Laudato si week – Day four: 19th May
Genesis 1:6-8
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”.
Laudato si: Chapter two
Pope Francis addresses this document to all people of good will – believers and non-believers – and yet in this chapter he specifically invites us to reflect on the biblical accounts of creation. Acknowledging the differences between science and religion and their distinctive approaches to understanding reality he invites the two, seemingly opposites, to enter into fruitful dialogue. (LS, 62) He reminds us all that we are not God, the earth was here before us and has been gifted to us by God. We must reject the idea that humanity has been given dominion over the earth and therefore domination over other creatures. Biblical texts, he says, must be read in their context.
If we read Genesis 2:15 we see we are called to “till and keep” the earth. ‘Tilling’ refers to cultivating the earth while ‘keeping’ refers to caring and protecting, preserving and overseeing the earth. These two words imply a relationship of mutual responsibility between humanity and nature. Each community of living creatures can take from earth’s bounty all that it needs to survive and thrive but it also has a duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for future generations.
“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”.
Laudato si week – Day five: 20th May
Genesis 1:9-13
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forward vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yieldingseed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”.
Laudato si: Chapter three
Pope Francis in this chapter speaks of the human origins of the global ecological crisis. Our understanding of how to live gently on the earth has been lost. We have to accept that advances in science and technology that lead as we think to more efficient living often fuelled by powerful groups and corporations are not cost neutral to the earth and on the lives of some of our fellow human beings who suffer the effects of our advancement. (cf. LS, 101) We need to learn once again how to live wisely, to think deeply and to love generously.
“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”.
Laudato si week – Day six: 21st May
Genesis 1:14-19
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night: and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night – and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”.
Laudato si: Chapter four
Pope Francis here speaks of the interrelatedness of everything and that because of this a vision for the future calls us to take account of every single aspect of life in this crisis – an integral ecology which respects human and social dimensions. We need to call together the different fields of study – science, economics, business, medicine, sociology, theology to have this open conversation leading to a deeper understanding of the problems and the changes needed to create a sustainable future. This requires an analysis of how humanity lives and works in the world today so that every individual sees and understands their connection to the environment around them. He says: “what Christians need is an ecological conversion, whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in the world around them.” (LS, 217)
“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”.