By Joe McVeigh
During the Covid pandemic and the Lockdown (2020-2022), I was blessed to have to stay at home though it did not seem like a blessing at the time. It was during that time that I rediscovered the wonder of nature. My garden was alive with the sound of music –the birds and bees and the sights of butterflies fluttering from flower to flower.
The late Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si published in 2016, alerted us to the wonder and beauty of nature and the threat to life on our planet from global warming, mining and industrial farming and pollution –all caused by humans.
When I was a child I was fascinated by nature -flowers, plant, birds, bees, frogspawn and tadpoles. In the wells and ponds near where I grew up on a small farm in north Fermanagh I discovered all these amazing creatures and colourful flowers and plants. It was a great new world almost impossible to take it all in.
Then in my teens and college days I kind of lost that fascination. The wonder of books and films and music took over-until Covid came along in 2020 and the lockdown imposed lasted for about 2years.
When we were confined to the house and advised not to travel too far I once again began to notice and hear the birds and the bees, the butterflies and the leaves on the trees.
Since then, I appreciate the wonderful world of nature much more –and while I did not welcome Covid, I realised that it had something positive to contribute to a realisation of the beauty and wonder of God’s creation. I am grateful for the re-discovery.
I am also much more aware of the threat to our planet and our health and well-being that comes from the modern capitalist way of life and causes global warming and the melting of the ice caps.
The late Pope Francis spoke about global warming and called on all governments and peoples to be aware of the threat and to work to stop the drift towards destruction. Since Trump came to power there has been no progress towards accepting the peril facing our world.
Pope Leo XIV keeps reminding us about the dangers facing all humanity. We sure need prophets at this time -not bullies and tyrants. It was all familiar to the people of the Bible -though the stakes were hardly as high as they are today.
All our politicians and political parties need to make this issue a party -and all voters should hold them to account.
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