“.…there is an order in the universe which must be respected…the human person, endowed with the capability of choosing freely, has a grave responsibility to preserve this order for the well-being of future generations. I wish to repeat that the ecological crisis is a moral issue.” – Pope John Paul II, World Day of Peace Message, 1990
Today as the world observes Mother Earth Day, let us reflect on how we are treating God’s gifts to us and what our Church has said about the need to protect creation. The US-based Catholic organisation, Education for Justice, tells us, “More than 22% of the world’s plants are at risk of extinction, while 24% of the world’s mammals and 12% of the world’s bird species are threatened. Over the last decade, approximately 13 million hectares of forest have been lost each year. About 1.6 billion people depend in some way on forests for their livelihoods.
“Seventy percent of coral reefs are either threatened or destroyed. Coral reefs provide food, storm protection, jobs, recreation, and other income sources for more than 500 million people worldwide. Climate change is expected to increase both the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Over 90% of deaths from natural disasters occur in developing countries. More than one in every six people lacks access to enough safe freshwater to meet basic needs for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Worldwide, 2.6 billion people lack access to basic sanitation.”
Constant exploitation and destruction of the earth and its resources put us all at risk and “betray the gift of creation” (Renewing the Earth, US Bishops). In his homily at his Inaugural Mass, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI warned that: “Our mistreatment of the natural world diminishes our own dignity and sacredness, not only because we are destroying resources that future generations of humans need, but because we are engaging in actions that contradict what it means to be human. Our tradition calls us to protect the life and dignity of the human person, and it is increasingly clear that this task cannot be separated from the care and defense of all creation.”
In his encyclical, Charity in Truth, the Holy Father reminded us that “The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole.”
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When God created the world, He saw “that it was good.” We are called to be stewards of God’s creation. I urge you to revisit on CCSJ’s website, the document that was prepared by CCSJ and launched by Archbishop Gilbert in 2010 entitled: Reconciliation with Creation – A framework towards an Environmental Policy for our Archdiocese. Take the St Francis pledge to care for God’s creation. This document outlines some practical strategies that will assist us in changing our own choices and behaviours to promote ecological justice.
While we observe Earth Day, let us observe how we are treating each other here in T&T. When I look at the smiling face of little Aliyah Johnson in her photograph and read about the way in which this “angel” was treated during her short life on earth, a rage for justice wells up in me. I know that such rage must be channelled to find constructive solutions to our social ills – to reach out to vulnerable young women like her mother; to instil morals and values in our population; to nurture a more caring society so that we will act when we see injustice and not hold back; to ensure that we address poverty, put in place effective social services and deal with the plague of drug/alcohol abuse.
CCSJ’s Ask Why TV programme on Channel 10 on Tuesday, April 24 (8.00 –9.00 p.m.) will focus on child abuse and domestic violence in T&T. Our panelists will be Margaret Sampson-Browne and Franklyn Dolly. Please call in and share your suggestions.
And then there is the case of Cheryl Miller. Let us pray that as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary of Independence, we take the opportunity to reflect on whether the practices and procedures we employ in situations such as this, are humane. Please pray for Ms Miller.
Pray also for the repose of the soul of Sr Pacelli Grace Netto, a Sister of the Holy Faith, whose funeral I attended Friday, April 13. Sr Pacelli truly lost herself in Christ to find herself. She used her gifts to build the common good.
