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Reflections on Corona and
Easter
I wonder what comes out of
it ...
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Introduction: Children of Lockdown ... (1 page) 
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Author:
Wolfgang Rehfus
Date: Easter Sunday, 12.4.2020
2nd and 3rd chapter:
4.8.2020
Introduction: 30.8.2020
Updated:
24.7.2021
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Reflections on Corona and Easter
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In the beginning ...
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Laudato Si’ ...
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Corona-Easter |
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Reflections on Corona and Easter
1)
Here at Pakawau Beach Park
during the Corona Lockdown at the beach, the full moon rises in the evening
and the sun rises in the morning, birds singing in the air, the tide is
coming and going perfectly, not too low and not too high, the earth is
breathing peacefully and heavenly, the air is wonderful fresh and clean
(even above some large cities around the world) and it feels to me like
God’s creation is starting to heal during these quiet and humble days.
Besides all the troubles, there is so much to be grateful, joyful and also
humbled for.
Is it possible, that we overlook the larger
picture of a world coming to rest, a world coming to sleep and hopefully to
heal? Had we not been way over-busy lately, for quite long actually? Had we
not been running our ‘engines’ too long, too loud and too dirty, all around
the world? Is this Corona caused Easter break not really a heavenly gift for
the world to heal, for God's Creation to heal?
Why a corona, why putting the world on rest
and do self-isolation exactly over Easter? At the beginning Jesus went into
the desert, into self-isolation to talk with his Father and to resist the
temptations. Are we following and trying to do similar, are we using this
break consciously similar? On Good Friday they had put a crown of thorns,
kind of a corona, onto his head. The events over Easter 2000 years ago
finally were for the overwhelming purpose of cleansing and healing. The
crown of thorns, the corona, was not the purpose, not the issue, it was just
a part and at the beginning on the way to cleansing and healing. 2000 years
ago, it all had been overlooked and was not understood by most. This year a
Corona had been put onto mankind all around the world and we might ask what
could be our task during and after this prolonged Easter in self-isolation?
Is there a greater purpose for cleansing and healing once again?
Some voices already proclaim to return and to
reopen the economy and businesses as quickly as possible or as I read in the
news for example to increase dairy to fill the losses in tourism.
I wonder what comes out of it, I wonder
whether we will continue or even increase our destructive, pollutive and
unhealthy activities or whether we will start to focus and build on our
good, positive and healthy activities?
I wonder whether we should remember the book
of Genesis with the first instruction regarding to take care of the paradise
we share and live in
and the second instruction regarding our food (seed-bearing plants, grains
from the fields and fruits from the trees)? 2) and 3)
And I wonder whether the world in general and
New Zealand in particular might use this Corona-Easter as an opportunity and
start to live truly sustainable and in harmony with nature, which means in
harmony with God's Creation and therefore with God Himself, and to build up
a so-called green economy?
3)
«My Father ... may your will be done.» - Amen
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1) A first version
of these reflections was published in the
Pastoral Letter during Level 4 (Covid-19 Lockdown) by Knox Church, Christchurch, New
Zealand, 14.4.2020 (KnoxChurch.co.nz)
The first paragraph is also
published in
Animal Tales of Golden Bay, written and illustrated during
lockdown by Claire Rose (published
August 2020), to expand this creative educational children’s book with
the question: «What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come
after us, to children who are now growing up?»
19)
Claire Rose writes in her book: «To our
amazing God, who created all the incredibly diverse creatures for us to look
after and enjoy, and who gifted all of us with our individual talents.»
2) cf. «Then God said ... “Have many children, so that your
descendents will live all over the earth and bring it under their control.»
(Good News Translation) or «Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern
it.» (New Living Bible),
Genesis 1:28
«God, the Lord, brought thus humans into the garden Eden. He transferred
them the task to maintain and protect the garden.»,
Genesis 2:15
cf. «Then God said ... “I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of
fruit for you to eat".» (Good News Translation) or «Then God said, “Behold, I have
given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every
tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.»,
Genesis 1:29
3) see further below the chapters
In the beginning ... and
Laudato Si’ ...
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In
the beginning |
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«The Creation»
5)
Animal Tales of Golden Bay
"Colouring Edition", a beautifully illustrated
educational children’s book by Claire Rose with animals telling their own
stories and drawings for the children to colour, including a short annex
with the «Reflections on Corona and Easter» above. Suitable for school,
Sunday school and home education. See
Publishing-Flyer
(with sample page) and
Cover pages
of the above displayed "Colouring Edition".
Animal Tales of Golden Bay,
"Photo Edition", with the animal stories, drawings and
photos. See
Publishing-Flyer (with sample page) and
Cover pages
of the above displayed "Photo Edition".
