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JUNE

201

6

{CREATION}

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From The Editor ............................ 4ON AWE, PRAISE AND THE CARE OF CREATION

Marilyn Rodrigues

Photo essay ................................... 6ON THE CARE OF OUR COMMON HOME

Quotes from the Pope

Lifestyle ....................................... 38HEALING OUR CHILDREN NATURE DEFICIT

Richard Louv

Commentary ................................ 20TOP 10 TAKEAWAYS FROM LAUDATO SI

Fr. James Martin SJ

Prayer Ritual ................................. 43 IN UNION WITH CREATION

Template download

Seasonal Notes ............................... 50ENVIRONMENT

Contents

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On awe, praise and the care of creation

Has your child ever been captivated by the sight of a full, golden, moon hanging low on the horizon, drawn to running water, or collected shells, rocks and sticks? It’s been one year since Pope Francis published his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si (Praise Be), On Care For Our Common Home. In it he affirmed the awe and wonder that is our natural and Holy Spirit-inspired response to the majesty of creation. He also challenged us to be less materialistic, more attuned to and grateful for the natural world, and mindful of the needs of the poor. This month we invite you and your children to join us in reflecting on Pope Francis’ message and on God’s stunning work of creation that is our family of humanity and our common home.

From the EditorMarilyn Rodrigues

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On the Care of Our

CommonHomePope Francis

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Like a sister or mother - our earth

“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”. In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. LS 1

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CherishThe Places we

The history of our friendship with God is always linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal meaning; we all remember places, and revisiting those memories does us much good. Anyone who has grown up in the hills or used to sit by the spring to drink, or played outdoors in the neighbourhood square; going back to these places is a chance to recover something of their true selves. LS.84

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The need to face

FactsWe need only take a frank look at the facts to see that our common home is falling into serious disrepair. Hope would have us recognise that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems. Still, we can see signs that things are now reaching a breaking point. LS 6 1

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Violence, sin &

the of the earth

The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail”. (Rom 8:22). LS 2

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How wonderful is the certainty that each human life is not adrift in the midst of hopeless chaos, in a world ruled by pure chance or endlessly recurring cycles! The Creator can say to each one of us: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jer 1:5). We were conceived in the heart of God, and for this reason “each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary”. LS 65

Each of us is

Loved into creation

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There is a need to incorporate the history, culture and architecture of each place, thus preserving its original identity. Ecology, then, also involves protecting the cultural treasures of humanity….Culture is more than what we have inherited from the past; it is also, and above all, a living, dynamic and participatory present reality, which cannot be excluded as we rethink the relationship between human beings and the environment. LS 143

Ecology & CultureThe link between

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Disinterested concern for others, and the rejection of every form of self-centeredness and self-absorption, are essential if we truly wish to care for our brothers and sisters and for the natural environment. LS 208

CareForget self to

for others

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Top 10 Takeaways

From Laudato Si

By Fr James Martin SJ

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The greatest contribution of Laudato Si, to my mind, is an overview of the environmental crisis from a religious point of view. Until now, the dialogue about the environment has been framed mainly using political, scientific and economic language. Now the language of faith enters the discussion — clearly, decisively and systematically.

1. ReframingThe Debate

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The disproportionate effect of environmental change on the poor is strongly highlighted on almost every page. The Pope provides many examples of the effects of climate change, whose “worst impact” is felt by those in developing countries.LS 25

The

plight of the poor

2.

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Pope Francis takes aim at the “technocratic” mindset, in which technology is seen as the key to human existence. He also critiques an unthinking reliance on market forces, in which every technological advancement is embraced before considering how it will affect our world.

Less is more3.

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Christian spirituality, by contrast, offers a growth

marked by “moderation and the capacity to be happy with little”. LS 222

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Catholic social teaching now includes teaching on the

environmentPope Francis explicitly states that Laudato Si “is now added to the body of the Church’s social teaching” LS 15.

It continues the Church’s reflection on modern-day problems that began with Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum, on capital and labour, published in 1891.

4.

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In Chapter Two, Pope Francis introduces “The Gospel of Creation,” in which he leads readers through the call to care for creation that extends back to the

Book of Genesis, when humankind was called to “till and keep” the earth LS 67.

Ecology - Bible link

5.

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6.

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Everything is

connectedLaudato Si is a systematic approach to the problem. First, the Pope links all human beings to creation:

“We are part of nature, included in it, and thus in constant interaction with it” LS 139.

Thus our decisions inevitably effect the environment. A pursuit of money that sets aside the interests of the marginalised and ruins the planet are connected.

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Scientific research

Pope Francis does not try to prove anything about climate

change. Rather, Laudato Si draws on both Church

teaching and contemporary scientific findings from other

fields to help people reflect on the current crisis.

7.

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Indifference and selfishness

Pope Francis strongly critiques those who ignore the problem of climate change, and its effects on the poor. So many of the wealthy turn away from the poor, not only because, “some view themselves as more worthy than others,” but because frequently decisions-makers are “far removed from the poor” LS 90, 49. Selfishness also leads to the evaporation of the notion of the common good.

8.

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Laudato Si draws from the experiences of people around the world, referencing the findings of bishops’ conferences from Brazil, New Zealand, Southern Africa, Bolivia, Portugal, Germany, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Australia and the United States. The Pope invites into dialogue “all people” about our “common home” LS 3.

Global dialogue9.

