Listen.  Can you hear that?  It sounds like groaning!  Who’s groaning?  The poor?  Oppressed?  A polar bear?  The earth??  God created the world to be self-sustaining.  The energy exchange between the earth and sun allows the temperature to remain within a habitable range, helping life flourish.  Earth has a protective layer of air between us and the sun, which both controls the energy exchange keeping us warm (but not too warm), and provides the air we breathe.[1]  These are just a couple of the provisions God gave us for a sustainable earth.  Unfortunately, degradation endangers these provisions, but there’s hope for the future of God’s creation.  We can make a difference.

Where do we start?  Start in your thoughts.  Practice gratitude.  This world is a gift from God.  Be mindful that everything and everyone is connected.  Start in your attitude.  Nature is filled with messages of God’s love, but we can’t hear amidst the noise and distractions.  Take time to be still.  Pope Francis urges us, “Accept each moment as a gift from God to be lived to the full.”[2]  Jesus taught us this attitude when he invited us to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. Appreciate the small things.  Value people, experiences, relationships and creation, instead of possessions.  Start with love. Start small.  Think of one thing you can do differently that will help.  Can you grow a vegetable garden or shop at a local farm stand (reducing shipping and packaging), bring reusable bags to the grocery store, or reduce your electric or water expenditure by 10%?

Listen to the cries of injustice, suffering, and oppression, but listen, also, to the Holy Spirit.  Listen!  God is calling.  God is calling us to healing acts of a transforming love.  When we listen and respond, the Holy Spirit will go with us and empower us to bring justice and healing to the world.  Read Romans 8:18-30, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Annie

(pic from: http://encurious.com/post/90982259223/quotes-from-childrens-books)

[1] Calvin DeWitt, Earthwise (Grand Rapids, MI: Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2011), 24.

[2] Francis, Laudate Si’, sec. 220.