An other Golden Bay animal tale: Click
the painting by Cath Welsh to see youtube video riding her wild
horse swimming with a wild dolphin in Onekaka, Golden Bay,
NZ, 1991
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In
the beginning ...
«God, the Lord, brought
thus humans into the garden Eden. He transferred them the task to maintain
and protect the garden.»
4),
5)
«No word of destruction was in God's speech! The creation history in the Old Testament is enormous
and impressive. God created the light, separated the country from the water,
let it become day and night, until he finally created life - plants,
animals, humans.» 5)
A monk once said «Without faith in God every activity for
environmental protection is ineffective, because the meaning is missing.»
6)
and we might ponder about it. However,
let's start at the beginning and see what scripture tells.
The following is not intended to be
all-explaining or all-knowing. It is intended to provide a basis for study,
talk, thinking and
understanding. It might help to recognise what God wants us to do, to
recognise what is truly good for us, and it might be taken into account
whenever we are called to make a decision, be it a political vote, a
business decision or for example a private purchase.
In addition, the following is intended to
bridge over and bring together those who have faith, but possibly don't
seriously care for God's Creation, and those who stay away from churches
(their private faith or belief is not questioned), but are engaged in caring
and protecting our environment and nature.
The so-called «Ten Commandments» are fairly
well known. 7) However, often overlooked are the very first commandments
or instructions provided by the bible in the book of Genesis.
1. Take care of the paradise
«Then God said ... “Have many children, so
that your descendents will live all over the earth and bring it under their
control.» (Good News Translation) also translated as «Be fruitful and multiply. Fill
the earth and govern it.» (New Living Bible) Genesis
1:28
This was the very first commandment in the
beginning.
It is explained a few
verses later with «maintain, protect, cultivate and guard» and can be
summarised as "Take care of the paradise".
«God, the Lord, brought thus humans into the
garden Eden. He transferred them the task to maintain and protect the
garden.» also translated as «Then the Lord God placed the man in the garden
of Eden to cultivate it and guard it.» (Good News Translation)
Genesis
2:15 and 8)
2. Eat grains, plants and fruits as
provided by nature
«Then God said ... “I have provided all kinds
of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat".» (Good News
Translation)
also translated as «Then
God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of
all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours
for food.»
Genesis
1:29
This was the second commandment in the
beginning.
God gave the food to be eaten as He provided
it «for you to eat», which means fresh from the fields and fresh from the
trees. In modern times however, most of our food is processed and refined
for the purpose of storing it for an extended time, which is a prerequisite
to run large scale food businesses. This processing and refining of the
natural God-given food results in the loss of vital substances, causing
health issues. The resulting so-called civilisation illnesses are especially
caused by fabricated sugars, refined flours, fabricated fats and all the
products containing those. In the beginning thousands of
years ago and also 2000 years ago at the time of Jesus all this
processing and refining of the natural food was simply not
possible, as the technologies had not yet been invented. So it appears to be a
good idea to look a little deeper into this, to stay away from these
processed and refined food products and to eat healthy food as much as
possible in the way it is provided by nature.
9)
It is interesting to see, that it was a very
long time after the beginning, just after the flood, that the bible confirms
a priority to eat grains, plants and fruits by declaring «As long as the
world exists, there will be a time for planting and a time for harvest»
10) and
thereafter in God's Covenant with Noah that «All
the animals ... Now you can eat them, as well as green plants.»
10)
3. Don't attempt to know everything
«You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden
Genesis
2:16, except the tree that
gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.» also translated as «...except the tree that
gives knowledge of everything» (Good News Translation).
Genesis
2:17
This was the third commandment in the
beginning.
This third commandment might be reflected upon
regarding various activities and sciences of modern times. More than ever,
we attempt to know everything. But we are not God, we are humans, therefore
we couldn't even handle to know everything, could we? Possibly we already
achieved way too much knowledge, we were and still are eating too much from
the tree of knowledge, and it appears that we sort of know too much and are
not wise enough to handle that in a responsible way. Examples are
genetically engineering, agro chemistry (e.g. Glyphosat, Roundup, ...), nuclear technologies
(nuclear energy and
weapons) and the immense consumption of fossil energies, but also the industrial produced and highly processed food, or the
exaggerations regarding Internet and global 5G networks. These are
examples of destructive human activities with uncontrollable or unknown
consequences. However, quite often the consequences are very well known,
but ignored for short term business profits (e.g. the polluting and
peace-threatening effects of fossil energies or the health issues
caused by processed
and refined food such as fabricated sugar, refined flour and fabricated fats
and all products containing those).
