Editorial

Stewardship of creation calls us to conversion, action

On Sept. 1, Pope Francis offered a special reflection for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and the beginning of the Season of Creation which concludes on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on Oct. 4. “During this period,” the pope says, “Christians worldwide renew their faith in the God of creation and join in prayer and work for the care of our common home.”

Concern for the stewardship of all God’s creation was the subject of the pope’s 2015 encyclical, “Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home.” In this letter, Pope Francis builds on the teaching of his predecessors (especially St. John Paul II and retired Pope Benedict XVI) calling for a conversion of mind and heart regarding our attitude toward the environment. He also challenges us to act in ways that are both eco-friendly and committed to resolving the problems of human society.

Although it is a prophetic statement with many challenges for us to consider, “Laudato Si’ ” is also a song of hope and joy inspired by the Canticle of the Sun, written by St. Francis of Assisi as a hymn of praise to the Lord of all creation:

Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom you give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness to you, Most High.

Our world is confronted with serious challenges—social, political, economic and environmental—that the pope tells us are, in reality, one crisis of “integral ecology.”

In his Sept. 1 reflection on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and the beginning of the Season of Creation, Pope Francis writes: “I am very pleased that the theme chosen by the ecumenical family for the celebration of the 2020 Season of Creation is ‘Jubilee for the Earth,’ precisely in this year that marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. In the holy Scriptures, a jubilee is a sacred time to remember, return, rest, restore and rejoice.”

“We are not God,” the Holy Father says. The Earth that we inhabit does not belong to us; we belong to the Earth. As we are reminded vividly on Ash Wednesday, we are dust. We come from the dust of the Earth, and every one of us will return to dust one day.

In the meantime, we are called to be stewards of all God’s gifts, and this fundamental change of perspective (from owner to steward) changes everything. The “dominion” over all creation that has been given to all humankind (see the Book of Genesis 1:28) is not to be exercised as a form of domination, but rather as an exercise of the kind of reverent care and nurturing cultivation and pruning that a sensitive gardener gives to his or her garden. “A fragile world, entrusted by God to human care, challenges us to devise intelligent ways of directing, developing and limiting our power,” the pope tells us.

What can each of us do? We are called to conversion, to see with new eyes and an open heart. We’re also challenged to act differently. How do we do this?

As stewards of all God’s creation, we have to change the way we live. We have to advocate for new laws and policies in our local, national and world communities that respond to both “the cry of the Earth” and “the cry of the poor.” Change does not come easily to us. That’s why “Laudato Si’ ” is a prophetic statement as well as a

hope-filled song of praise. 

Here are a few of the things that Pope Francis hopes will be stimulated by his emphasis on care for all God’s creation: 

• Lifestyles that are simpler, healthier and less dependent on material resources.
• A new covenant between humanity and the environment based on responsible stewardship of all God’s creation.
• A renewed sense of the sacredness of everyday things we use and too often take for granted.
• Substantive change in laws and social policies concerning the environment and care for the poor and most vulnerable members of our society.

As we observe this Season of Creation, let’s pray with Pope Francis, St. Francis of Assisi and all the saints:

Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love,
Teach us to contemplate you
In the beauty of the universe,
For all things speak of you.
Awaken our praise and thankfulness
For every being that you have made.
Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined
To everything that is.
Praised be to you, Lord! Amen.

—Daniel Conway