Digging Into Laudato Si'

Digging Into Laudato Si': In the last post of this series on Laudato Si', let's go back to the introduction where Pope Francis describes his urgent appeal for 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."

Digging Into Laudato Si': While the last section of the encyclical may be short, it's full of hope. 

Digging Into Laudato Si': In section 7, the pope explains how the Holy Trinity is omnipresent in the universe. There is so much spiritual power that comes with recognizing the interconnectedness of all living things. 

Digging Into Laudato Si': God's work can come in many forms. What are you called to do?

Digging Into Laudato Si': In this section on joy and peace, Pope Francis encourages a Christian spirituality that includes a "contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption." But finding inner peace is no small task.

Digging Into Laudato Si': Christians are well-positioned to lead on matters of social and environmental justice because we are called to live like Jesus. So, how can you align your spirituality with the imperative to care for our common home?

Digging Into Laudato Si': The pope says we have a moral imperative to assess "the impact of our every action and personal decision on the world around us." Lifestyle changes can even place positive pressures on powerful entities to do better.

Digging Into Laudato Si': As big as the effects of macroeconomic activities may seem, remember that real people exist behind the corporations whose operations harm the poor and the planet.

Digging Into Laudato Si': You would think it’s common sense to prioritize the health of the planet we all rely on, since there are no jobs on a dead planet, but that idea doesn't hold weight for those who prefer short-term gain over long-term sustainability.

Digging Into Laudato Si': Globalization has made the world vastly interconnected. In Chapter 5, Pope Francis pushes us "to think of one world with a common plan."

Digging Into Laudato Si': When it comes to intergenerational solidarity, Pope Francis asks us to consider, "What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?"

Digging Into Laudato Si': In chapter 4, Pope Francis introduces the concept of "integral ecology," his way of describing the necessity for an integrated approach to social and environmental justice.

Digging Into Laudato Si': Be vigilant when practical relativism comes up in your life and your mind, and choose the path of compassion instead.

Digging Into Laudato Si': How can we support humanity and technological progress at the same time? What can you do to shape this kind of future?

Digging Into Laudato Si':  If Jesus is in all living things, and we fail to treat other people, other creatures and the environment with care, then what does that say about our relationship with Jesus?

Digging Into Laudato Si': These passages come down to the balance we need to strike between private property and the need to share resources for the common good. Are there areas in your life where you can resist short-term self-interest for the benefit of the long-term common good?

Digging Into Laudato Si': Continuing with chapter 2, Pope Francis says in section 3: “A fragile world, entrusted by God to human care, challenges us to devise intelligent ways of directing, developing and limiting our power” (78). How will we use our free will to make choices that allow us to be agents of change?

Digging Into Laudato Si': God designed a world in which nature takes care of us, and God intended for us to care for it in return. Consider the politicans you vote for and the companies you support with your wallet.

Digging Into Laudato Si': Consider the ecological debt that exists "between the global north and south" that Pope Francis discusses on this section about global inequality.

Digging Into Laudato Si': Pope Francis doesn't hold back in his section on the loss of biodiversity. Perhaps the simplest thing we can do comes down to Francis’s ask at the end of this section: to cherish all creatures with love and respect.

Digging Into Laudato Si': The mainstream climate movement largely centers around curbing fossil fuel emissions, but in today's reading we consider an overlooked piece of the climate puzzle: soil.

Digging into Laudato Si': After reading the first chapter, what is one change you can make to reuse or recycle a commonly used item rather than buying new?

Digging into Laudato Si': Read the final section of the encyclical's introduction, "My appeal." What do you make of Pope Francis' appeal to the "urgent challenge" before us?

Digging into Laudato Si': As you read the encyclical's introduction, consider how St. Francis lived his life and the inspiration Pope Francis draws from him.