9)
This third commandment might also be
reflected upon in the context of spiritual and religious claims by some who think
to know the truth, the overall truth. God gave us a slice of truth to
know and it appears very wise that He told us to stay away from attempting
to know everything. We are just humans and simply can't know
everything, neither in the smallest particles nor in the most far away
galaxies, and certainly not in spiritual matters. There will always be
something inside the smallest particle and beyond the most far away galaxy,
and certainly something unknown above or in addition to any spiritual
belief.
This naturally given limitation of our knowledge is also
confirmed and reflected in many bible verses telling us not to judge, but
to live humbled in faith, trust and humility. This is explained for example
with the words «... What I know now is only partial ... Meanwhile these
three remain: faith, hope, love: and the greatest of these is love.» which
refer to the highest commandment given to us and explained by Jesus. 11)
For example, we do not know the reasons why
each one of us had been born in a different social, cultural and religious environment
or country. We can only be faithful and trust that there are good reasons for this. Beside
others, perhaps one reason for this existing cultural
and religious variety is to learn to respect and to tolerate other people
with love and compassion in our heart, independent of their faith, belief,
religion or world view. 12)
This is the very greatest commandment given to us. It was lived and
explained again and again by Jesus, who told us «Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ... Love your
neighbour as yourself. ... Love your enemies...». 11)
As we live here in this world on earth, we can
only try to obey this humbly and with humility within the framework of the very first commandment in
the bible to take care of God's Creation (which of course does include
ourselves, human beings, thus for example the second commandment in the bible to eat as
provided by God). How could we love our neighbour as ourselves without
caring for God's creation? This is not possible, so this greatest
commandment of all, to love one another, is not only paramount but logical.
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4) cf.
Genesis
2:15
5) cf.
The book of pictures
«The Creation»
by Franz Alt with photos by Helfried Weyer is a special
spirituell meditative journey (Franz Alt "Die Schöpfung", engl.
"The Creation", Gütersloher
Verlagshaus, ISBN: 978-3-579-06897-8).
6) cf. Max Thürkauf - A prophet in the nuclear age,
8.4.2011 (link no longer available)
7) cf.
Exodus 20:1-17 and
«The Sermon on the Mount
...»,
Matthew 5,
6,
7
8) see further below in
Laudato Si’ ... the paragraph 67 in
"CHAPTER TWO: GOSPEL OF CREATION" on page 49 in the
Pdf-copy of the encyclical
(184 pages, 1 MB)
9) see for example the short brochure
GGB Healthy through the right food (original LVA brochure), updated English
original,
or directly the older pdf copy
GGB Healthy through the right food (older copy, 10 MB PDF)
,
both published by
the Society for Health Advice
GGB (Gesellschaft für
Gesundheitsberatung e. V.,
GGB),
Wholemeal Bread Recipes:
1.
Wholemeal Bread - simple, good & tasty
2.
Wholemeal Psyllium Bread - simple, soft & moist
see also additional
links in the section
Our Health and
here (Vollwertig)
with information and links on some relevant topics
(including
«5G»). see
also for example the
Stop 5G on Earth
and in Space, INTERNATIONAL APPEAL, An Emergency Appeal to the
World’s Governments by Scientists, Doctors, Environmental Organizations and
Others (in all languages / in allen Sprachen), 2019.
10) cf. «As long as the world exists, there will be a time for
planting and a time for harvest»,
Genesis
8:22, and thereafter «All the animals, birds, and fish will live in fear
of you. They are all placed under your power. Now you can eat them, as well
as green plants; I give them all to you for food. The one thing you must not
eat is meat with blood still in it ... because the life is in the blood.»,
Genesis
9:2,
9:3,
9:4
(Good News Translation)
11) cf. «Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind. ... Love your neighbor as yourself.»,
Matthew 22:37,
22:38,
22:39,
compare this with
Deuteronomy 6:5 and
Leviticus 19:18
and
«Love your enemies, do good too those who hate you, bless those
who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.»,
Luke 6:27,
6:28
and
«The Sermon on the Mount
... love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may
be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil
and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you
love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax
collectors doing that?»,
Matthew 5:44,
5:45,
5:46,
also translated as «... Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you?
...» (Good News Translation)
and «Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.»,
Matthew 5:9
and the
entire
«The Sermon on the Mount»,
Matthew 5,
6,
7
and see also e.g.
«Jesus and the Samaritan woman»,
John 4,
and
«The arrest of Jesus: ... Put your sword back in its place, for all
who draw the sword will die by the sword.»,
Matthew
26:52
and «In the last days ...
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning
hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war
anymore. Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the
Lord.!»,
Isaiah 2:2-5
and
see
«I may have ... but if I have no love, I am nothing. ... What I see
now is like a dim image in a mirror ... What I know now is only partial ...
Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, love: and the greatest of these
is love.»,
1
Corinthians 13:2,
13:12,
13:13
(Good News Translation)
12) see e.g.
«Love
your neighbour as yourself»,
published after the Christchurch
mosque attacks,
with additional links, Dolphin's Design Wolfgang W. Rehfus,
March 2019
see
also e.g.
the explicit blessing of Moslems «But God said, ... As for Ishmael, I
have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and
multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will
make him into a great nation.»,
Genesis
17:20
and
«Ishmael (Arabic: إسماعيل, Ismā‘īl) is the figure known in
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as Abraham's (Ibrahim) son, born to Hagar (Hajar).
In Islam, Ishmael is regarded as a prophet (nabi) and an ancestor to
Muhammad.»,
Ishmael in Islam and
Ishmaelites, Wikipedia,
and see also
What does the Bible say about Muslims / Islam?, Bibleinfo.com
and see also «God, who made
the world and everything in it, ... he created all
races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself
fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they
would live.»,
Acts 17:24,
17:26
(Good News Translation)
and see e.g. «So God made
the two larger lights, the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule
over the night; he also made the stars.»,
Genesis 1:16
and «...the sun, the
moon, and the stars. The Lord your God has given these to all other peoples
for them to worship.»,
Deuteronomy 4:19
(Good News Translation)
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Greta Thunberg, «Greta
Thunberg full speech at UN Climate Change COP24 Conference», Youtube,
15.12.2018, «15 year old activist Greta Thunberg speaks truth to power at
the UN COP24 climate talks.»
How a 16-Year-Old Is Leading a Global Climate Movement
Youtube, 15.4.2019, «For hundreds of thousands
of young people around the world, Greta Thunberg is an icon. Greta’s actions
have earned her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and speaking engagements at
the World Economic Forum and COP24 - but most importantly, they’ve encouraged
students from all over the globe to stand up for Earth and their futures.»
Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World: More science, less Swedish teen,
Stuff NZ, James Croot, 27.6.2021
Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World, TVNZ, 2021
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, «What
Are We Fighting For?», Youtube video with speech at Bioneers 2016,
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez gave this speech at age 16, but he was an environmental
activist since age 6!
On Youtube you will find more impressive
speeches by these and other young people which are peacefully engaged in the
care for God's Creation, the global paradise we all share and live in.
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The first three commandments in the bible:
The first three commandments in the bible (a)
to take care of the paradise we live in,
(b) to eat grains, plants and fruits, as provided by God Himself, and (c) to trust
without knowing everything, appear to be the essence of the beginning.
13)
These three initial commandments in the bible give us every reason to
decrease and stop our destructive, pollutive and unhealthy activities and to
focus on and to build up our good, positive and healthy activities. Besides
obvious examples, such as reducing waste, plastic (e.g. NZ supermarkets recently
did a good step) and fuel consumption (e.g. to reduce driving in general and
to stop the engine whenever the vehicle is standing), three
effective and good examples would be (a) to eat healthy non-processed food, as given by God,
(b) to build up organic farming and (c) to build up a so-called green economy.
14)
It is interesting to recognise, that
organisations such as «Greenpeace» already since decades and recently for
example «Fridays for Future», and certainly not to forget the global peace
movement (see «Love your neighbour... Love your enemies...») and others as
well, do what God told us to do in the beginning.
These children of God, which we all are, don't act on short term business
profits, they act from their heart, they act with love and compassion to
each other and to God's Creation, they act for peace
between people, between countries and between mankind and nature, thus
between mankind and God. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus preached
«Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.»
11)
Consciously or unconsciously, they live according to the words «By
their fruit you will recognize them. ... it is by our actions that we are
put right with God, and not by faith alone.» 15)
2000 years ago, «Jesus went into the Temple
and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. ...» 16)
and at another occasion Jesus said very clear: «Go, but do not sin again.» 16)
Today these
young people from «Fridays for Future» go to the most powerful leaders of
the world and tell them what they do wrong, what must be stopped and what needs to be done. This is just
about exactly what Jesus would do today. Well worth thinking about, isn't it?
Being told to «Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ...»
11) also indicates an important priority
on our heart and soul, as we may not be able to
understand the bible only with our logical thinking and often egoistic
judging intelligence and with our ever
reasoning intellect. This priority and importance on our heart is also reflected in the
scripture, as God wrote the new covenant into our hearts and into our minds.
17)
In the end, we can only and very humble try to
understand with our mind and with our heart, guided by true feelings of love
and compassion in our heart.
11)
The first three commandments in the bible appear to be a good starting point
to seriously take care and protect God's Creation, our environment and all nature.
