Ecological conversion! A change of heart!
Heed the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor
At the very heart of his encyclical Laudato Si [LS] is the appeal of Pope Francis to all men and women of goodwill to heed the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor of planet Earth, ‘our common home’.
What is Pope Francis saying to us?
Before all else, we need to understand that God Himself created planet Earth as the home for His human family. In the Book of Genesis we read that God created man and woman in His image, and put the whole of Creation into their care. But man and woman did not exercise the care for Creation as God had ordained. Instead, they behaved as if they were the lords of Creation, and in so doing, devastated God’s Creation.
The Earth is crying in the devastation and abuse of her fruits.
The Poor are crying as they suffer the consequences of a ravaged Earth.
Pope Francis is appealing to us to ‘heed the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ as “the urgent challenge to protect our common home… [LS 13].
In other words, our Holy Father is saying that it is our responsibility to work together, as the human family, to stop climate change and biodiversity loss. He is saying that even though climate change and biodiversity loss affect the whole Earth, the poor and vulnerable nations and people suffer most. Therefore: WE MUST PROTECT BOTH THE EARTH AND THE POOR!
An ecological conversion that is also a community conversion
Therefore Pope Francis calls on us to undergo an ecological conversion which “…entails the recognition of our sins…and leads us to heartfelt repentance and desire to change.” Yet lasting “…ecological change can only be accomplished through community networks”. For that reason ecological conversion must also be a community conversion.” [LS 219].
Ecological conversion! A change of heart!
A change of heart is what we, a Justice and Peace community, should constantly pray for as we strive to do justice to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor in our daily life – both as individuals and as a community.