GARCIA-LUENSE: Catholicism and ecology

Papal beekeeper Marco Tullio Cicero, right, shows off the honeycomb covered with worker bees making honey for the winter and Pope Francis at the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome. Sept. 12, 2013. (CNS photo/Carol Glatz

In the last 130 years, at least seven different popes have made a deliberate and concerted effort to build a body of magisterial teaching around important social issues.

This body of teaching goes collectively by the name Catholic Social Teaching (CST). CST attempts to outline fundamental principles grounded in Natural Moral Law, Biblical Revelation, and the Tradition of the Church.

These fundamental principles are then applied to concrete social issues of the present day. It is important to note that Church teaching focuses on identifying issues and articulating the desired outcomes without naming a specific way to achieve those outcomes. This gives individuals both the freedom and the responsibility to determine the best course of action based on our faith when we encounter these issues in our lives.

When considering the issue of caring for the earth, Pope Francis notes in his encyclical letter Laudato Si', that this one earth is our common home. Grounded in the notion of the fundamental dignity of the human person and the virtue of solidarity, Pope Francis reminds us that what each of us does individually and as part of larger collectives necessarily has an impact on other people.

We have a responsibility, therefore, to take seriously the impact our choices have on the state of the environment. This includes the pollution of the ground, air, and water. This includes also the human-generated changes to the climate. As Catholics, we each have a moral responsibility to evaluate our actions and choices, particularly in light of how these things negatively impact other people, especially the poor and vulnerable. Mother Church reminds us that we must look after our common home for the sake of everyone today and for generations to come.

It is important to note that every Catholic individual has both a moral responsibility to make daily choices, even if they are inconvenient or hard, that take into account the effects of our choices, and we have a responsibility to work to bring about changes to systems that have for too long allowed the pollution of the environment in ways obvious and not to the detriment of the human family.

Each of us is called constantly to make choices that can and should be connected to our faith. While we should also advocate for large-scale systemic change, let us not underestimate or undervalue our daily and smaller choices, both for their immediate effect and the witness they give.

How far do we choose to live from where we work and study? When we carry out our daily activities, do we make use of less impactful forms of transportation if they are available to us? Do we make choices about using as many reusables versus disposable items in our life?

Do we recycle things that cannot be reused? Do we go out of our way, and perhaps pay more, to purchase things made from recycled materials? Do we use the most energy-efficient appliances in our homes, not only in order to save money on utilities but because it is part of how we choose to live out our Catholic sensibilities?

Do we prioritize the purchase of locally produced food so that the energy expended on transportation and long-term refrigeration is minimized? Do we try to ensure as much organic waste as possible is composted instead of buried in landfills where they generate enormous amounts of potent greenhouse gases?

All of these questions and many more that we face in our daily life are opportunities to engage our faith and spread the Gospel. They can easily get lost in the shuffle of busy lives or disconnected from our faith. I know that some people are constrained by external factors, such as budgets, in some of the choices they make.

Still, perhaps as we progress through Lent, we might consider some of the above and choose to do one new thing or one thing differently to better live out our Catholic values in relationship to the environment. 

Brian Garcia-Luense is an associate director with the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.