“Living Laudato Si’ : Practical Tools on How We Can Care for Our Common Home”

1. DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this presentation do not necessarily reflect the views of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada. “Living Laudato Si’: Practical Tools on How We Can Care for Our Common Home” by Dr. Peter Baltutis

2. “The Canticle of Creation” (13th Century Prayer by Saint Francis of Assisi):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpPSZkmr_Js

3. Outline • SEE= look in detail at a situation • JUDGE= analysis in light of the Gospel or other Church teachings • ACT= suggest appropriate action that should be taken by Church or society

4. SEE = Air Quality American Lung Association 2019 "State of the Air" report • 141.1 million Americans (43.3 percent of the population) live in counties that have monitored unhealthy ozone and/or particle pollution  • increase from the past two reports: • 125 million in the 2017 report • 133.9 million in the 2018 report The Government of Canada estimates that 14,600 premature deaths per year in Canada can be linked to air pollution from fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone • health impacts attributable to air pollution in Canada is $114B per year

5. SEE = Water Quality About 8 million metric tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean annually There are five massive patches of plastic in the oceans around the world • the one between California and Hawaii is the size of the state of Texas Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight) 100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1,000,000 sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution annually

6. SEE = Land Quality 18.7 million acres of forest - roughly the size of the country of Panama - are lost each year • 80% of the world's land-based species live in forests 50% of the world’s tropical forests have already been cleared 17% of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed 40% of the world's agricultural land is said to have degraded China has categorized 16 percent of all its soils — and 19 percent of its agricultural soils — as polluted In the United States, 1,300 sites appear on that country's Superfund National Priorities list of pollution hot spots

7. July 29, 2019 = the point at which we start to consume more than the Earth can replenish

8. JUDGE = Care for Creation In Scripture Genesis 1:1-31 • God made the heavens and the earth • “God saw that is was good” Genesis 2:15 • “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” • Humans are commanded to care for God’s  creation Leviticus 25:1-7 • The land itself must be given a rest and not abused Psalm 24:1-2 = All the earth is the Lord’s • “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,   the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas,   and established it on the rivers” Daniel 3:57-81 = Creation proclaims the glory of God

9. Saint John Paul II, World Day of Peace, 1990 “In our day there is a growing awareness that world peace is threatened not only by the arms race, regional conflicts and continued injustice among peoples and nations, but also a lack of due respect for nature, by the plundering of natural resources and by a progressive decline in the quality of life” (1) reminded Christians that their “duty toward nature and Creator are an essential part of their faith” (15) Broadens the “pro-life” agenda of the Church: “Respect for life and the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation, which is called to join man in praising God” (16)

10. Pope Benedict XVI, World Day of Peace, 2010: “If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation” “Can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with such realities as climate change, desertification, the deterioration and loss of productivity in vast agricultural areas, the pollution of rivers and aquifers, the loss of biodiversity, the increase of natural catastrophes and the deforestation of equatorial and tropical regions? Can we disregard the growing phenomenon of “environmental refugees”, people who are forced by the degradation of their natural habitat to forsake it – and often their possessions as well – in order to face the dangers and uncertainties of forced displacement? Can we remain impassive in the face of actual and potential conflicts involving access to natural resources? All these are issues with a profound impact on the exercise of human rights, such as the right to life, food, health and development.” (4)

11. Pope Benedict XVI, World Day of Peace, 2010: “The environment must be seen as God’s gift to all people, and the use we make of it entails a shared responsibility for all humanity, especially the poor and future generations…seeing creation as God’s gift to humanity helps us to understand our vocation and worth as human beings” (Caritas in Veritate2009, #2) Ecological crisis is a MORAL crisis that “requires us to rethink the path which we are travelling together” (2) • “We can no longer do without a real change of outlook which will result in new life-styles, in which the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and communion with others for the sake of common growth are the factors which determine consumer choices, savings and investments”. (11)

12. 2008 – Pope Benedict XVI installed solar panels in Vatican City’s “Nervi Hall”

13. Summary of Pope Francis' Laudato Si‘ = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj4WSTken3w ecological crisis is a “summons to profound interior conversion” • Christians need an “‘ecological conversion,’ whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them” (Laudato Si’, 217) • “spirituality which forgets God as all-powerful and Creator is not acceptable” (75) • We have a responsibility to protect and to cherish the Earth’s ecological diversity, beauty, and life-sustaining properties • By our work, we are co-creators in the continuing development of the earth • We need an authentic development of the earth, which offers a direction for sustainable progress that protects people and the planet

14. “Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.” (91) “The notion of the common good also extends to future generations. The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity. Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others. Since the world has been given to us, we can no longer view reality in a purely utilitarian way, in which efficiency and productivity are entirely geared to our individual benefit. Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us”  (Laudato Si’, 159)

15. ACT – Laudato Si’ Pledge “It is my hope that this Encyclical Letter, which is now added to the body of the Church’s social teaching, can help us to acknowledge the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face.” (15) “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.” (15) Global Catholic Climate Movement = https://catholicclimatemovement.global/ Answering Pope Francis’ urgent call in Laudato Si, I pledge to: • Pray for and with creation• Live more simply• Advocate to protect our common home.