The next chapter below explores this in detail with the Encyclical Letter «Laudato Si’
...» by Pope Francis.
«My Father ... may your will be done.» - Amen
The Blessing Aotearoa,
«As the world aches ... God's Blessing over all people, everywhere
... and your family and your children, and their children, and their
children ...»
P roduced by
Brooke
and Grant Norsworth,
St. Paul's, Upper Moutere, New Zealand 2020
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13) cf.
Genesis
1:28,
Genesis
2:15,
Genesis
1:29,
Genesis
2:16,
Genesis
2:17
14) see
further below the chapter
Laudato Si’ ...
15) cf. «By their fruit you will recognize them.» also translated
as «You will know them by what they do. ... So then, you will know the false
prophets by what they do. Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter
the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants
them to do. ...»,
Matthew
7:16,
7:20,
7:21 (Good News Translation), and «My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you
have faith if your actions do not prove it? ... "Show me how anyone can have
faith without actions." ... it is by our actions that we are put right with
God, and not by faith alone.»,
James 2:14,
2:18,
2:24
(Good News Translation) and
«Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good
conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.»,
James 3:13
16) cf. «Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all those who
were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the
money-changers and the stools of those who sold pigeons, and said to them,
"It is written in the Scriptures that God said, 'My Temple will be called a
house of prayer.' But you are making it a hide-out for thieves!»,
Matthew
21:12,
21:13
and see
«Go,
but do not sin again.»,
John 8:11,
and ponder what that could mean in its wider global context today?
and see also
«We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. ...
The time has come
... for
destroying those who destroy the earth.»,
Revelation 11:17,
11:18
17) see «The new covenant that I will make... I will put my law
within them and write it on their hearts» (Good News Translation) or «I will put my law in their
minds and write it on their hearts»,
Jeremiah
31:33,
and
«Now, this is the covenant that I will make... I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.»,
Hebrews 8:10,
and
«This is the covenant that
I will make... I will put my laws in
their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.»,
Hebrews
10:16
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Laudato
Si’ ... |
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«Laudato Si’ ...»,
ENCYCLICAL LETTER
LAUDATO SI’
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FRANCIS
ON CARE FOR OUR
COMMON HOME,
Vatican Press, 24.5.2015
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Laudato Si’ ...
"LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore" – "Praise be to
you, my Lord". 18)
«What kind of world do we want to leave to those who
come after us, to children who are now growing up?» 19)
This is the question of our time. It is
possible to approach this question on a purely scientific and logically
reasoning basis. It is also possible to approach this question on a basis of
faith, trust and religion, as explained above with the book of Genesis
13) and
teachings by
Jesus. 11)
Both ways will lead to the same practical answers to seriously take care and
protect God's Creation.
A wonderful and surprisingly detailed answer
is given by Pope Francis in his Encyclical Letter «Laudato Si’ ...». 18)
It appears appropriate to say, that the Encyclical Letter «Laudato Si’ ...»
is possibly the most important document of our time and can — independent of
any specific denomination, church, religion, faith, belief or world view — be highly
recommended to all who attempt to take the book of Genesis
13)
and teachings by
Jesus 11)
serious, to all
who are interested in the world and its future, to all who are engaged in
the protection of our environment and nature, and to all who had been
interested in the above «Reflections on Corona and Easter».
The words
in the Encyclical Letter «Laudato Si’ ...» to protect our environment
and nature, God's Creation, should be taken seriously and the church, any
church, should be taken accountable according to these words by Pope
Francis. It is time to bring all synergies together and to co-operate
wherever we find agreements.
The following is the complete and fully quoted
introduction, but without the reference numbers, of the Encyclical Letter «Laudato Si’ ...». 18)
1. "LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore" –
"Praise be to you, my Lord". In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint
Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom
we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.
"Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains
and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and
herbs".
2.
This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her
by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed
her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to
plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is
also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the
water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself,
burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our
poor; she "groans in travail" (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we
ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up
of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from
her waters.
Nothing in this world is indifferent to us
3.
More than fifty years ago, with the world teetering on the brink of nuclear
crisis, Pope Saint John XXIII wrote an Encyclical which not only rejected
war but offered a proposal for peace. He addressed his message Pacem in
Terris to the entire "Catholic world" and indeed "to all men and women of
good will". Now, faced as we are with global environmental deterioration, I
wish to address every person living on this planet. In my Apostolic
Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, I wrote to all the members of the Church with
the aim of encouraging ongoing missionary renewal. In this Encyclical, I
would like to enter into dialogue with all people about our common home.
