Reflection
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
Isaiah 61:4
There comes a time in history of human consciousness when there is a groundswell of understanding. What was a passion of the few becomes a commitment of the many. This is such a time. We now realize that our beautiful earth which once went through its natural cycles, and then adjusted itself into balance, is in crisis. Our home, the home of all living creatures is disfigured and out of balance and we are responsible.
Despite the naysayers and the corporate resistance to acknowledging it, we are realizing that the warming we have seen in the past 50 years cannot be explained by natural factors alone. This summer, the implications have hit home. Heat waves, fires floods and melting glaciers are undeniable anymore. As humans, we have become the most destructive species on the planet. We have to change. We have received the alarm to action. We can make clear the need for repentance for our destructive life styles, our sorrow to our animal and plant relatives for what we have allowed to happen to them, and our demand that world leaders act not in cooperation with those who are interested in a profitable status quo, but with those who desire to leave a healthy planet to future generations.
Prayer
Mother/Father Source, teach us to live differently upon the body of our Earth Mother. Let us begin this very moment to put her well-being above our own personal concerns and issues. May we treat her as we would treat ourselves, with love, respect, caring, honor, and nurturance.
Nedda
Action
Read and see what is happening across the planet this summer. Join a group or research what you can do to change a destructive activity. Write to your congressional delegation and hold them responsible for action. Support new initiatives to solve climate issues.
Suggested Reading
Safeguard Creation because if we destroy Creation, Creation will destroy us! Never forget this!
Pope Francis
The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.
Pope John Paul II
The Earth is indeed a precious gift of the Creator who, in designing its intrinsic order, has given us bearings that guide us as stewards of his creation. Precisely from within this framework, the Church considers matters concerning the environment and its protection intimately linked to the theme of integral human development.
Pope Benedict XVI
As human beings, we are vulnerable to confusing the unprecedented with the improbable. In our everyday experience, if something has never happened before, we are generally safe in assuming it is not going to happen in the future, but the exceptions can kill you and climate change is one of those exceptions.
Al Gore
The shift to a cleaner energy economy won’t happen overnight, and it will require tough choices along the way. But the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact.
Barack Obama
By the time we see that climate change is really bad, your ability to fix it is extremely limited… The carbon gets up there, but the heating effect is delayed. And then the effect of that heat on the species and ecosystem is delayed. That means that even when you turn virtuous, things are actually going to get worse for quite a while.
Bill Gates
The biggest barrier to dealing with climate change is us: our own attachment to habits that are hard to shift, and our great ability to park or ignore uncomfortable choices.
Geoff Mulgan