Laudato Si (Praise be), indeed!

Friday, Jul. 03, 2015

If you want to know what Catholic social teaching is all about, read Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home.” If you want a succinct lesson on our Biblical teachings, read “Laudato Si’.” If you want to be inspired to live a more just life, read “Laudato Si’.” 

Yes, I am a fan. For good reason – the papal encyclical is a beautiful reminder of Catholic social teaching and an inspiring call to action for all people of faith and good will. 

And yes, it is political. Not because the pope is choosing sides, but because he is establishing guiding principles for policymakers, corporations, and individuals to use in making decisions that impact our common home and our brothers and sisters, particularly the poor and underprivileged.  

Those principles include such earth-shattering ideas (no pun intended) as recognizing that everything is part of an interconnected system – water, air, soil, plants, animals, people. When we Americans turn on the tap in our home, our larger common home is impacted, in ways most of us never see. Even in this small act, we are making a decision not only for ourselves, but for millions of people thousands of miles away who suffer from our overuse of the world’s resources. 

We don’t need to research every possible impact of our actions on the world, we simply need to ask ourselves one question: How much do I need if I truly believe what my faith tells me? Pope Francis provides a stark reminder of our beliefs when he asks,  quoting the Bishops’ Conference in New Zealand, “what the commandment ‘thou shalt not kill’ means when ‘20 percent of the world’s population consumes resources at a rate that robs poor nations and future generations of what they need to survive.’” 

That 20 percent would include you and I, dear readers.  Pope Francis goes on, asking how we can truly support the dignity and sanctity of life if we insist that women in poorer countries stop having children so that men and women in rich countries might keep buying more stuff.   

While the pope’s comments may sound radical, they are nothing new.  Our Bible has always taught that we were not created to think only of ourselves, but to love one another.  If we truly believe this, then in every decision we make, whether as consumers, policymakers, parents, etc., we should already consider our impact on others, particularly those who have the least ability or means to mitigate the negative impacts of our choices. 

Unfortunately, we are, at times, persuaded by the constant stream of individualistic and materialistic messages that bombard us every day. But we are fully capable of seeing the emptiness in promises that we will be more attractive and happier with a new car, and of remembering that real, enduring joy comes in relationship with others. We are also capable of recognizing that the fear of changing our lifestyle does not mitigate the need to do so. Whether it is called climate change or not, the reality is we in wealthy nations tend to take more than our share of the world’s resources, and offer short-term solutions to longstanding problems in exchange.

”Laudato Si’” challenges all of us. From small actions, such as turning down the air conditioning and avoiding plastics, to larger acts, like insisting that our government work with other nations to address global climate concerns, and not insist that everything be done according to our will, Pope Francis asks us to be daily witnesses to our faith.  

All this would be shocking, if it weren’t what the Catholic Church has said for generations; if it weren’t, in fact, what the Bible tells us – to care for all of Creation, including, and especially, the least among us, to do God’s will, and to love one another as ourselves.