Creation and the popes’ clarion call: Understanding our roles in being good stewards

The Canadian Rocky Mountains are seen in the distance beyond the Bow River near Banff, Canada. The Season of Creation continues now through the Oct. 4 feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.  (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)(OSV News) — A priest friend visited a sister parish in Central America. On arrival, a young girl quickly directed him to the village center and excitedly pointed out a newly installed water spigot. Until the previous week, all water used by the inhabitants had to be transported from a nearby lake. The village — the entire village — now had a single source of running water. Eventually, the little girl asked my friend if his village had such a spigot. He was too embarrassed to tell her that he had seven at his house. The availability of clean water is one of the serious problems for mankind.

My friend’s experience comes to mind when reading Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si’,” (“Praise be to you”). In it, the pope discusses, among many environmental issues, the worldwide shortage of fresh drinking water, which, as he emphasizes, is critical for all life. He points out that the demand for water far exceeds supply in many places, while in others, it is plentiful: “Our world has a grave social debt towards the poor who lack access to drinking water. … This debt can be paid partially by an increase in funding to provide clean water and sanitary services among the poor” (LS No. 30).

Much of our planet has been damaged and is under siege by its occupants. The shortage of clean, accessible water is merely one of many self-caused ecological issues facing mankind. The cartoon character Pogo would describe the situation thus: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

The plight of the planet is largely our doing and should be regarded as among the most serious issues confronting every citizen, but it is not. In the grand scheme of things, man’s harmful impact on creation is not well understood, much less acknowledged by the ordinary person. One who continues the clarion call about this situation and of our sin against creation is Pope Francis.

Nine years ago, he wrote the extensive, 42,000-word encyclical, “Laudato Si’” in which he cautions that we must change how we deal with creation both as individuals and as a world community. Last year, he wrote a follow-up apostolic exhortation, “Laudate Deum” (“Praise God”), to further underscore the call. While the encyclical delineates many environmental problems, causes and suggested solutions, more than anything, the pope is touting us to be attentive, to wake up to the ongoing defacement we are causing. He urges us to change our lifestyle and to end the careless use of natural resources.

The papal encyclical, widely discussed by many Catholic leaders, is not well-known by the average person in the pew. But awareness at the individual level is necessary if we are to begin to make a positive difference in the environment. Often, encyclicals take decades to affect change, but the ecological problems, as highlighted by the pope, need attention now, the pope said.

Following the issuance of the 2015 papal encyclical, the Church proclaimed that a special celebration for creation would be held every year from the beginning of September until the feast of St. Francis, Oct. 4. The time is designated as one of intense prayer and thanksgiving; it is a special opportunity to be aware of, to focus on, to be attentive to God’s gift of creation and to commit to ways we can protect this gift. It is a time to remind ourselves of our responsibility toward the future of the planet.

The Season of Creation calls for us to pray together as one human family, praying that the Holy Spirit provides us with needed wisdom and that through his awesome power, we collectively find ways to protect the planet and begin to slow the decay that man has imposed.

On the first day of September, Pope Francis proclaims a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. He issues a yearly letter reinforcing his “Laudato Si’” encyclical, exhorting every Catholic, every person, individually and collectively to live in harmony with the environment. This message and the day of prayer are the catalysts that start the annual Season of Creation.

The pope usually urges everyone to use this monthlong season to offer thanks to the Creator, acknowledge that our natural resources are not without limit, and encourage actions that lead to better care of the planet.

Pope Francis has continued to echo messages shared by his two predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II.

Through several messages and encyclicals, Pope Benedict XVI called for the care for creation.

“The Earth is indeed a precious gift of the Creator who, in designing its intrinsic order, has given us guidelines that assist us as stewards of his creation,” he said in a Aug. 26, 2009 message. “Precisely from within this framework, the Church considers that matters concerning the environment and its protection are intimately linked with integral human development.”

In 2001, St. John Paul II called for a “rediscovered harmony” between men and nature, as the people of the world “are once again walking in the garden of creation, seeking to make the goods of the earth available to all and not just to a privileged few.”

To learn more about the Season of Creation, visit laudatosimovement.org, seasonofcreation.org and archgh.org/socialconcerns. †

D.D. Emmons writes for OSV News from Pennsylvania.