Our common home

Happy New Year!

“Two lines of thought particularly stand out.  The first is an affirmation of our interconnectedness and mutual responsibility toward one another, as well as toward our common Earthly home.  The second is a denunciation of the aspects of modern life that have led to our current predicament.  The essence of the critique is that our situation is not an accident – it is the consequence of the way we think and act:  we deny the moral dimensions of our decisions and conflate progress with activity.  We cannot continue to think and act this way – to disregard both nature and justice – and expect to flourish.  It is not only not moral, it is not even rational. “- Naomi Oreskes, Introduction to Pope Francis’ Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality.

Need a wake up call?   Read past the introduction of Pope Francis’ Encyclical.  Reading this document made me question  what my contribution to society is.   It  made me want to do more.  The fact is we are all connected.  Our daily decisions and actions effect more than just us and our personal lives.  How?   “Carbon footprint”  and “fair trade” are two ways.  Have you ever heard the terms?

Carbon footprint is defined as the amount of greenhouse gases emitted through travel, food consumption, etc.  When we shop for food, how often do we think about where our food comes from, how far it’s traveled and how much our demand for and consumption of food has  contributed to the pollution of the environment.  Fair trade is defined as trade where fair prices were paid to producers in developing countries.  How often do we consider the producers of the products we buy.  Do we think about whether they received a fair wage or whether they were treated fairly?

So that’s how our actions and decisions affect the rest of the world.  Making a difference is definitely a challenge but every little bit can help.  So what can we do?  We can buy local, eat less meat, purchase items with the Fair Trade USA logo (confident in the statement we’re making about equality and human dignity) and so much more.

I recently wrote that believing is not enough.  Isn’t that the truth!  Faith is a beautiful gift from God.  But our faith should lead us to think of more than just ourselves.  Scripture tells us that faith without works is dead.  Specifically James 2:14-26 says:

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;  and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.  In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Therefore, faith should lead us to become more compassionate and mindful.  Faith should lead us to question whether there is anything we can do to make our world a better place.  It’s time we start thinking about that.  Our desire to consider these things, I believe, is evidence of growth and transformation.

Pope Francis’ encyclical’s subtitle is On Care for Our Common Home.  It’s only  150 pages and a real eye-opener.  Check your local library – that’s where I found mine.

The beginning of a new year moves us to make resolutions.  Our resolutions are often personal (more exercise, a new diet, a better handle on finances, just to name a few).  How often do we think about “resolving” to make our common home a better place, one small act at a time?  Let’s start this year!  God bless you!  Happy New Year!