It was only fairly recently that the Catholic church officially accepted that the universe is still ‘a work in progress’, that evolution is the way that the universe continues and that people, like you and me, are involved in this creative process. We are involved in the ongoing work of creation. That’s if you believe in God and, for me, it is nigh impossible not to believe in some Greater Power. Even science is coming round to acknowledging some Greater Power involved in Creation. There are some Christians, belonging to various Churches or sects, who do not accept the fact or the theory of evolution. They take the Bible literally. Science, they say, has nothing to offer. That is a very limited and limiting view of Creation.
Pope Francis is now one of the religious leaders who is leading the way regarding caring for the earth –our common home. His letter, ‘Laudato Si’ in 2015, is a most impressive argument calling on all in power and all people of good will to take responsibility for caring for creation. He links it with the ending of poverty and a new world order. Many other world leaders are not too bothered about caring for creation. Okay, they meet now and again to proclaim their intention of reducing carbon footprints and greenhouse gasses. But very little is done afterwards by any of the world powers which are responsible for most of the damage to the Ozone layer and for the alarming rate of climate change. Were it not for the Pope Francis and conscientious faith groups from various traditions, there would hardly be a mention of the precarious state of our planet earth as a result of climate change and pollution.
If those of us who belong to the Catholic community are going to save planet Earth from destruction which ought to be our real mission, we must unite with all other religions and all people of good will. We just cannot save the earth on our own. This has to a world-wide co-operative effort-like nothing before. This calls for conversion as Pope Francis has intimated in his letter to the world ‘Laudato S’.
Those who are concerned and who have a conscience must continue to act in their different ways to end pollution of the rivers and the atmosphere, to halt the slide into oblivion and to protest to political leaders and the governments about their feeble actions and uncaring attitude. Creation is a work in progress and each of us has a vital part to play in raising awareness about the suffering of the poor and the dangers this planet is facing. We must face up to the damage that is being done every day by pollution and poisoning. Time is running out for our planet. We cannot say we were not warned.
According to my namesake the real gio;
““I can imagine an infinite number of worlds like the earth, with a Garden of Eden on each one. In all these Gardens of Eden, half the Adams and Eves will not eat the fruit of knowledge, but half will. But half of infinity is infinity, so an infinite number of worlds will fall from grace and there will be an infinite number of crucifixions.”
Is this now the orthodox view I wonder?
It seems hard to believe that God would create an infinite universe (perhaps even multiple universes)with infinite stars and galaxies all so that he could pop us onto a tiny planet in an insignificant star system in a spiral arm of one small galaxy.
Tranona duit Joe, once we thought the world was flat, albeit, you could never walk to the horizon and jump off, as an Italian sailor, preceded by an Irish monk, discovered.
Now we are recognising that God’s creations go kind of beyond our solar system, and, frankly, only He knows what he has done in other Universes.
Joe,
I would agree with you that saving the planet should be everyone’s greatest priority but I don’t envy the task ahead for those trying to challenge the consumer mentality.
Priests and the religious and even governments pussy foot around the fact that wanton waste is sinful (and I mean that in the religious way).
I have never heard a priest or a Government official criticise the mindset that would see single people drive gas guzzlers or keep homes that are 5 or 6 times to large for the occupants, spend £2,000 of a dress they wear once or the fact that up to 30% of food bought for a family can end up in the bin.
it is a subject Priests and those looking to be elected stay pragmatically away from less the goose stops laying those golden eggs.
I remember suggesting to the Head of Religion that a possible strategy of trying to cut down the amount of wanton food waste in homes would be to ask a pupil to stick a photo of a starving child on the lid of the flip bin in peoples kitchen. I was told “no” that people wouldn’t like that. The impression I left with was ‘it might be a sin, but you don’t want to wipe people’s noses in it’!
I am sure that those who died of hunger in the Great Famine couldn’t be anything but proud that the descendants of those that survived have done so well for themselves that they can now afford to throw hundreds of pounds/euros worth of food in the bin each year!
Well said Fr.Joe!! But Trump threatens to pull out of the Paris Accord on global warming and Arlene has the stoves hopping of the walls and sheds in Fír Manach.