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We can move towards an “ecological conversion” in which we can listen to the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”

This is an edited excerpt of Fr James’article in America Magazine, a national Catholic review. Printed with permission.

About the author Fr James Martin SJ is an author of several books including Between Heaven and Mirth, My Life With the Saints, and The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. His latest book released this year is Seven Last Words. He’s also a contributing editor to America Magazine.

Read the whole article

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A change of

heart is required

This encyclical, addressed to “everyone living on this planet” calls for a new way of looking at things. LS 3

We face an urgent crisis, when the earth has begun to look more and more like, “an immense pile of filth” LS 21.

Still, the document reminds us that because God is with us, we can strive to change course. We can move towards an “ecological conversion” in which we can listen to the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” LS 49.

10.

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Healing Our Children’s

Nature Deficit

The shift in our relationship to the natural world is startling, even in settings that one would assume are devoted to nature. Not that long ago, summer camp was a place where you camped, hiked in the woods, learned about plants and animals, or told firelight stories about ghosts or mountain lions. As likely as not today, "summer camp’ is a weight-loss camp, or a computer camp. For a new generation, nature is more abstraction than reality.

Increasingly, nature is something to watch, to consume, to wear—to ignore. A television ad depicts a four-wheel-drive SUV racing along a breathtakingly beautiful mountain stream—while in the backseat two children watch a movie on a flip-down video screen, oblivious to the landscape and water beyond the windows. Our society is teaching young people to avoid direct experience in nature.

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As the young spend less and less of their lives in natural surroundings, their senses narrow, physiologically and psychologically, and this reduces the richness of human experience.Yet, at the very moment that the bond is breaking between the young and the natural world, a growing body of research links our mental, physical, and spiritual health directly to our association with nature—in positive ways. Several of these studies suggest that thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorders and other maladies.

As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may very well need contact with nature.Reducing that deficit—healing the broken bond between our young and nature—is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demands it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depends upon it. The health of the earth is at stake as well.

This is an edited excerpt from Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder.

Richard Louv is a journalist and the author of several books which have helped to launch an international movement to connect children and their families to nature. His latest, Vitamin N: 500 ways to enrich the health and happiness of your family and community, is available at bookshops or online.

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DOWNLOAD PRAYER

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In Union With Creation

God of love, show us our place in this world as channels of your love for all the creatures

of this earth,

A Prayer From Laudato Si

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Nature art

MaterialsCanvas boards or cardsLeaves from the garden2 colours acrylic paint Sponge

We invite you and your children to join us in reflecting on Pope Francis’ message and on God’s stunning work of creation that is our family of humanity and our common home.

Go out into the backyard or park with your child.To listen.To connect. To recognise God in the glory of creation.

DirectionPaint the card/canvas with one colour. While paint still slightly damp, carefully lay the leaves on the surface so they stick flat.Using the sponge dab a light coat of paint over the top taking care not to let excess paint seep through the leaf edge. Remove your leaves.

CathFamily © 2016

Download & Print

We used the Maiden Hair fowlage in our pictures but you can use any of God’s

beautiful leaves!

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Sometimes, the most polluted environment is our interior life. We can fill our minds and our bodies with all manner of junk that crowds out God and his transforming love.

‘Praised Be’ is a clarion call to step back from the ceaseless activity, to be still in the presence of God and to contemplate the glory of creation!

In his letter (Laudato Si!) on the Care of our Common Home, the earth, Pope F rancis calls our attention to the presence of God in his creation. He invites us to be attentive to God’s glory revealed in everything from the minutest organism to the farthest flung celestial body.

All too often, we are too busy to notice the glory of God’s creation around us. We are so absorbed in our own interests that the horizons of our world contract until only one, ourself, can fit in the space. We lose awareness of the most glorious gift from God - his creation and particularly the pinnacle of creation: the human person – our brothers and sisters who walk this earth with us.

We are human beings, not human doings!

Download & Print

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Praised Be!

Listen to the sounds around you. Listen for God’s voice…in the most distant sound…in your own heartbeat.

Listen2-3 min

Sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Listen to your breath as you breathe out the busyness and breathe in God.

Let your spirit rest in the heart of God. Silently in your heart give praise to God for his creation. Then gently, slowly bring your attention back to your breath and open your eyes.

Rest

Stop2-3 min

2-3 min

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Let’s just ...BeDoes God speak to you? If God did, would you be able to hear him? Or are you too busy talking, doing, thinking…? Take 2-3 minutes on each step for this daily prayer.

Praised Be!

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Seasonal Notes

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ACTIVITY

Gratitude JournalRead up on the science of gratitude and download our gratitude journal to give the kids (or use yourself!)

CRAFT

Nature ArtMake an artwork from leaf cuttings and a few simple supplies

PRAYER

‘Praise Be’ MeditationWith your children try our three steps to stop, re-connect, and praise God for creation.

Activities, Recipes,Prayers

Environment

For more ideas and inspiration visit www.CathFamily.org

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CRAFT

Peace TreeOur colour-in Peace Tree will prompt children to reflect on nature’s beauty and to pray for Christ’s peace.

RECIPE

Waste Not Stale BreadAvoid waste. Instead of throwing out old bread and buying more, use it up in this delicious Tuscan-style salad.

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AmorThe Joy of Love

A special print edition featuring Pope Francis' exhortation on Love in the Family - Amoris Laetitia. It contains key excerpts from the document, stories

from real people, and commentary.

Order Now!

Pre-Orders available