Apr 22, 2018
Earth Day has been international from the beginning, proclaimed by UNESCO in 1969, to be observed on March 21, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. It was first observed on March 21, 1970.
Independently, an Earth Day was celebrated in the US on April 22, 1970.
The Earth Day Flag features a famous photo of the Earth taken from space from an Apollo spacecraft.
Those who came together to plan for the original US Earth Day, to urgently call for changes in our actions as individuals and in policy at many levels, were motivated by the disastrous oil spill off the California coast near Santa Barbara in January 1969.
Many communities now celebrate an Earth Week. On April 22, 2017 in the US, the first March for Science was celebrated, followed a week later by the Peoples Climate Mobilization a week later.
We need Earth Day now more than ever.
In his general audience on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, a month before he issued Laudato Si’, Pope Francis urged us: ” . . . to see the world through the eyes of God the Creator: the earth is an environment to be safeguarded, a garden to be cultivated. ” This is a very old vision; it is the heart of the second creation story in the Book of Genesis.
The LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made grow every tree that was delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.
Genesis 2:7−8, 15
In the US, Earth Day is sometimes linked with John Muir, whose birthday is April 21. Muir is famous for his work as naturalist, environmental philosopher, and advocate of wilderness preservation. Muir was a remarkable pioneer, ahead of his time in many ways. But Muir’s vision was not wide enough; sadly, he was more interested in plants and animals than in the Native Peoples.
For me, Aldo Leopold’s vision of Earth as a community to which we belong is a more fruitful connection with those who love this fragile planet, our island home. Here are two of my favorite Leopold quotes on what he called the land ethic. Both are from the wonderful essay collection A Sand County Alamanac.
We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.
All ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts. The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants and animals, or collectively the land.
So gather with like-minded people wherever you are this weekend and next. Volunteer to pick up trash, to plant, to write letters and send emails, to register people to vote, to support farm workers. Talk with your family and parish about cutting down on use of non-renewables. Connect these local actions with the vision of Laudato Si’.
Here is how the Global Catholic Climate Movement envisions their work to enact the vision of Laudato Si’:
Apr 21, 2018
by Sr. Ann Clark, C.PP.S., Dayton
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.
There was a young woman in RCIA a couple of years ago when I was working in a parish. She was always cheerful, positive and had a bubbly personality. She had a beautiful voice that she shared with the parish, even before coming into the Church. She was full of questions, no matter what the topic. She soon married, and they had a beautiful little girl. A year ago I heard that she had a brain tumor—glioblastoma. She started a blog soon after her diagnosis. In the beginning she wrote often about her treatments and about how she was doing and feeling. She had man followers. Most of them repeated how often they and their friends were praying for her, asking God to heal her, as was I. The posts became less frequent. In September she died. Occasionally her husband, now a young widower with a young daughter, posts on the blog. In his latest post the pain and the heartbreak came through in every word. He wrote how during those 8 months from diagnosis to her death they grew closer together, they grew in their faith, and they were “really living the way we should have been living all along.”
Sometimes it is hard to believe this saying of Jesus. We ask for something, something like health, but Jesus doesn’t do it. At least he doesn’t the way we think it is going to happen. Maybe Jesus did do it. Maybe the blog did “heal” her when she shared her pain with others. Maybe others were healed through her words. Maybe her husband is being healed by sharing his pain and sorrow. It’s about life, death, and resurrection. Jesus did do that!
Apr 20, 2018
by Sr. Barbara Jean Franklin, ASC
…what God promised to our ancestors
God has fulfilled for us…
A student preparing for Confirmation asked who were the saints in the church. The reference was to the statues and tapestries that adorned the walls of the building. The expected answer was a litany of all the saintly images in fabric and plaster of Paris visible along the walls. However, the answer that a young OMI novice from India gave was quite profound. He talked about St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and other holy men and women who formed the “walls” of the Church.
Like the people Luke addresses in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, we too have special ancestors. Our ancestors are the founders and foundresses of our congregations and the many men and women who have followed them since our earliest 19th century origins. Think of it. Our “walls” are sturdy, faithful, and Spirit-filled. The presence of our ancestors surrounds us as we carry forward the charism once entrusted to them. Now we are the witnesses to God’s people of a profound love expressed each day in many reconciling ways.
…what God promised to our ancestors God has fulfilled for us…
Apr 19, 2018
by Sr. Theresa Jezl, C.PP.S., O’Fallon
Whoever receives the one I send receives me…
In the first reading of this day, St Paul speaks in the synagogue in Antioch. As the good teacher he is, he tells his listeners things they already know well and regularly recount in their liturgy. His actual message is at the end. John, the Baptizer, who had the respect of the congregation, had said of himself and Jesus: “What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me: I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.”
Unfastening sandals and washing feet, because of the filth involved, were unclean tasks and relegated to slaves.
In the Gospel, Jesus has just washed the feet of his disciples and says to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master, nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.” In this way Jesus speaks of his relationship to the Father. Later he adds: ”Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
We never know who God will send to us as his representative. Therefore it is best to treat everyone as if they were from God. This is especially good to remember as we contemplate our Bold Action. What a rich opportunity to meet and interact with God!
Apr 18, 2018
by Rev. Ron Will, C.PP.S., Kansas City Province
As we celebrate the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist today, we hear the Gospel account about the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Before he leaves, Jesus sends his Apostles into the world to proclaim the good news to all creation. As members of the Precious Blood Family, we also are sent to proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ in a world filled with a lot of bad news. It is easy to let the bad news affect our emotional state of being. We can carry a cloud over us that affects all our family and work-place relationships. So, the commission of Jesus to us to proclaim good news is really important today. The world needs to hear about our experiences of the love of God.
As you reflect on your circle of influence, how can you proclaim good news through your words, body language, or listening ear today? Where is the cry of the blood calling you to speak good news to someone today?
