of Creation". In this interview, he expressed concern over several issues. To quote directly, he said:
So if it's a global emergency, why aren't we acting? It's easy to immediately put on a political hat and begin denying or claiming certain things, arguing with or against different talking heads and blogs. But this is all exactly what tears apart our very relationship with our neighbor and with God. It is easy to sit in a bubble deny that 'I am not part of this problem', or 'That is no problem', but in the end, this is just division and ignorance. I recently came across a self-named Catholic organization who was "against the ecological movement". What does this even mean? Just because you cannot agree with some component or piece of the world's problem, then you say that we should not care at all? What do you think God would say when he comes back to see His creation completely ignored by people who want to claim His name? I was in this camp at one time. I know exactly what it feels like to want to completely deny any 'liberal' thinking about the environment, and I remember all the studies that didn't come true and all the crazy ideas about carbon banks impacting my own bank account. I remember laughing at Al Gore, because it was easy to just say "It's all nonsense" and not really care. I read Pope Francis' encyclical with the specific purpose of trying to disprove it. It's crazy how we can be so convinced of our own righteousness and then God uses His servant to flatten you, spin you around, and turn you in the right direction. St. Paul would certainly agree. Just like with a true relationship with our Lord, once your eyes are opened, you begin seeing truths like they were clear as day, even though they were always there staring you in the face. Shortly after reading Laudato Si', I visited a museum where they displayed several samples of everyday landfill trash. Each item had a label showing when it was placed and how long it will take to decompose - tissue paper: 3 months, rope - 1 year, leather shoe - 25 years, metal can - 50 years... Plastic straw - 200 years. This was a revelation that I knew in my heart but it never clicked until now. I began recycling and composting like crazy, and this eased my conscience. But it didn't by any means end my revelation. Removal of waste, in fact, is only half of the problem, because we only have to think about waste or trash when we've consumed something. And we consume a LOT. So, if we could consume 30% less 'stuff', then we have 30% less trash. It's easy math. Even better, it also saves all of the manufacturing, shipping, and resources used to create that 'stuff'. This really hit me when we visited Shanghai and I saw my daughter struggling to breath with her little cloth mask covering half of her face. I remembering sitting in the hotel at night wondering how people live with the constant burning in their lungs, worrying about pollution warnings that come and go several times each day. One of my friends put it into perspective when she said that many Chinese people have rejected and feel dirty if they walk into one of the hundreds of Chinese markets selling mass produced goods. It is the product of the very sin that affects their lives so much. The disappearance of biodiversity. New lethal diseases. A drift and devastation of nature that can lead to the death of humanity." (ibid) Then, I realized that being pro-life meant doing something to protect their lives. I realized that birth defects in these countries are being caused by the things that I buy and toss by the end of the day - birth defects that end up causing premature deaths, poverty, abortions and orphans. And this is why we decided to adopt our son specifically from China. It was God calling us to make reparations of sort, even if only partially. So what can we do? (Our daily conduct) does have an impact, because it is a matter of concrete actions. And then, above all, it creates and spreads the culture of not dirtying creation." (ibid) Catholics are very good at talking about small acts of suffering, penance, and sacrifice. We feel good when we fast, it makes us feel like we are a little closer to Christ's suffering. So, why shouldn't we feel called to suffer for the least of these? Why can't we sacrifice just a tiny bit of our convenience knowing that it saves lives and eases the suffering on those in most need? Even if we all picked just one small thing and sacrificed for a month, it would help to create this culture that Pope Francis talks about, and maybe we could even learn to do more. Today is the World Day of Prayer for Creation and marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, which culminates on Oct 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. Maybe we can all do something this month...
And finally, go outside, find a quiet spot in the beauty of God's Creation, and pray. Pray for an hour or two and, most importantly, give thanks to Him for allowing us to enjoy being outside without wearing a mask and to be able to still see trees in our back yard. Then ask Him what I can do to ensure that it stays that way for my children's children, and for theirs as well. For we are all just borrowing our Home for a short time, and we have to remember that we are only borrowing it from our future generations who also need it to enjoy their lives. Let's all be good stewards together. LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”. In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs”. (Laudato si', [1])
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On a MissionTwo passionate parents and their four children are excited to bring His Word to everyone in need while living a life of Gospel poverty as missionaries. They invite you to join them on a journey to encounter our global neighbors that Jesus commands us to love through works of charity and service. Archives
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