16. PRAY with and for creation “Our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with others and with God.”—Laudato Si’ 119 • Include a prayer of thankfulness for creation, and that we will protect our common home, in your daily prayers • “Pray with the news” or incorporate people impacted by climate or ecological issues into your daily prayer • Pray outside “Nature is filled with words of love, but how can we listen to them amid constant noise, interminable and nerve-wracking distractions...An integral ecology includes taking time to recover a serene harmony with creation, reflecting on our lifestyle and our ideals, and contemplating the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence “must not be contrived but found, uncovered”. (Laudato Si’ 225)

17. Ecological Examen 1. GRATITUDE = I give thanks to God for creation and for being wonderfully made Where did I feel God’s presence in creation today? 2. AWARENESS = I ask for the grace to see creation as God does – in all its splendor and suffering Do I see the beauty of creation and hear the cries of the earth and the poor? 3. UNDERSTANDING = I ask for the grace to look closely to see how my life choices impact creation and the poor and vulnerable. What challenges or joys do I experience as I recall my care for creation? How can I turn away from a throwaway culture and instead stand in solidarity with creation and the poor? 4.  CONVERSION = I ask for the grace of conversion towards ecological justice and reconciliation.  Where have I fallen short in caring for creation and my brothers and sisters? How do I ask for a conversion of heart? 5.  RECONCILIATION = I ask for the grace to reconcile my relationship with God, creation and humanity, and to stand in solidarity through my actions.  How can I repair my relationship with creation and make choices consistent with my desire for reconciliation with creation?

18. Ecological Examen 6.  I offer a closing prayer for the earth and the vulnerable in our society. All powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one. O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace. (Laudato Si’, 246) Souce =http://www.ecologicalexamen.org/

19. LIVE Simply “There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions.”—Laudato Si’ 211 • Before you purchase something ask, “Do I need or want this?” • Go without meat one day a week • Meatless Fridays/Vegetarian for Lent • Drive less = consolidate errands; walk or bike to work; carpool; use mass transit • Be present to one another = spend time with family and friends in a way that doesn’t use electronics

20. Grow your own fruits and vegetables!

21. Plant a Tree!

22. Be An Ethical Consumer “It is good for people to realize that purchasing is always a moral — and not simply economic — act. Hence the consumer has a specific social responsibility, which goes hand-in- hand with the social responsibility of the enterprise. Consumers should be continually educated regarding their daily role, which can be exercised with respect for moral principles without diminishing the intrinsic economic rationality of the act of purchasing.” Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate # 66

23. Assess Your Lifestyle – Single-Use Plastics • Look through your home • Keep track of your spending habits • Look through your trash • How much single-use/limited-use, disposable plastics? • Things like food packaging, plastic food wrap and sandwich bags, to-go coffee cups, fast food packaging, straws, drink bottles/containers, soap containers, bath and shower product bottles, cosmetic containers, hair elastics, tampons/pads, diapers, razors, toothbrushes, floss, cleaning supplies, dog poop bags, grocery bags, garbage bags… • Step 3. Discover YourChange  • Identify at least 4 items that you KNOW you can stop using immediately without additional cost or too much effort. 

25. ADVOCATE to Protect Our Common Home “There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced.”—Laudato Si’ 26 • Connect with local organizations advocating for the climate • Join a park clean up or climate rally • Organize a symbolic action highlighting a local ecological issue • Hold a postcard or petition drive at your parish to support environmental policies • Ask each person in the family what your community could do to be kinder to creation. Write to your city, provincial, or federal representative asking them to consider the change • Consider what is making it more difficult for you to change your lifestyle—lack of public transportation, no recycling or compost in the community, or no options for clean energy—and bring the community together to ask for change

26. ADVOCATE to Protect Our Common Home

27. PROMOTE Laudato Si’ in Your Parish/Diocese “Truly, much can be done!”—Laudato Si’ 180 • Host a Laudato Si’ Talk/Presentation and/or Retreat • Create a Laudato Si’ Reading Group • Take the Laudato Si’ Pledge and invite others to join you • Including your parish priest and/or bishop • Agree to only use reusable cups, plates, and flatware for parish events • Encourage your parishioners to walk, bike or carpool to Mass (promote in bulletin) • Parish community garden/tree-planting

29. Closing Prayer Lord, season after season, You continue to renew the face of the earth, “For from the greatness and beauty of created things Comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.” Teach us, Lord, As members of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada, To become attuned to our need to protect The beauty of our common home. May our efforts lead us to sustain its natural order, So that, in the words of Pope Francis, Our heritage is never “deprived of physical contact with nature.” AMEN - Mary Ryan, Past President, St. Dunstan Parish Council Fredericton, New Brunswick