In this evening’s post, as we continue our reflection on the
environment in the light of Catholic teaching, we will finish our summary of
the positive highlights of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si (Praise Be to
you). In the last post, we discussed
Chapters 1-3. In this post, we will
discuss Chapters 4-6.
The Holy Father begins Chapter 4 by calling for what he
calls an integrated ecology. The
dictionary defines ecology as “the scientific
analysis and study of interactions among organisms and their environment.” Pope Francis seems to want to move beyond this
definition, which seems to include just biological and physiological relations among
living organisms and the environment, to include both, as he says, “one
which clearly respects its human and social
dimensions.” Paragraph 155, where he expounds on this
point, and in which he includes a quote from Pope Benedict XVI on this topic,
is worth quoting in full:
Human ecology also implies another profound
reality: the relationship between human life and the moral law, which is
inscribed in our nature and is necessary for the creation of a more dignified
environment. Pope Benedict XVI spoke of an “ecology of man”, based on the fact
that “man too has a nature that he must respect and that he cannot manipulate at will. It is
enough to recognize that our body itself establishes us in a direct
relationship with the environment and with other living beings. The acceptance
of our bodies as God’s gift is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire
world as a gift from the Father and our common home, whereas thinking that we
enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking
that we enjoy absolute power over creation. Learning to accept our body, to
care for it and to respect its fullest meaning, is an essential element of any
genuine human ecology. Also, valuing one’s own body in its femininity or
masculinity is necessary if I am going to be able to recognize myself in an
encounter with someone who is different. In this way we can joyfully accept the
specific gifts of another man or woman, the work of God the Creator, and find
mutual enrichment. It is not a healthy attitude which would seek “to cancel out
sexual difference because it no longer knows how to confront it”
So, in his view, ecology should
include the human being, and how he or she relates to the environment, and to
each other. He posits there is indeed a
connection. One cannot study the
environment and/or environmental issues such as pollution without studying
social factors. Ecology includes
cultural factors, and also the quality of the environment can affect our daily
life (i.e. areas that lack clean water, or are overcrowded, and have excess
pollution).
The Holy Father then moves on to
discuss that an integrated ecology ties in with the classic Christian concept
of the common good. He quotes Vatican II when he says, “The
common good is “the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social
groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to
their own fulfilment”.
There is a universal
destination for the world’s goods, and the environment is one of them. The common good extends into future
generations, and here, we must ensure the environment must be sustainable for
future generations.
To ensure the common good, Pope
Francis calls for dialogue on this issue among the international community. He also calls for action at the national and
local level so that there is fairer distribution of resources, and better
living conditions among all people in a nation or state, as opposed to just a
select group controlling the majority or all of the resources. Sometimes the policies that need to be
implemented to ensure this need to be long-term in nature, and as we implied
earlier, we must not only think of the present, but also the future, when
considering policy on the environment or anything else. There needs to be transparency and dialogue
when formulating policy. He calls out
both political and economic systems for too often not seeking the common
good. They often blame one another instead of
dialoguing and working together to come up with solutions. Those who wield greater power have an even
greater responsibility for the common good.
Economics or politics alone cannot be the bottom line. Another area of
dialogue the Holy Father asks for is that between religion and science, as well
as dialogue among believers, and dialogue between the different branches of
science. The Holy Father’s last
paragraph in the area of the common good (188) is worth quoting in full: There are certain environmental issues where it is not
easy to achieve a broad consensus. Here I would state once more that the Church
does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics. But I
am concerned to encourage an honest and open debate so that particular
interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good
In
the last part of the encyclical (Chapter 6), the Pope calls for an integrated
ecological education and spirituality.
He asks us to turn from consumerism.
Obsession with consumerism, in addition to harming the environment, can
also be the cause of social unrest.
