Praising God for our common home
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, our Holy Father Pope Francis published a new Apostolic Exhortation entitled Laudato Deum (Praise God). This new communication from the pope, which concerns the climate crisis, is addressed to “all people of good will.”
Laudato Deum is a continuation of Pope Francis’s Encyclical Laudato Si’, published eight years ago, on June 18, 2015, in which the Holy Father shared with all of us, the “brothers and sisters of our suffering planet,” his heartfelt concerns about the care of our common home. As an exhortation, Laudate Deum is a call to action that results from the pope’s conviction that the responses to his call for change in Laudato Si’ have “not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.”
Pope Francis believes that the impact of our current climate crisis goes beyond its profound negative effects on the environment. Humanity itself—especially the poor and vulnerable—is being harmed by the serious consequences of global climate change. “It is indubitable that the impact of climate change will increasingly prejudice the lives and families of many persons,” the Holy Father writes. “We will feel its effects in the areas of healthcare, sources of employment, access to resources, housing, forced migrations, etc.”
Laudato Deum begins by quoting St. Francis of Assisi, the pope’s namesake, who proclaimed by his life, his canticles and all his actions the simple truth that God is to be praised in all creation. All things visible and invisible proclaim the glory of God. If we could only see the world with the eyes of St. Francis, who “reflected the sensitivity of Jesus before the creatures of his Father,” we would never abuse or neglect our common home, which is precious to God. As Pope Francis reminds us, using the powerful words of Scripture: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these” (Mt 6:28-29). “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight” (Lk 12:6).
“How can we not admire this tenderness of Jesus for all the beings that accompany us along the way!” Pope Francis exclaims. This keen awareness that we share with all of God’s creation, the intimate relationship that St. Francis suggests when he speaks of Brother Sun and Sister Moon, and when he communes with animals and with nature, reflects a degree of holiness that we are challenged to strive for in our stewardship of our common home.
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