9. At the same time, Bartholomew has drawn attention to the ethical
and spiritual roots of environmental problems, which require that we
look for solutions not only in technology but in a change of humanity;
otherwise we would be dealing merely with symptoms. He asks us to
replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness
with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism which “entails learning to give,
and not simply to give up. It is a way of loving, of moving gradually
away from what I want to what God’s world needs. It is liberation from
fear, greed and compulsion”.[17]
As Christians, we are also called “to accept the world as a sacrament
of communion, as a way of sharing with God and our neighbours on a
global scale. It is our humble conviction that the divine and the human
meet in the slightest detail in the seamless garment of God’s creation,
in the last speck of dust of our planet”.[18]
Pope Francis also tells us how he contemplated his message.
Saint Francis of Assisi
10. I do not want to write this Encyclical without turning to that attractive and compelling figure, whose name I took as my guide and inspiration when I was elected Bishop of Rome. I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians. He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.
11. Francis helps us to see that an integral ecology calls for openness to categories which transcend the language of mathematics and biology, and take us to the heart of what it is to be human. Just as happens when we fall in love with someone, whenever he would gaze at the sun, the moon or the smallest of animals, he burst into song, drawing all other creatures into his praise. He communed with all creation, even preaching to the flowers, inviting them “to praise the Lord, just as if they were endowed with reason”.[19] His response to the world around him was so much more than intellectual appreciation or economic calculus, for to him each and every creature was a sister united to him by bonds of affection. That is why he felt called to care for all that exists. His disciple Saint Bonaventure (click here) (Doctor of the Church, Cardinal-Bishop of Albano, Minister General of the Friars Minor) tells us that, “from a reflection on the primary source of all things, filled with even more abundant piety, he would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name of ‘brother’ or ‘sister’”.[20] Such a conviction cannot be written off as naive romanticism, for it affects the choices which determine our behaviour. If we approach nature and the environment without this 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.
The saints and religious figures Pope Francis addresses are as real today as in the time they existed. We hold dear the characterization of nature lovers in fable. These are not strange ideas from the religious past, we love the land, the animals of the forest and caring for something unlike ourselves. We love benevolence. Dare I say it is our true character to be benevolent. Except for the ignorance of the problems we cause there is no excuse for the abuse of Earth and it's resources. Greed is a cognitive expression and not a mistake.
Our benevolence reaches into our homes and our society. We love pets and have laws that enforce a benevolent treatment of animals. There are animals in children's fantasy such as Cinderella and the many small creatures that became her footmen and carriage driver of the pumpkin that became a carriage.
We love nature. This is not an alien concept or feeling.
Pope Francis also tells us how he contemplated his message.
Saint Francis of Assisi
10. I do not want to write this Encyclical without turning to that attractive and compelling figure, whose name I took as my guide and inspiration when I was elected Bishop of Rome. I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians. He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.
11. Francis helps us to see that an integral ecology calls for openness to categories which transcend the language of mathematics and biology, and take us to the heart of what it is to be human. Just as happens when we fall in love with someone, whenever he would gaze at the sun, the moon or the smallest of animals, he burst into song, drawing all other creatures into his praise. He communed with all creation, even preaching to the flowers, inviting them “to praise the Lord, just as if they were endowed with reason”.[19] His response to the world around him was so much more than intellectual appreciation or economic calculus, for to him each and every creature was a sister united to him by bonds of affection. That is why he felt called to care for all that exists. His disciple Saint Bonaventure (click here) (Doctor of the Church, Cardinal-Bishop of Albano, Minister General of the Friars Minor) tells us that, “from a reflection on the primary source of all things, filled with even more abundant piety, he would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name of ‘brother’ or ‘sister’”.[20] Such a conviction cannot be written off as naive romanticism, for it affects the choices which determine our behaviour. If we approach nature and the environment without this 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.
The saints and religious figures Pope Francis addresses are as real today as in the time they existed. We hold dear the characterization of nature lovers in fable. These are not strange ideas from the religious past, we love the land, the animals of the forest and caring for something unlike ourselves. We love benevolence. Dare I say it is our true character to be benevolent. Except for the ignorance of the problems we cause there is no excuse for the abuse of Earth and it's resources. Greed is a cognitive expression and not a mistake.
Our benevolence reaches into our homes and our society. We love pets and have laws that enforce a benevolent treatment of animals. There are animals in children's fantasy such as Cinderella and the many small creatures that became her footmen and carriage driver of the pumpkin that became a carriage.
We love nature. This is not an alien concept or feeling.
