July 2016 Philadelphia Chapter of Pax Christi U.S.A.

Laudato Si’

To mark the one year anniversary of Laudato Si’ we are sharing words from an event held in a state park on Trinity Sunday and sponsored by Joanne Ennis’ new parish St. Theresa's Parish [Shavertown, Pa]. The liturgy and nature walk included the following comments from Barbara Craig and Constance Kozel, Sisters of Mercy of the Mid-Atlantic Region

and long-time parishioners of the parish.

Sr. Barbara:

Welcome! … I welcome you to the celebration of the Eucharist – here in Creation, or, as I recently heard – in God’s Cathedral. We are honoring the message of Pope Francis, who, in his Encyclical Laudato Si’, reaches out to all the faithful of the world with an urgent plea to realize that the critical needs of Earth, our common home, are at the heart of our faith.

And so today we open to a deepening awareness of our oneness with creation, by simply appreciating the beauty around us. The Benedictine Monk David Steindl-rast tells us that God’s poetry is in five languages: seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, tasting.

May this be the start for us as individuals and as a parish, of a new sense of wonder, a deeper awareness of God’s presence, and our call to act in harmony with creation.

I finish with a few lines from the prayer of Pope Francis for our earth –

“All powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love that we might protect life and beauty.”

Sr. Constance:

Pope Francis begins his encyclical with the words of St Francis’ canticle of the Sun:

“Laudato Si’, mi’ Signore – Praise be to you, my Lord” and then Pope Francis goes on: “In the words of this beautiful canticle, St. Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.”

He continues… “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the many gifts with which God has endowed her… We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.”

The entire encyclical is the Pope’s elaboration on this two-fold dimension of our relationship with our common home: on one hand - the beautiful, life-giving vast diversity of Earth and on the other hand - the often destructive, death-dealing human side. I invite you to read the entire encyclical either alone - or better with others. You will be amazed, astounded, challenged and encouraged by the depth and insight in which the pope brings together faith, theology, and science.

Rather than consider the harm humans have done, let us look more deeply at how our faith invites us to appreciate, enjoy, honor and celebrate with praise, gratitude and care the vast diversity and beauty we share in communion with all creation.

On this feast of the Holy Trinity we can ponder with Francis the Mystery that sustains the universe: The Father is the ultimate loving, self-communicating source of everything. The Son, through whom all things were created, has united himself

to Earth through being born of Mary. The Spirit, is intimately present at the very heart of the universe, inspiriting and bringing new pathways. Behold, I make all things New. Each acts in harmony with the others as one.

Within the Trinity itself there is a sustaining flow, the theologians tell us, of the Spirit issuing from the love between Father and Son. So in our world from the two comes forth the third. Look for the patterns throughout all of creation not only in the human family but within flowers and trees, rabbits and birds. Union differentiates. It’s happening all around us mostly in silence. Listen to a part of Ps. 19:

The firmament proclaims God’s handiwork… There is No Speech; …

Their voice is not heard, yet their voice goes out through all the Earth … to the end of the world…

In silence, the world unfolds In God in whom we live and move and have our being - all beings: bears and bees, trees and weeds, fish and birds, humans and ants, soil, water, air and all atoms, quarks, and fields of energy.

God loves diversity. Nothing is excluded from the loving, sustaining ever-present power of God. We are not a collection of separate objects. We are a vast inter-dependent web of relationships: a community in communion with a common origin, a common responsibility and a common destiny. Earth too groans for fulfillment.

Yes, the universe is God’s home too. Enough reason to take care?

How can we begin to regard our Earth not as separate from us, not only as a collection of resources for our use, but as a communion in God. The tree is not just for building homes, making furniture or for being felled because it is in our way. It deserves to be first of all respected for its very being. We can make a habit of approaching our world in silence at times and hear, see, taste, touch, smell noticing the vast connections found there in the worm loosening and fertilizing the soil; air and water conspiring to get the seed to die and grow, the animal coming to eat the clover. Or the farmer tilling, planting, harvesting. We buying, cooking, eating, composting scraps to feed the soil. The cycle loops around again…

You may want to imagine some time when you are eating, for example, all that goes to bring your morning coffee or cereal to your table. Start with the item and trace backwards to its origin. Now go forward … where does it end up? In a landfill, in a compost pile? There’s NO AWAY.

When you go for a walk in God’s cathedral, God’s home, go in silence. Use your five senses as Sr. Barbara suggests. Go with an appreciation of the whole web of life. Let God’s poetry speak to you in the variety of colors, shapes, sounds, fragrances and touch sensations of the wind and soil. You don’t have to look for any “lessons”. You will most likely find yourself praising and thanking God and the creatures themselves for their very presence. And there will arise in you a deep desire to continue or begin to do your part in healing our common home.

Listen to what poet, Denise Levertov, says in her poem titled “Beginners”:

But we have only begun to love the Earth.

We have only begun to imagine

the fullness of life.

How could we tire of hope?

--so much is still in the bud. How can desire fail?

--we have only begun

to imagine justice and mercy, only begun to envision

how it might be

to live as siblings with beast

and flower.

not as oppressors. . . .

We need God’s help and the guidance God gives us through all his creatures. Let us pray to the Trinity in words of Pope Francis

Triune God, wondrous community of infinite love, teach us to contemplate you in the beauty of the universe, for all things speak of you. Awaken our praise and thankfulness for every being that you have made. Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined to everything that is.

AMEN, ALLELUIA, AMEN

Barbara Craig, RSM Constance Kozel, RSM

Find out what Dom Roberti had to say about Climate Change in July 2014 (www.cpfphila.com). The following are the first and last paragraphs of his article:

Climate change is a present reality and at the same time like the elephant in the room that everyone pretends not to see. We listen to weather forecasts every day and never hear any mention of it. We read about unusual weather—severe floods, hurricanes, droughts, tsunamis—without its being linked to climate change. …

How can we help? Be informed. Be aware that peacemaking has to include concern for the Earth ecosystem.

Make changes in your lifestyle.

Let your example

Preach without words.

Pray. Love.

Dom Roberti, PhD.