Pope Francis designated May 24, 2020 through May 24, 2021 as Laudato Sí Year to commemorate the fifth anniversary of his landmark encyclical on the care for our common home. The Season of Creation (September 1–October 4) seems to be an appropriate time to initiate this opportunity for weekly reflection on excerpts from Laudato Sí.
This sister (Earth) now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Romans 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Genesis 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters. (LS #2)
Reflection: What words or phrases in this excerpt most attract you? Challenge you? Give you a different perspective? In what ways do you notice humans abusing the good of Earth (wood, soil, water, air, animals)?