4. In
1971, eight years after Pacem in Terris, Blessed Pope Paul VI referred to
the ecological concern as “a tragic consequence” of unchecked human
activity: “Due to an ill-considered exploitation of nature, humanity runs
the risk of destroying it and becoming in turn a victim of this
degradation”. He spoke in similar terms to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations about the potential for an “ecological
catastrophe under the effective explosion of industrial civilization”, and
stressed “the urgent need for a radical change in the conduct of humanity”,
inasmuch as “the most extraordinary scientific advances, the most amazing
technical abilities, the most astonishing economic growth, unless they are
accompanied by authentic social and moral progress, will definitively turn
against man”.
5. Saint John Paul
II became increasingly concerned about this issue. In his first Encyclical
he warned that human beings frequently seem “to see no other meaning in
their natural environment than what serves for immediate use and
consumption”. Subsequently, he would call for a global ecological
conversion. At the same time, he noted that little effort had been made to
“safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic human ecology”. The
destruction of the human environment is extremely serious, not only because
God has entrusted the world to us men and women, but because human life is
itself a gift which must be defended from various forms of debasement. Every
effort to protect and improve our world entails profound changes in
“lifestyles, models of production and consumption, and the established
structures of power which today govern societies”. Authentic human
development has a moral character. It presumes full respect for the human
person, but it must also be concerned for the world around us and “take into
account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an ordered
system”. Accordingly, our human ability to transform reality must proceed in
line with God’s original gift of all that is.
6. My predecessor
Benedict XVI likewise proposed “eliminating the structural causes of the
dysfunctions of the world economy and correcting models of growth which have
proved incapable of ensuring respect for the environment”. He observed that
the world cannot be analyzed by isolating only one of its aspects, since
“the book of nature is one and indivisible”, and includes the environment,
life, sexuality, the family, social relations, and so forth. It follows that
“the deterioration of nature is closely connected to the culture which
shapes human coexistence”. Pope Benedict asked us to recognize that the
natural environment has been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behaviour.
The social environment has also suffered damage. Both are ultimately due to
the same evil: the notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our
lives, and hence human freedom is limitless. We have forgotten that “man is
not only a freedom which he creates for himself. Man does not create
himself. He is spirit and will, but also nature”. With paternal concern,
Benedict urged us to realize that creation is harmed “where we ourselves
have the final word, where everything is simply our property and we use it
for ourselves alone. The misuse of creation begins when we no longer
recognize any higher instance than ourselves, when we see nothing else but
ourselves”.
United by
the same concern
7. These statements
of the Popes echo the reflections of numerous scientists, philosophers,
theologians and civic groups, all of which have enriched the Church’s
thinking on these questions. Outside the Catholic Church, other Churches and
Christian communities – and other religions as well – have expressed deep
concern and offered valuable reflections on issues which all of us find
disturbing. To give just one striking example, I would mention the
statements made by the beloved Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, with whom
we share the hope of full ecclesial communion.
8. Patriarch
Bartholomew has spoken in particular of the need for each of us to repent of
the ways we have harmed the planet, for “inasmuch as we all generate small
ecological damage”, we are called to acknowledge “our contribution, smaller
or greater, to the disfigurement and destruction of creation”. He has
repeatedly stated this firmly and persuasively, challenging us to
acknowledge our sins against creation: “For human beings… to destroy the
biological diversity of God’s creation; for human beings to degrade the
integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the
earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands; for human beings to
contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life – these are
sins”. For “to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against
ourselves and a sin against God”.
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”. 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”.
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”. 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 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’”. 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.
12. What is more,
Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a
magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his
infinite beauty and goodness. “Through the greatness and the beauty of
creatures one comes to know by analogy their maker” (Wis 13:5); indeed, “his
eternal power and divinity have been made known through his works since the
creation of the world” (Rom 1:20). For this reason, Francis asked that part
of the friary garden always be left untouched, so that wild flowers and
herbs could grow there, and those who saw them could raise their minds to
God, the Creator of such beauty. Rather than a problem to be solved, the
world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.
My appeal
13. The urgent
challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole
human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we
know that things can change. The Creator does not abandon us; he never
forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has
the ability to work together in building our common home. Here I want to
recognize, encourage and thank all those striving in countless ways to
guarantee the protection of the home which we share. Particular appreciation
is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of
environmental degradation on the lives of the world’s poorest. Young people
demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better
future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of
the excluded.
14. I urgently
appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our
planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the
environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and
affect us all. The worldwide ecological movement has already made
considerable progress and led to the establishment of numerous organizations
committed to raising awareness of these challenges. Regrettably, many
efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental crisis have proved
ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of a
more general lack of interest. Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of
believers, can range from denial of the problem to indifference, nonchalant
resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions. We require a new and
universal solidarity. As the bishops of Southern Africa have stated:
“Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused
by human abuse of God’s creation”. All of us can cooperate as instruments of
God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture,
experience, involvements and talents.
