We all Belong. We are all Called to Care.
A group gathered to view Pope Francis’ video “The Letter: A Message for Our Earth”. We encountered four people who were invited to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican as representatives of groups most affected by the effects of our climate crisis. The groups represented were “the poor”, “Indigenous peoples”, “youth”, and “wildlife”. The poor are most likely to become “climate refugees” whose homes have been lost to disasters or results of climate change. Indigenous peoples face destruction of their homelands and cultures as economic powers move in destroying and reshaping the natural world in often violent ways. Our youth face a future of insecurity as our planet moves toward an increasingly unlivable state because of climate change. Wildlife faces habitat destruction and the inability to adjust to a quickly changing environment leading to endangerment and mass extinctions.
“The Letter” refers to Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home” which the Pope addressed to every person on the planet. That is, you and me. It is a call to the urgency of hearing “the cry of the Earth” and “the cry of the poor” and to act on their behalf. In our interconnectedness with creation, this caring for our common home will, ultimately, benefit everyone and everything.
Our group, in sensing this relational reality and compassion for those who are suffering most, offer several ways for us to begin, or continue, this caring journey of healing and restoration.
First, commit to praying for and with Creation. For openness to the power God offers in our small reflections and subsequent actions on behalf of creation. We pray in faith and hope “…that our common home may be healed and restored and all people, and generations to come, may delight in it.”-Adapted from the COP27 Climate Summit prayer from the EcoJesuits.
Second would be to consider the essential role of pollinators, their habitat, and the critical nature of their impact on our food. We are reminded in “The Letter” that “the loss of biodiversity, a ‘great extinction,’ threatens God’s creation and the production of food and medicine.” We have the power to assist pollinators and co-create in the production of our own food! Consider taking a portion, or a renewed portion, of your home land for pollinators and/or vegetables. This can be as tidy as pots of pollinator-friendly flowers and vegetables (free of neonicotinoids and other harmful pesticides/herbicides) or as extensive as a prairie garden of native plants or a large vegetable garden to share. How will you participate in this support of pollinators and renewal of our common home? Start by sending us pictures of your favorite pollinator-friendly gardens or vegetable gardens. Take a walk in St John’s Peace Garden and identify the “native plants” that have been incorporated into the landscaping. Then, observe the abundance in this season of creation and make a plan for starting or expanding your pollinator or vegetable spaces in the spring.
Third, encourage each other to look at reducing and revisiting our consumption habits. When considering a purchase start by considering giving “second-life” to goods that are for resale. There are many stores in our area and local websites that offer this opportunity. One is Habitat for Humanity Restore www.tworivershabitat.org/shop-rochester-restore.
Fourth, buying re-useable and then recycling what we can no longer use. Watch for a new recycle initiative to participate in here at the Co-Cathedral.
How will you continue and go deeper in hearing and responding to “the cry of the Earth” and “the cry of the Poor”?