Laudato Si is an Encyclical of Pope Francis published in May 2015. It focuses on caring for the natural environment and all people, as well as the relationship between God, Humans, and the Earth. The Encyclical subtitle, “Care for the Common Home” reinforces these key themes. An Encyclical is a public letter from the Pope often in the light of current events, Laudato Si is addressed to “Every living person on the planet”.
The first word of “Laudato Si” is Italian and translates as “Praise be to you“. They are part of a quotation from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creatures” in which the saint praises God by meditating on the goodness of the sun, moon, wind, earth, water, and other natural forces. Laudato Si is a reminder of how people of faith should not only respect the earth but also praise and honor God through their engagement with creation. In the words of beautiful Canticle, St Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life, and we have a beautiful Mother, who opens her arms lovingly to embrace us.
Praise be to you my Lord, through our sister, Mother Earth who sustains and governs us. Our loving God created this beautiful world with all its beauty and splendor and our dear Mother Earth produces various delicious fruits, and healthy vegetables for the survival of her children. She produces beautiful colorful flowers, beautiful lawns, and gardens for us to enjoy our life. She also produces medicinal plants and herbal plants to protect us from disease and keep us hale and healthy.
Let us be ever grateful to our dear Mother Earth, for her deep love, great concern, continuous protection, and always caring for the welfare of her loving children. As man is the most precious gift of God, God created him in God’s own image likeness and placed him in a highly exalted position, and allowed him to enjoy the beautiful creation of God without causing damage or harm to His creation.
Unfortunately, this sister now cries out to us because of the harm, we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods provided for us, to make our life happy, comfortable, beautiful, and safe. when we speak of the environment, what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society, which lives in it.
The timing of the campaign comes with the growing awareness and urgency of climate change and the need to address its impact on the environment and society. This realization led to the awareness of this phenomena, developing into a deeper connection, carrying the message to a global network in order “to hear both the cry of the Earth and the cry of the Poor“. This collective listening creates a collective voice and collective action that creates a powerful potential for making the message a reality.
Dear friends Think of those terrible moments when floods and tsunamis hit us, our fellow humans, neighbors, family members, and close friends, very dear and near ones are no more with us. Today we are experiencing severe loss, intense suffering, great pain, and unexpected challenges, as a result of various diseases like Covid-19. This dreadful global pandemic has affected everyone’s daily activities and work, very many families lost their beloved family members and all of us lived in chaos, confusion, and depression. Our experience with Covid-19 demonstrates that we humans are not separate from the world around us. We must all together work hard to protect and preserve our planet and ecosystem. It is high time that all of us work together very hard to save our Mother Earth, it is high time to act fast for saving our Mother Earth.
We can also consider that ecological conversion is not purely a human process, but needs an encounter with God, leading to a grace-filled change of heart and mind. It is this kind of experience that “Laudate Si” recommends a way for people to have strong faith in the Almighty power of God to begin moving towards a world, a world that is more loving, protecting one another, nourishing one another, and a very caring world.
- It is high time to take responsibility.
- It is time to save Mother Earth.
- It is time to save Mother Earth from the mounting environmental threat.
- Let us pray earnestly and seek the Blessings of God Almighty.
Most loving God, creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them, You created each one of us in Your own image and likeness and made us stewards of all Your creation. You blessed each one of us with a very special blessing, including the sun, moon, water, and bountiful land, so that all of us might be nourished.
Open our minds and touch our hearts so that we may attend to your gift of creation with gratitude. Help us to be conscious that our common home belongs not only to us but to all of Your creation and to all future generations and it is our duty and responsibility to preserve Your beautiful creation. Help us God that we may be able to help each person to secure food and resources that they are in need. Help us God that we may be able to help those in need especially those that are being left behind, such as the poorest of the poor. Transform our fear and feeling of isolation into hope and fraternity, so that we may experience a true conversion of heart. Help us to show creative solidarity in acknowledging the consequences of this global pandemic.
Make us courageous to embrace the changes that we need in search of the common good. Now more than ever may we feel that we are interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent. Enable us to listen and respond to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. May the present suffering be the birth pangs of a more fraternal and sustainable world.
I conclude this article of “Our Earth, Our Home” by requesting God’s special Blessings upon “Mother Earth“.
- May the mystery of God enfold us,
- May the wisdom of God uphold us,
- May the fragrance of God surround us,
- May the wonder of God renew us,
- May the love of God flow through us,
- May the peace of God be with each one of us.
- May God Almighty set us on fire to protect the beautiful creation of God.
