In the document Laudatio Si Pope Francis calls all people to live an “integral ecologyâ€. That people develop a sense that all life is connected. This is a very Christian belief as it is the sacrament of creation. That God is revealed through creation itself. God is the Creator who has entered creation in the person of “Jesus Christâ€. Christians call this the “incarnationâ€. The fact that God has entered creation reveals to us the sacredness of creation. All of creation manifests the glory of God.
But there has been a great disconnection. There has been a breaking of relationship. I am not just talking about the first sin with Adam and Eve. There has been a cultural and societal wide breaking. We think “because everyone is doing it, this somehow justifies what we are doingâ€. Our cultural patterns have blinded us from the truth. Because the group does it we think it is okay. Our lack of care of the Earth. Our lack of care of other people especially those we do not like. Pope Francis’ document Fratelli Tutti calls us to care for each other as brother and sister. In Matthew’s Gospel (12:48) Jesus raises the question “Who is my mother?†and “Who is my brother?†In Aboriginal spirituality the word is “Kinshipâ€. That I would see the people I interact with each day as my own brother and my own sister. Because of that, I need to care, to protect, to take a new responsibility. My family is not just the nuclear family. God is alive in creation in my brothers and sisters as well.
We need only look at the planet. The number of animals facing extinction. The level of carbon in the atmosphere. The level of pollution and plastic in the ocean. The number of trees being chopped down. Our outside world is reflecting our inner life. To see we have not being doing a good job. Our integral ecology is more like a broken clay pot lying on the ground that is waiting to be repaired. We have failed future generations in our choices, actions and ways of seeing the Earth. But as the Leonard Cohen says “There is a crack in everything and that is where the light gets inâ€. It is in Christs death on the cross where we find resurrection. It is in our own conversion or metanoia, change of mind and change of heart, where God can make manifest more fully in our lives. We need a cosmological shift not just as individuals, but as a culture and society that places the smallest things as the most important.
From Paul Kelly would say “from little things big things growâ€.
But is this change as far away as we realise? During our infant Baptism as a baby our parents and God parents promised to care for us. They promised to God us in the faith. They promised not only to be our mentors we so dearly need but to be the extension of Jesus made manifest in our world through our lips, arms, feet and heart. The body of Christ in our lives. Active. Present. Challenging. Discussing. Forgiving. Listening. Healing. Leading. Have we been Christ manifest for others? Do other people see the face of God when they see us?
When I journal, do I journal for my brother and sister, son and daughters who cannot journal.
When I teach, do I teach especially when my brothers and sisters struggle to learn.
When I listen, do I actively listen especially when my brothers and sisters fail to listen to me.
When I go to church, do I go to church for those who cannot go to church.
When I read, do I read for those who are unable to read, absorbing knowledge not just for myself but for those who lack the opportunity.
When I stand up for what is right, do I stand for those who feel powerless to stand up for themselves, becoming a beacon of justice and fairness.
When I plant seeds, do I plant them not only to nourish myself but for those who cannot cultivate their own gardens, spreading growth and life beyond my own reach?
When I seek peace, do I seek it not just for my own tranquility but for those who live in constant turmoil, hoping to extend a hand of calmness in their stormy lives?
When I engage in reconciliation, do I do it not only for my personal resolution but for those who yearn for forgiveness but find it out of reach, bridging gaps that seem insurmountable?
When I stand in solidarity, do I stand for those who feel isolated and alone, providing strength and unity where there is division and loneliness?
When I strive for understanding, do I do it not just to broaden my own perspective but for those who struggle to be heard and comprehended, becoming a vessel for their voices and experiences?
When I exhibit fortitude, do I display it not solely for my challenges but for those who feel overwhelmed by life's trials, being a pillar of strength they can lean on?
When I respect the dignity of the human body, do I do it not just for my well-being but for those who suffer disrespect and violation, affirming the inherent value in every person?
When I make a sacrifice, do I make it not only for my gain but for those who have had to give up so much, sharing in the burden of loss and the spirit of giving?
When I appreciate beauty, do I appreciate it not just for my own pleasure but for those who are surrounded by bleakness, sharing the joy of beauty in places where it is scarce?
When I pray, do I pray for those who cannot pray.
When I forgive, do I forgive for others who cannot forgive.
When I actively care for the environment, by eating less meat, purchasing from thrift or second hand stores, for those who do not or cannot, so as to care for the environment.
Thus the integral ecology that Pope Francis talks about is making connections more especially where there is a disconnection, break, hurt, or sin in our lives. We make manifest the glory of God when we allow the spirit of God to flow through us inside creation in our own lives but also in the lives of others. We need to seek out the other. We need to seek out dark places. To be the light for others to see. To become bridges of Jesus Christ active and alive today.
Integral ecology is not about me. Integral ecology is about everyone and everything.
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