Pope Francis designated May 24, 2020 through May 24, 2021 as Laudato Si’ Year to commemorate the fifth anniversary of his landmark encyclical on the care for our common home. The following is an excerpt from Laudato Si’ and a reflection provided by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia.
Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ #211: Only by cultivating sound virtues will people be able to make a selfless ecological commitment. 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.
Reflection: What habits have you adopted in recent years to minimize waste? What new practice could you adopt? Consider that all these practices are acts of love.