Education can play a role in changing our lifestyles from being less
materialistic and more simplistic, and environmentally friendly. He proposes that an authentic Christian
spirituality can help with the fostering of an authentic integrated healthy
ecology. Here are some notable quotes
from this section: This conversion calls for a number of attitudes which together foster
a spirit of generous care, full of tenderness. First, it entails gratitude and
gratuitousness, recognition that the world is God’s loving gift. ..Various
convictions of our faith, developed at the beginning of this Encyclical can
help us to enrich the meaning of this conversion. These include the awareness
that each creature reflects something of God and has a message to convey to us,
and the security that Christ has taken unto himself this material world and
now, risen, is intimately present to each being, surrounding it with his
affection and penetrating it with his light. Then too, there is the recognition
that God created the world, writing into it an order and a dynamism that human
beings have no right to ignore. We read in the Gospel that Jesus says of the
birds of the air that “not one of them is forgotten before God” (Lk 12:6). How then can we possibly
mistreat them or cause them harm? I ask all Christians to recognize and to live
fully this dimension of their conversion. May the power and the light of the
grace we have received also be evident in our relationship to other creatures
and to the world around us. In this way, we will help nurture that sublime
fraternity with all creation which Saint Francis of Assisi so radiantly
embodied. ..We are
speaking of an attitude of the heart, one which approaches life with serene
attentiveness, which is capable of being fully present to someone without
thinking of what comes next, which accepts each moment as a gift from God to be
lived to the full. Jesus taught us this attitude when he invited us to
contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, or when seeing
the rich young man and knowing his restlessness, “he looked at him with love” (Mk 10:21). He was completely present
to everyone and to everything, and in this way he showed us the way to overcome
that unhealthy anxiety which makes us superficial, aggressive and compulsive
consumers...One
expression of this attitude is when we stop and give thanks to God before and
after meals. I ask all believers to return to this beautiful and meaningful
custom. That moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our dependence on
God for life; it strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation;
it acknowledges those who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it
reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need. This is a great ask, in my opinion!
The Holy Father then speaks of
love and care in general, and he mentions that care for nature is part of a
lifestyle which includes the capacity for living together and communion. Jesus
reminded us that we have God as our common Father and that this makes us
brothers and sisters. We need
each other, and in order to meet each other’s needs, we need to exist together
and in order to do that, we need to love
one another, and this includes civic and political life. It is easier to demonstrate and live out care
for nature when we love each other first.
In the next sections, he
discusses distinct elements of Catholic spirituality and how they link in to a
healthy integrated spiritual ecology. He
first mentions that the Sacraments have something to teach us in this
area. God reaches us in a privileged way
in the Sacraments through matter that has been cultivated in the earth, most
notably in the bread and wine that becomes the Body and Blood of Christ at
Mass. Receiving the Sacraments can help
us better appreciate the Earth from which the matter that is used for them
comes from. The Eucharist also highlights the importance of a healthy rhythm of
life. I did a post on Sunday Mass and on
Sunday rest a little while ago. If
observed properly, the Lords’ Day can become a day that because we are resting
and enjoying nature, we can grow in our appreciation and respect for it.
Next up is the Trinity. The world
was created by the Trinitarian God. For Christians, believing in one God who is Trinitarian
communion suggests that the Trinity has left its mark on all creation… The divine Persons are subsistent relations, and the
world, created according to the divine model, is a web of relationships.
Creatures tend towards God, and in turn it is proper to every living being to
tend towards other things, so that throughout the universe we can find any
number of constant and secretly interwoven relationships… Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to
develop a spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery
of the Trinity.
Finally, there is the example of
Mary and Joseph, Mary is the Woman, “clothed in the sun, with the
moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev 12:1). Carried up into heaven,
she is the Mother and Queen of all creation. In her glorified body, together
with the Risen Christ, part of creation has reached the fullness of its beauty.
She treasures the entire life of Jesus in her heart (cf. Lk 2:19,51), and now understands the
meaning of all things. Hence, we can ask her to enable us to look at this world
with eyes of wisdom. Joseph shows
great tenderness, which is not a mark of the weak but of those who are
genuinely strong, fully aware of reality and ready to love and serve in
humility. That is why he was proclaimed custodian of the universal Church. He
too can teach us how to show care; he can inspire us to work with generosity
and tenderness in protecting this world which God has entrusted to us.
So, those are the highlights, as
I see it, of the second half of this encyclical. I again encourage you to read the encyclical
if what I have stated here has wetted your appetite. One can see here hopefully that like with
science in general, the Church highly values the environment and is concerned
about its protection and upkeep.
Despite some positive things,
many of which I have highlighted in these last two posts, there have been some
critiques of this encyclical, both from within the Church and outside of it. I do have some concerns with it as well, and
I will discuss those in the next and final post in this series on the Church
and science.
Saint Joseph, protector of the
Universal church, pray for us.
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