Caring for our Common Home - a new integral ecology -

Laudato Si - Next Steps

Prepared for the CLC National Gathering in January 2018 by Bill & Noreen Nicholson

Introduction

God is revealed in the magnificence of His creation.
Visualise a place of beauty or grandeur where you were deeply moved and where you could feel God in the beauty. Breathe deeply and relax in that place.

  • How does it make you feel?
  • Is there a sense of awe in this place?
  • Can you feel the Spirit in the beauty?

The challenge from Pope Francis to change our habits

InLaudato Si, Pope Francis challengesus to actively heed the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

Also General Principle 4 says Climate is a “common good” belonging to all and meant for all. It is a complex system linked to essential conditions for humanlife.

As prayerful and committed Christians think about the following for 1 minute:

  • Do we diminish expressions of concern for the environment with practical excuses?
  • Do we acknowledge the concern but we are passive - by choosing not to change our habits?
  • Are we in need of ‘ecological conversion’? So our encounter with Jesus the Christ would become much more evident in our relationship with the world around us.
  • Are we living our vocation to be protectors of God’s ecological handiwork? It is an essential responsibility as a Christian.

Do we view the world through this lens?

  • We need to see nature and the material world as sacred and valuable in its own right,
  • Plants & creatures are not just resources they have value in and of themselves and give glory to God.
  • How do we reallyconnect to the deeper part of ourselves that already seeks to find God in All Things?
  • When we make the connection and feel the hurts of the planet and people, do we feel grief? Are we affected by the ecological destruction occurring?
  • Grief is the emotional price we pay when common resources are exploited for profit . We must see all as sacred.

Let’s just stay with that thought. How do weFEEL about these truths -

  • 50% of Great Barrier Reef the greatest living organism in the world, is dead
  • 40% of forests in Australia have been lost, causing havoc on wetlands and marine ecosystems
  • 1 in 3 of our unique mammals are at risk of extinction
  • Are we prepared to open our hearts and hear the cry of the climate change refugees?

Life maintains life - the earth is a complex living system whose ‘harmony’ depends on the robust interaction of every living and non-living system.
Controlling nature is at the root of our ecological predicament. What we do to each other even to the smallest animal or plant we do to all creation.

What are we called to do?

Intro to Shadows by Sandell You Tube (4.38) a plea from a young person in 2009

9 years on - has there been a positive or negative change in leadership actions/solutions? Show of hands YES/NO

HOPEis stronger than despair. By entering deeply into the natural beauty and wonder of the world we are part of, it can lead to a conversion - an appreciation of the magnificent gift of the interconnectedness of our environment.

Countering the ever presentgreed, trashing the world and impoverishing theweak and pooris to include all people at the table of the world. Access to clean drinking water is a human right.

Working against apathy, self interest and blindness - our own and others
Pope Francis asks ‘Do you believe that people can be led to see, to act and to be effective?’

We need to see changes in lifestyle, production and consumption to reduce this social and environmental crisis.

We sense that ‘normal’ isn’t coming back, that we are being born into a new normal - a new kind of society, a new relationship to earth, a new experience of being human.

100 years of temperature anomalies arrange by country from 1900-2016. Note the fading out of blue which is the below average temperatures and red is above average temperatures

One of the biggest problems in the world today is anxiety particularly in younger people - what sort of world are we leaving for them and the generations to come. How are we contributing to their angst.

We must reject the relentless conversion of life into money…it is not working.

Personal/Spiritual Response - just recycling is not enough, we need push on further -

Things we can do:
* Acommitment to Zero waste - food, consumables, energy, plastic, water
* Plant rich diet - reducing meat consumption
* Go Solar and ditch gas
* Divestment from Fossil fuels - we need to investigate what our money is financing.
A coalition of 40 Catholic institutions has announced its divestment from fossil fuels. The institutions are located on 5 continents. They are preparing for a carbon neutral economy.

  • Check your super funds,
  • Ditch the big four banks, Since 2008 the Big Four have loaned $70Billion to dirty fossil fuel projects
  • Check your Energy providergpap.greenelectricityguide.org.au you can check the ratings.

We need to recognise that our small consumer choices, while important can never be enough. We need to support activism towards BIG solutions that put planetary considerations before PROFIT - we desperately need systems change,this is what the Pope is askingof us.

Communal/Mission Response

Joining with others to advocate for enviro causes such as Friends of the Earth, Australian Conservation Foundation, Stop Adani, Get Up - it is people power that will change the world, not politicians.

Grass roots activism is leading the way in renewable energy - there is now a solar panel for each person in Australia. Where the Federal Government is bumbling the community are leading the way…be part of the change!

Transition Streets- A grass root movement in your street - meet with people in your street to improve share your environmental journey.

The Newlands Community blog is a great example of how to encourage connection and community engagement in your area. Connect with your neighbourhood to swap food, clothes, look out for each other etc.

We have prepared a resource list with contact details of various ways of finding good information to assist you.

So how does CLC respond? Where do we stand in the ecological/social justice space? We can’t expect young people to join us if we are not engaged in what they see as ongoing problems in our world.

A major problem to be aware of:

At the moment the Federal Government is trying to stop organisations speaking out on the environment, poverty and health. Our advocacy rights are being threatened, there is a government agenda of crushing criticism. The silencing bill known as the Electoral Legislation Amendment Bill 2017was introduced on December 7 while we were preoccupied with Christmas.

If this gets through the end result will prevent good organisations from speaking out on behalf of the environment, poor, the sick and those with a disability and those who suffer from the effects of climate change. That’s everyone!

Advocacy benefits the community - gives us a voice.

Do we want to have only big business with the power to lobby?

Big money is corrupting our energy policy. Mining is willing to sacrifice our once Great Barrier Reef.

If the bill is passed Charities will be unable to tell you which party is more likely to entrench poverty, destroy the environment, protect workers and safe refugees from banishment.

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MEMBER and tell then to take their“Hands off our Charities” that are working for the common good. Let’s mobilise, resist and be part of the transformation.

The challenge for CLC is to stand up and be counted in this advocacy space.

For Example
March for refugees with 10,000 others in Melbourne with CLC sign felt wonderful in joining with others for a common cause.
It was also great to join the Stop Adani protest at the Commonwealth Bank - the protest around Australia worked, they did not provide funding.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens canchange the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has”.

Margaret Mead

Bill & Noreen Nicholson
January 2018