“How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom, you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”  Psalm 104:24

During this Easter Season as we rejoice in the Risen Christ, let us pay special attention to the Care of God’s Creation, which is one of The Principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

Through our personal Lenten practices, participation in Renew, Season II, or as a participant in the RCIA program, we know that we shall rise again, with Christ, on the last day. This is made new to us each time we receive the Eucharist. We believe that the bread and wine, grain and fruit of the earth, are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus. Put into this context, we see that taking care of everything that God has created is “most intimately bound” to Jesus Christ. 

Care of God’s Creation calls us to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation.  This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored. In 1989, Pope John Paul II, in The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility said, “Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment people everywhere are coming to understand that we cannot continue to use the good of the Earth as we have in the past . . . [A] new ecological awareness is beginning to emerge . . .The ecological crisis is a moral issue”.

While there are varied While there are varied opinions on the causes and concerns of our environment, many would agree that we are experiencing this lack of care through pollution of our air, water, and land, and decline in wetlands, forests, and in our lakes and rivers. Rather than pointing fingers, it is most important to look at our environment through the eyes of Christ. How can we do this?

Our St. Francis Community, parish and school, participates in environmental awareness work:

· The Sustainable Garden Project involves working in 2 gardens, one at St. Francis and one at the Perry Nursery School. The gardens benefit struggling families of our area by providing fresh produce for the Perry Nursery School Pantry. Now is the time for digging and planting! Please visit the Social Ministry website: www.stfrancisa2.com/socialministry/garden.htm for more information.

· St. Francis Middle School students under the guidance of Mike Powers and Liz Davis are working on the restoration of a native habitat on the St. Francis grounds. This work involves research in determining indigenous plants in our area. For further information, please contact St. Francis School @ 734-821-2200.

Through our Sunday and daily readings, prayers, and petitions, we know that God loves each of us as unique individuals. Because we are each important in His eyes, it is essential for us to remember that one person makes a difference! It is through our daily routines of life that we can begin to look at our environment through the eyes of Christ.

Here are 10 simple suggestions for daily living:
1.  Take a bath instead of a shower. After 5 minutes, more water is used for showering than for bathing.
2.  Turn off running water whenever possible: when brushing teeth, rinsing dishes, watering plants, etc.
3.  Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins, and rags or sponges instead of paper towels.
4.  Recycle! Recycle! Recycle!
5.  When possible, do it by hand. Are leaf blowers, snow blowers, hedge trimmers, etc. always necessary?
6.  Wash reclosable plastic bags for reuse.
7.  Fix dripping faucets.
8.  Take your own cloth (or extra plastic) bags to the grocery store.
9.  Plant trees.
10.  Buy only what you need.

St. Francis of Assisi reminds us of our responsibility and duty towards nature. He is most often pictured with the birds of the air and creatures of the earth and is known throughout the world for his special devotion to the earth. Let us honor his work by remembering his words this Easter Season. Rejoice in the Risen Lord! Rejoice in all of God’s Creation!

“Lord, we offer thanks and praise for the circle of our days.
Praise for radiant brother sun, who makes the hours around us run.
For sister moon, and for the stars, brilliant, precious always ours.
Praise for brothers wind and air, serene or cloudy, foul or fair.” 
St. Francis, Canticle of the Sun, 1225
 

The United States Catholic Bishops, inspired by Pope John Paul II’s World Day of Peace message, founded the Environmental Justice Program (EJP) in the fall of 1993. Through education, scholarship, leadership development, public policy and advocacy, the EJP provides a forum “to explore the links between concern for the person and the earth, between natural ecology and social ecology”. Please visit: http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/ejp for more information.

This Application of Catholic Social Teaching is the third of a series of reflections from individual members of our parish Peace & Justice Committee.  For more on this and other justice issues see: Peace & Justice Committee.