A ‘Jubilee for the Earth’

By Deacon Tom Cervone, Ph.D.; Sister Maureen Houlihan, D.C.; and Nicole Cervone-Gish, Ed. M.S.

Our Mother Earth 

Editor’s note: This series takes a deeper look at Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the care for our common home, “Laudato si.’”

Did you know that in 2015, Pope Francis published an encyclical, On Care for Our Common Home “Laudato Si’?” An encyclical is one of the highest forms of communication by a pope and usually deals with some aspect of Catholic teaching. “Laudato Si’” is an appeal for “every person living on this planet” to enter into dialogue with him on the future of our Mother Earth.

He calls all to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges, and join him with hope and determination. Sept. 1 is celebrated annually as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, beginning the Season of Creation that ends on Oct. 4, the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi. Pope Francis describes the 2020 Season of Creation as a “Jubilee for the Earth.”

This series of columns aims to help readers understand and take to heart Pope Francis’ wisdom from his Earliest Notes (Nos. 1-16) in “Laudato Si’.” They put into practice Pope Francis’ truths. But first, an open mindset is necessary.

Let our hearts and eyes be open to seeing the real changes our planet is going through with wildfires, storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and floods – and how we, as stewards, can help encourage, inspire and advocate more for its well-being. A great YouTube video to watch is “Love Song to the Earth” (3:48 in length) by Dominican Sister Michelle Sherliza. Visit YouTube.com and search Michelle Sherliza to find the video.

Pope Francis speaks about our Mother Earth and, frankly, how foolish we’ve been in the use of our air, water and land. The first Earth Day was 50 years ago, and the last six popes have shown great concern for our planet. In the mid-1900s, environmental conditions in the United States were so horrendous that the federal government passed the National Environmental Policy Act. What a blessing it has been!

St. Francis of Assisi is a blessing, too – the patron saint of ecology. He believed every creature was a sister, mother or brother united to him by bonds of affection. In his message for the Sept. 1 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Francis said that it is a time to remember all things are connected; a time to return love and care to our Mother Earth; a time for us to rest and rediscover life; a time to restore air, water and land; and a time to rejoice. “ … if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs” (Laudato Si’ 11). 

The question is: Will we heed the call and enter into dialogue with Pope Francis?

What can you do?

Google https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ and learn more about Global Warming and Climate Change, and read by purchasing or downloading Laudato Si’: Publication No. 7-502, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Communications, Washington, DC, ISBN 978-1-60137-502-5. Or you can visit the website: http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/francis/pope-francis-encyclical-laudato-si-on-environment.cfm. Also, please read “The Birds and the Bees,” written by Brenda Hopf on page 4 of the Aug. 7, 2020 issue of The Message, available online at evdiomessage.org. We never have enough sugar water for all God’s creatures!

Deacon Tom Cervone, Ph.D., is an ecologist (St. Bonaventure University – Franciscan College); Daughter of Charity Sister Maureen Houlihan is a support sister on the Seton Harvest Farm started by the Daughters of Charity in response to the Communities – Care of Mother Earth. This Community Supported Agriculture Farm grows all-natural produce for shareholders and the poor. Nicole Cervone-Gish, Ed. M.S., is an award-winning English Language Learners teacher.