Living Laudato Si’
My hope today is that you and your family are all safe and well. Many people are commenting on how they can hear the birdsong more clearly these days, how everything is so quiet, how there are more bees around this year, how they are planting in their gardens or noticing flowers beginning to bloom.
We have slowed down; our pace of life has changed. For some this pandemic is almost like a retreat they never planned. For others it is a very stressful time. However, we are experiencing it, let it be a threshold moment, a transformative moment.
The Covid-19 crisis has reminded us all of just how deeply everything is connected and tragically, this health catastrophe has a lot in common with the ecological catastrophe. Both are global emergencies that will affect many people. They are experienced most deeply by the poor and vulnerable of our world and they expose the deep injustices in our societies. Also, they will both only be solved through a collaborative effort that calls on the best of the values we share.
From May 16-24 this year, Catholics all over the world have been called to celebrate Laudato Si’ Week. It is the fifth anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical on Care for Our Common Home. In a message to all of us the Pope has renewed his urgent call for a more sustainable future for everyone. Nevertheless, we are being asked to celebrate this week in whatever way we can in our homes and to share our actions with others. This is a key moment for each of us to reflect on what kind of world we want to live in when this pandemic has passed. How can we reshape that world? Can we use this time as an opportunity to start afresh and encourage a greener and more just world?
I would encourage you to take a look at www.laudatosiweek.org which has many activities and suggestions for families and communities. You can even add your own ideas to a global map of action. It would be great to see many events fill up the Ireland part of that map. There are beautiful prayer resources and ideas for things we can do in our own homes during this time such and we are all invited to pray the special Laudato Si’ Week prayer at noon on May 24. As a family you could set up a sacred space, pray with and for creation, for all those affected by the Covid-19 crisis and the ecological crisis.
I will be joining with others on Sunday 24 May at 8 pm for an hour of music, prayer and reflection to celebrate Laudato Si’ online. Everyone is very welcome to join and you can register by emailing me at jane.mellett@trocaire.org
This webinar is being organised by the Laudato Si’ Working Group of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
Let us use this opportunity to move forward together into a lighter way of walking on the earth.
Jane Mellett is the Laudato Si’ officer with Trócaire.
