Care for God's Creation

The Problem

Catholicism seems to be loaded with “hot button” issues: abortion, gay marriage, contraception, and so on. These topics are typically the issues that get the most press, but there are many other parts of our faith that aren’t nearly as publicized. The Catholic Church also advocates for immigration reform, rights for workers, and help for the poor. One issue that almost always fails to get proper recognition is that of caring for our environment. Ecology is something that is found its way into Catholicism through many doors. It has its place in Catholic Social Teaching, papal documents, and in the lives of the saints. Yet for something so present in our teachings and traditions, it seems to be one of the things least associated with Catholicism.

            Care for God’s Creation is a tenant of Catholic Social Teaching. Beginning in 1891 with Pope Leo XIII, CST is a doctrine that covers how Catholics should respond to issues about social justice. They dive into ways we can live our faith by serving others and give a guidelines for different issues. Some of these include the Common Good and dignity of work. CST also revolves around showing love and giving dignity to every member of God’s world, especially the poor.

 It is through this lens that we can see the importance of giving critical care to our planet. CST reminds us that the poor are those who first face the repercussions of environmental destruction. As our climate becomes more extreme, it is the homeless who will lack the proper housing. As our resources become more limited, the poor will also be the first to not be able to afford new housing as prices skyrocket. If as Catholics we say that we believe in helping the poor, we also must stand for protecting our environment.I have a pen pal who lives in Uganda. Her name is Lydia. Lydia deals with struggles that I will never know. She tells me that her favorite book is her chemistry textbook because it is one of the few books she owns. She dreams of going to college, but will likely never be able to afford it. It is Lydia who will be affected by climate change far before I am. Lydia will face extreme weather without housing that is equipped to deal with it. She will also have trouble getting clean water and healthy food. It is easy to ignore it when the “poor” are faceless. But they aren’t faceless. They are real people with lives as rich and vivid as our own. They are Lydia and her friends in Uganda. They are the homeless of South Bend. They are the reason we need to care about our planet.

Taking care of our environment is not just an issue  for tree-huggers or hippies; it is an issue for everyone. Nothing- none of our hot topic issues- exist without our planet. If we as Catholics say we believe in life and dignity, we need to see to it that our future families and their children and their children’s children get to live in a world where they can live healthy lives with clean resources. If we say that we believe in love, we need to realize that caring for our planet is the most loving thing we can do for the poor in our community and in the developing world,. [KM1] If we believe that life on earth is a gift from God, then it is our duty as Catholics to care for that world. It is a human dignity issue, a social justice issue, a love issue, a peace issue, a Catholic issue- and above all- it is our issue.

The Solution

            The great thing is that you can be a part of the solution without having to travel or donate money; you can start making simple, sustainable changes in your life.

You can start right here, right now on your computer! HerCampusND writer Belinda Hyland wrote a great and realistic article about the easy, daily changes you can make to make your day more sustainable. She even takes you through your daily Notre Dame schedule and points out places where you can make a difference. When you are done reading, check out the website on the Catholic Climate Covenant. You can read up on the papal tradition behind the Church’s role in ecology, read stories about more people affected by climate change, and make the “St. Francis” pledge to pray, learn, assess, act, and advocate. Their website is a rich source of information and ideas on ways to live out our call to help the environment.

If you want to do more, the on-campus organization We Are Nine advocates for changes and petitions for administrative support for environmental issues on campus. Their website offers several ways to become involved in “Green” issues on campus and explains why the environment is an important issue for Catholics, for social justice, and for Notre Dame. There are several upcoming events in our local community this week that focus on poverty and the environment. Theology on Tap [KM2] this Wednesday at Legends at 8PM will discuss issues of poverty and solidarity.  There’s also a “sustainable farmers market” November 13^th at St Mary’s, and the Folk Choir’s Concert for the Missions this Friday at 8PM in the Basilica. To take a greater step, consider a minor in Catholic Social Teaching, International Development, Energy Studies, or Sustainability.

We shouldn’t feel guilty about environmental issues, but rather passionate and invigorated to make simple changes, some that may lead to sustainable habits or maybe even into bigger life choices.