15. It is my hope
that this Encyclical Letter, which is now added to the body of the Church’s
social teaching, can help us to acknowledge the appeal, immensity and
urgency of the challenge we face. I will begin by briefly reviewing several
aspects of the present ecological crisis, with the aim of drawing on the
results of the best scientific research available today, letting them touch
us deeply and provide a concrete foundation for the ethical and spiritual
itinerary that follows. I will then consider some principles drawn from the
Judaeo-Christian tradition which can render our commitment to the
environment more coherent. I will then attempt to get to the roots of the
present situation, so as to consider not only its symptoms but also its
deepest causes. This will help to provide an approach to ecology which
respects our unique place as human beings in this world and our relationship
to our surroundings. In light of this reflection, I will advance some
broader proposals for dialogue and action which would involve each of us as
individuals, and also affect international policy. Finally, convinced as I
am that change is impossible without motivation and a process of education,
I will offer some inspired guidelines for human development to be found in
the treasure of Christian spiritual experience.
16. Although each
chapter will have its own subject and specific approach, it will also take
up and re-examine important questions previously dealt with. This is
particularly the case with a number of themes which will reappear as the
Encyclical unfolds. As examples, I will point to the intimate relationship
between the poor and the fragility of the planet, the conviction that
everything in the world is connected, the critique of new paradigms and
forms of power derived from technology, the call to seek other ways of
understanding the economy and progress, the value proper to each creature,
the human meaning of ecology, the need for forthright and honest debate, the
serious responsibility of international and local policy,
CHAPTER ONE
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMMON
HOUSE
...
CHAPTER TWO
GOSPEL OF CREATION
...
CHAPTER THREE
THE HUMAN ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS
...
CHAPTER FOUR
INTEGRAL ECOLOGY
...
CHAPTER FIVE
LINES OF APPROACH AND ACTION
...
CHAPTER SIX
ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND SPIRITUALITY
...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
...
Please continue reading with the following links to the full Encyclical
Letter «Laudato Si’ ...», the official guide and overview, a comment and a
song, or the downloadable 184 pages PDF copy of the Encyclical Letter «Laudato
Si’ ...».
|
18) cf. «Laudato Si’ ...»,
ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR
COMMON HOME, Vatican Press, 24.5.2015
Guide and overview
Comment by scientist Schellnhuber
Laudato Si, the song ...
Pdf-copy of the encyclical
(184 pages, 1 MB)
19) cf. paragraph 160 in "CHAPTER FOUR: INTEGRAL ECOLOGY" on page
118 in the
Pdf-copy of the encyclical
(184 pages, 1 MB)
See also these related articles and scientists
papers:
Over one billion people at threat of being displaced by 2050 due to
environmental change, conflict and civil unrest - Ecological Threat Register
2020, 19.9.2020, Institute for Economics & Peace, published on Sonnenseite.com,
VISION of HUMANITY 2020
World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice, «Twenty-five
years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists and more than 1700 independent
scientists, including the majority of living Nobel laureates in the
sciences, penned the 1992 “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity”. These
concerned professionals called on humankind to curtail environmental
destruction and cautioned that “a great change in our stewardship of the
Earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be
avoided.” In their manifesto, they showed that humans were on a collision
course with the natural world.
...
Since 1992, with the exception of stabilizing the stratospheric ozone layer,
humanity has failed to make sufficient progress in generally solving these
foreseen environmental challenges, and alarmingly, most of them are getting
far worse. Especially troubling is the current trajectory of potentially
catastrophic climate change due to rising GHGs from burning fossil fuels
(Hansen et al. 2013), deforestation (Keenan et al. 2015), and agricultural
production—particularly from farming ruminants for meat consumption (Ripple
et al. 2014).
...
It is also time to re-examine and change our individual behaviors...
consumption of fossil fuels, meat, and other resources.
...
Examples of diverse and effective steps humanity can take to transition to
sustainability...
...
Soon it will be too late to shift course away from our failing trajectory,
and time is running out. We must recognize, in our day-to-day lives and in
our governing institutions, that Earth with all its life is our only home.
...», 13.11.2017, Oxford University Press
UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet, «Lesser consumption of
animal products is necessary to save the world from the worst impacts of
climate change, UN report says ... 'Animal products cause more damage than
[producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or
metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil
fuels.' ... 'Rising affluence is triggering a shift in diets towards meat
and dairy products - livestock now consumes much of the world’s crops and by
inference a great deal of freshwater, fertilisers and pesticides.' ...
