August 12, 2015 WBAS Topics Prayer, WBAS Topics For Families
By: Kathy Hendricks
“We were not meant to be inundated by cement, asphalt, glass and metal, and deprived of physical contact with nature.” Laudoto Si, 44
After an exhausting move to a new home in the spring, I am now savoring some summertime relaxation. Each morning I retreat to our small patio to journal, pray, and absorb the sounds of nature. The abundant rain we experienced here in Colorado earlier in the season has made lawns and foliage lush with color and life. Spending my reflection time outdoors is putting me back in touch with nature in all its resplendence.
Pope Francis and the Environment Takeaway
The “lazy days of summer” seem a bit at odds with the reading of a weighty papal document. Even so, I have been making my way through Laudoto Si, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the care of creation. In addition to its sobering wake-up call to the dangers we are posing to the earth’s environment, the document is also a reminder of our deep connection with God’s creation. To emphasize this point, the pope draws upon the vision of Saint Francis of Assisi who regarded the natural world as “…a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.” (12) In addressing all creatures as “sister” and “brother”, Saint Francis acknowledged the “bond of affection” he held with each one. “The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled.” (11) This was not, as Pope Francis points out, naïve romanticism but an approach to nature that demands right action. If we truly recognize this bond how, then, could we abide the destruction of nature through exploitation and mass consumerism?
When summer starts to wane, I will embark on a two-year course of study on contemplation and social justice that is grounded in Franciscan spirituality. I thus regard my mornings on the patio and the reading of Laudoto Si as a warm-up for what lies ahead. The encyclical stirs up a desire to be more intentional about the choices I have that make a small but significant impact on the well-being of this good earth. Sitting outside each morning provides a balance to over-action by immersing me in the beauty of nature. Both draw me towards a pope and a saint whose vision of the world compels me to regard it with reverence and care.
Bright Ideas
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Read more about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi and find activities to share with your students or family.
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For a link to Laudoto Si, visit the web site of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops.
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Download my Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Gifts of God’s Creation and use it in your home or parish to deepen respect and reverence for the natural world.
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