“O Lord, seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future.” (From a Christian prayer in union with creation, by Pope Francis in his encyclical “Laudato Is’”
Pope Francis closes his recent encyclical on the environment with this prayer, an inspiring plea for God’s grace to seize us all in the care of his creation and his creatures.
In the spirit of our on-going diocese-wide discussion of how to live our faith, working together for One ‘Ohana: Food and Housing for All, we share these final reflections from the Pontifical Council on Justice and Peace which released the latest papal teaching.
“Each and every one of us needs to read the encyclical in three complementary ways: as a believer, as an inhabitant of the earth, and as the citizen of a country. … First addressed to the leaders and the members of the church, the encyclical will surely help us Catholics and fellow Christians to rediscover the very necessary theological and spiritual roots of our ecological concerns. Second, it will help fellow believers in other faiths to rediscover their own religious and spiritual roots. Third, even those who are indifferent or hostile might appreciate such roots and hopefully understand their importance.
“Some may think that faith is an optional add-on to ecological commitment. That is like saying that the foundation is an optional add-on for a building. For it is by faith we know that we are creatures, not the accidental or fortuitous products of blind forces or chance coincidences. It is by faith that we come to believe that we are sons and daughters of a loving Father, that we learn (slowly!) to behave like brothers and sisters to each other, that we learn (slowly!) to express gratitude for all that God has made and to exercise stewardship for it all.”
In “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis emphasizes our radical connectedness when he writes, “A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings. … Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.”
Here in Hawaii, through the One ‘Ohana: Food and Housing for All campaign, we have been connecting the cultivation of sustainable, nourishing food to the issue of hunger in our most vulnerable families. We invite all in Hawaii to read the encyclical and share their reflections on the meaning of the environment — as believers, citizens and inhabitants connected on this planet.
The July 3 issue of the Hawaii Catholic Herald had an excellent list of suggestions in the article: “What you can do: the pope’s practical tips for helping the environment.” Let us ask, along with Pope Francis, to be seized by God’s power and light to live our faith as one ohana, caring for the aina and its most vulnerable inhabitants, so we can live in a world that provides food and housing for all. Mahalo!
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
P.S. For videos illustrating “One ‘Ohana: Food and Housing for All” ministries, visit www.officeforsocialministry.org.
