"LAUDATO SI" AND THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES
You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. (Psalm 65:9-10)
The Encyclical Letter –“Laudato Si”, written by Pope Francis in 2015, takes its name from the invocation of Saint Francis of Assisi, “Praise be to you, my Lord” which in the Canticle of the Creatures reminds us that the earth, our common home “is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us”. 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”. “This sister 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”. Her cry, united with that of the poor, stirs our conscience to “acknowledge our sins against creation”. Taking the words of the “beloved” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Pope reminds us: “For human beings… to destroy the biological diversity … by causing changes in its climate …; to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life – these are sins” (cf. No. 2-8).
Pope Francis makes it clear that his inspiration, not only for the encyclical but for his papacy as well, is Saint Francis of Assisi. In the letter he comments early on: “I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically.” We are invited to embody this message in the world today, living out the example of our model Saint Francis, and hearing clearly the cry of the poor and vulnerable and the cry of the earth.
The encyclical proposes some areas that require such careful analysis.
The first deals with pollution and climate change. Many types of pollution are leading to a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor, and technology is not the only way to solve these problems (cf. No. 20-26)
The second area is that of water. Fresh drinking water is an issue of primary importance, since it is indispensable for human life and for supporting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; the situation is particularly serious in relation to the poor, causing many deaths and the spread of water-related diseases. The encyclical is clear in stating that access to safe drinking water is a basic and universal human right (cf. No. 27-31).
The third area deals with loss of biodiversity. Extinction of plant and animal species caused by humans changes the ecosystem, and future consequences cannot be predicted. This loss entails not only the elimination of resources for us, but the disappearance of species that have value in themselves. We must recognize the fact that all creatures are connected, and that all are dependent on one another (cf. No. 32-42).
The fourth area deals with the decline in the quality of human life and the breakdown of society. We must take into account the effects of environmental deterioration, current models of development and the throwaway culture on people’s lives (cf. No. 43-47).
The fifth area is that of global inequality. Pope Francis clearly states that “the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet,” the poorest and the excluded, who are the majority of the planet’s population, and who are often treated in international discussions as an afterthought or as collateral damage (cf. No. 48-52).
Meditation on the glorious mysteries must lead us to understand our role and purpose on the earth. We must participate in the act of restoring the environment not only for the present time but also for the future.
To Be Continued…
Mary, Queen of Martyrs, Pray for us!!!
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