Caring for Creation: Part Three of Three
Greetings Pilgrims and Friends!
This rainy rainy week I am finding a converging inspiration for the creation justice message from Franciscan priest and author Richard Rohr as well as the Climate Lab episode "Scientists aren't the best champions of climate science."
In his piece on Pope Francis and his spiritual guide St. Francis of Assisi, Rohr emphasizes the importance that we as Christians "feel intimately united with all that exists," and how the way we respond and care for the world flows directly from this feeling of unity/interconnection. The Climate Lab episode centers on this same message but in more practical terms. Most people are not motivated by data alone (though I admire those that are!). In order to be moved to change most people need to have some combination of the following: a personal connection/relationship with the environment in the first place, a concrete sense of how climate change will directly effect their life and/or values, and a map of specific things they can do now to be in right relationship with the planet.
In the Vox Climate Lab video atmospheric scientist Veerabhadran "Ram" Ramanathan managed to hit this trifecta during his 3 minute "elevator speech" with Pope Francis. I think God may have been present when Ram presented because right before he met with him---he completely forgot all the data he had prepared to share and instead spoke from the heart by saying that: climate change is a moral and ethical issue, most of the pollution causing it comes from the wealthiest 1 billion --but will impact the poorest 3 billion, and that the Pope can use his position as a moral leader to ask people to be better stewards of the planet. The Pope took the message and ran with it.
I find these stories compelling for multiple reasons. They remind me that we don't all need to have special degrees to understand the climate change, come up with creative solutions, or to have influence on others to respond to it. In fact, by being our authentic selves and authentically listening to and responding to others we are best situated to influence those around us. When we engage in conversation about this, we don't have to be armed with the most recent/precise data (not that it hurts to have it), what we actually need to do is both easier and harder. While we don't need perfect data, we have to enter these conversations from a place of love, ready to listen and understand the other person, even if we really don't like what they are saying. This kind of listening is the soil from which authentic change can grow. And we have to be prepared to face our own fear around climate change and what addressing it means for us. To heal the planet we will have to give up major things we like having, at the very least while we go through the process of transitioning into sustainable technologies and learning new habits.
These stories also show me ways in which we can recognize God as we meet climate change. The more we create space in ourselves to hear God, the more we realize how interconnected we all are, how God is present not only in humans but in everything around us. When Pope Francis wrote about St. Francis of Assisi he describes how caring for creation is one of the ways we celebrate God's presence in the world. "If we approach nature and the environment without [an] openness to awe and wonder, 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. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled. What is more, Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of [their] infinite beauty and goodness. Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know by analogy their maker (Wisdom 13:5); indeed, [God's] eternal power and divinity have been made known through [their] works since the creation of the world (Romans 1:20). “
Much love,
-Felix
Get Centered: Advocating for creation and changing habits can be life giving when we celebrate our personal connections to this planet. So please consider this invitation.
-In a spirit of prayer: Try and remember one of the recent times where you have felt connected to the outside world around you.
-Be specific: What happened beforehand? Who were you with? What did you see there? What did you do? How did your body feel? What was it about this moment that made it so powerful for you? Did you sense God during this moment? If so, how?
-Go outside: Either alone or with a friend (practicing social distancing of course) observe a particular natural space that you see often. What relationships do you see in the organisms there? In the manner of St. Francis, think about how God might be trying to speak to you through this place, what beauty and goodness is being communicated?
Act: In connection to Pastor Lindy's challenge on healthy planet habits we can build, the youth group has come up with a menu of concrete actions Pilgrims can take. The full list is here but each week we will target a few specific ones to offer up to Pilgrims.
Here are the ones for this week:
Speak up: The government uses census data to frame the budget and plan where resources will go. Filling out your census is one of the key ways you can help the government get a good picture of what is really happening in the US and what is needed. Also, if you have not yet filed to vote absentee it's easier than you may imagine. The more leaders we can get into office who care about climate change the better.
Greener Inside: Reduce energy waste in your home. Maintain and update devices and turn them off when not in use. Choose 1 energy saving action that you don't already do to build into your routine this week, like updating your light bulbs to LED's or improving caulking around your windows and doors.
Greener Outside: Choose 1 way to reduce your travel carbon footprint. With the quarantine most of us are driving less anyway so it's a great time to think of an outing you would normally use a car for and see if you can adjust your plan so that you walk or ride a bike instead. If driving is something that you need to do right now, make sure to keep your tires properly inflated, giving you better gas mileage and extending the life of the tires.
Greener Lifestyle: Choose 1 way to be greener in your relationship to your computer. For example turn it off at the end of the day or put it in sleep mode when you'll be away from your computer for awhile, start using Ecosia as your search engine, or use green/slow options for orders you make online. If we purposefully choose not to use the 2-day delivery options then companies are more likely to efficiently fill their delivery trucks rather than send them out half full to deliver more quickly.