'Decoupling growth from environmental degradation is the number one
challenge facing governments in a world of rising numbers of people, rising
incomes, rising consumption demands and the persistent challenge of poverty
alleviation.'», 2.6.2010, The Guardian
See also writings and videos on the interface of
science, philosophy and religion:
See for example the writings and video
talks by John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University,
internationally renowned speaker and author of several books on the
interface of science, philosophy and religion:
«Either human intelligence ultimately owes its
origin to mindless matter; or there is a Creator. It is strange that some
people claim that it is their intelligence that leads them to prefer the
first to the second.»,
JohnLennox.org.
These videos provide interesting food for
thoughts:
The Question of Science and God - Part 1 (47:33 min), 12.1.2018, John
Lennox, Youtube, and
The Question of Science and God - Part 2 (58:27 min), 23.1.2018, John
Lennox, Youtube, «Has Science buried God?
Eric Metaxas tracks down Oxford's John Lennox in France for answers, and the
brilliant professor delivers!»,
SocratesInTheCity.com
Why Do
I Exist? (4:31 min), 21.1.2020, John Lennox, Youtube
Seven
Days That Divide the World (1:30:06), 14.3.2014, John Lennox, Youtube,
«Dr. Lennox explores a method for reading and interpreting the first
chapters of Genesis without discounting either science or Scripture.»
Prof.
John Lennox | The logic of Christianity, (48:53), 23.12.2020, John
Lennox, Youtube, «We are passing on a catastrophe, it seems to me,
economically and every other way...»
GOD'S UNDERTAKER - Has
Science Buried God?, John Lennox, published 2002, 2007, 2009;
... Acknowledgements:
«This book originated in lectures given at a course entitled 'Faith, Reason
and Science' at the University of Oxford, Department for Continuing
Education and at the Institute for the Philosophy of Science at Salzburg
University, Austria. It represents an attempt to evaluate the evidence of
modern science in relation to the debate between the atheistic and theistic
interpretations of the universe and to provide a basis for discussion.»
... Epilogue:
«I am very astonished that the scientific picture of the real world around
me is very deficient. It gives us a lot of factual information, puts all of
our experience in a magnificently consistent order, but is ghastly silent
about all and sundry that is really near to our heart that really matters to
us. It cannot tell us a word about red and blue, bitter and sweet, physical
pain and physical delight; it knows nothing of beautiful and ugly, good and
bad, God and eternity. Science sometimes pretends to answer questions in
these domains but the answers are very often so silly that we are not
inclined to take them seriously.»
Erwin Schrödinger
«So far I have argued that, although science with all its power cannot
address some of the fundamental questions that we ask, nevertheless the
universe contains certain clues as to our relationship to it, clues that are
scientifically accessible. The rational intelligibility of the universe, for
example, points to the existence of a Mind that was responsible both for the
universe and for our minds. ... Not only that, but our increasing insight
into the fine-tuning of the universe in general, and of planet earth in
particular, is consistent with the widespread awareness that we are meant to
be here. This earth in our home...»,
John C. Lennox
"BREAK OUT AND BECOME a New Creature in
Christ", Mary Virginia Parrish, 1978 by Abingdon Nashville, ISBN
0-687-03973-8;
page 126, 127:
«...Once we acknowledge that the tensions and problems of
our world are the result of our inner thoughts and attitudes, we see
ourselves as creators of climate. Jealousy, hate, resentment, are alive and
contagious. They pollute the atmosphere. As spiritual ecologists, we can
bring the 'fragrance of Christ' to purify, to alter, our environment. Love
is more powerful than hate. Light is greater than darkness. Peace is more
dynamic than war. Once these concepts are assimilated, the rule of spiritual
ecologist becomes clear. Our concern over the atmospheric pollution which
hate causes becomes a call to arms. We take up God's weapons of love to
absorb hate, light to dispel darkness, hope to replace fear. We are here to be captured by Christ not for our own
peace, not for our own cozy relationship with him, wonderful as that is, but
to become lovers of the world he loves so much...»
«For God loved the world so much that he gave
his only Son...»,
John 3:16
(Good News Translation)
see also
Judaism, Islam and Christianity explore faith's role tackling our climate
crisis, "Pope Francis says coronavirus may be a 'response' from nature.
The head of the Catholic Church linked the global outbreak to our failure to
properly address climate change. Members of three Abrahamic religions will
discuss climate change and commit to take personal, community and societal
action during a Wellington inter-faith event...", Olivia Wannan, 18.6.2021
and
Pope Francis Says Coronavirus May Be Symptom of Climate Crisis,
EcoWatch, 10.4.2020
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