Creation and Pope Francis' clarion call: Understanding our roles in being good stewards
(OSV News) -- A priest friend visited a sister parish in Central America. On arrival, a young girl quickly directed him to the village center and excitedly pointed out a newly installed water spigot. Until the previous week, all water used by the inhabitants had to be transported from a nearby lake. The village -- the entire village -- now had a single source of running water. Eventually, the little girl asked my friend if his village had such a spigot? He was too embarrassed to tell her that he had seven at his house. The availability of clean water is one of the serious problems for mankind.
My friend's experience comes to mind when reading Pope Francis' encyclical, "Laudato Si'," ("Praise be to you"). In it, the pope discusses, among many environmental issues, the worldwide shortage of fresh drinking water which, as he emphasizes, is critical for all life. He points out that the demand for water far exceeds supply in many places, while in others it is plentiful: "Our world has a grave social debt towards the poor who lack access to drinking water.
This debt can be paid partially by an increase in funding to provide clean water and sanitary services among the poor" (No. 30).
Much of our planet has been damaged and is under siege by its occupants. The shortage of clean, accessible water is merely one of many self-caused ecological issues facing mankind. The cartoon character Pogo would describe the situation thus: "We have met the enemy and he is us."
The plight of the planet is largely our doing and should be regarded as among the most serious issues confronting every citizen, but it is not. In the grand scheme of things, man's harmful impact on creation is not well understood, much less acknowledged by the ordinary person. One who continues the clarion call about this situation and of our sin against creation is Pope Francis. There is no more fervent advocate calling for the protection and caring of the earth than the pope.
Nine years ago, he wrote the extensive, 42,000-word encyclical, "Laudato Si'." in which he cautions that we must change how we deal with creation both as individuals and as a world community. Last year, he wrote a follow-up apostolic exhortation, "Laudate Deum" ("Praise God"), to further underscore the call. While the encyclical delineates many environmental problems, causes and suggested solutions, more than anything the pope is touting us to be attentive, to wake up to the ongoing defacement we are causing. He urges us to change our lifestyle, to end the careless use of natural resources. As Mahatma Gandhi pointed out: "The world has enough resources to meet everyone's need, but not enough to match everyone's greed."
The papal encyclical, widely discussed by many Catholic leaders, is not well-known by the average person in the pew. Likely, Massgoers would be squirming if the accusatory, truthful words and thoughts of Pope Francis were part of a Sunday morning homily. Indeed, this is an issue about which many would just as soon see go away. It makes us uncomfortable when someone -- in this case, the pope -- reminds us of our obvious failures and the potential for long-term catastrophic consequences. But awareness at the individual level is necessary if we are to begin to make a positive difference in the environment. Often encyclicals take decades to affect change, but the ecological problems, as highlighted by the pope, need attention now.
Following the issuance of the 2015 papal encyclical, the church proclaimed that a special celebration for creation would be held every year from the beginning of September until the feast of St. Francis, Oct. 4. The time is designated as one of intense prayer and thanksgiving; it is a special opportunity to be aware of, to focus on, to be attentive to God's gift of creation and to commit to ways we can protect this gift. It is a time to remind ourselves of our responsibility toward the future of the planet.
The Season of Creation calls for us to pray together as one human family, praying that the Holy Spirit provides us needed wisdom, that through his awesome power we collectively find ways to protect the planet and begin to slow the decay that man has imposed.
On the first day of September, Pope Francis proclaims a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. He issues a yearly letter, reinforcing his "Laudato Si'" encyclical, exhorting every Catholic, every person, individually and collectively to live in harmony with the environment. This message and the day of prayer are the catalysts that start the annual Season of Creation.
The pope usually urges everyone to use this monthlong season to offer thanks to the Creator, acknowledge that our natural resources are not without limit, and encourage actions that lead to better care of the planet. In his 2020 annual letter, the pope said that creation itself is admonishing us to recognize that "these days, however, our way of life is pushing the planet beyond its limits. Our constant demand for growth and an endless cycle of production and consumption are exhausting the natural world. Forests are leached, topsoil erodes, fields fail, deserts advance, seas acidify and storms intensify. Creation is groaning!" (No. 3).
The Old Testament Book of Genesis, in the first two chapters, tells us that God created everything, not only the earth, the sea and vegetation, but light and darkness, the stars, animals, man and woman. All creation was arranged for us and put into our care for use. But we have not been good stewards.
Man has damaged this magnificent gift from God in horrendous ways including wars that featured explosives and gases not only killing each other but destroying the environment. Some have seen videos of World War I and II and how countries were destroyed by bombs and shells. We have seen pictures of military aircraft over the jungles of Southeast Asia spraying chemicals, intended to kill the foliage, trees and crops. We know about nuclear accidents that have wiped out plants and animals for centuries. Similar actions continue today around the globe.
But even if we don't consider the wars, through the centuries man has found many ways to pollute, poison and contaminate this universe God has given us. The pope says, in unambiguous terms, we have turned it into an "immense pile of filth" (No. 21). As occupants of the earth, know that what is happening to the planet is on our watch. We have to pass creation on to the next generation, we are the link in an eternal chain.
Pope Francis, the Vicar of Christ, repeatedly speaks out as one of the few truly international figures who constantly warns of our need to take care of creation. Unfortunately, much of mankind has not yet received the memo, including many of the church faithful. Here then is an opportunity for the parish, a place where commonsense actions can mitigate some of the environmental damage being done.
Some actions? Words from the pulpit, leadership through groups such as the parish council looking for ways to educate parishioners, and defining positive steps ordinary Catholics can take to protect the planet.
There are numerous sources of information on how to align with and better understand the pleas of Pope Francis: "Laudato Si'" can be found at numerous websites. Information on the Season of Creation is found, among many sources, at seasonofcreation.org and laudatosimovement.org. Study guides on the pope's encyclical and environmental issues are plentiful, including at the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops' website, usccb.org.
This is not an easy task: changing habits, changing attitudes and changing hearts never is.
- - - D.D. Emmons writes from Pennsylvania.