Editor,
Earth Day offers the opportunity to recommit to doing our part to cultivate the harmony between God the Creator, ourselves as created persons, and our natural world. In his encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis calls us to live with a consciousness not only of the need to care for the earth by replacing consumption with sacrifice, but also to work for the common good by respecting the dignity of each person and, thus, restore hope to humanity.
As the Holy Father writes, creation can only be understood as ‘a gift from the outstretched hand of the Father of all, and as a reality illuminated by the love which calls us together into universal communion.’ The Catholic Church has always understood creation as a gift from God as well as a responsibility. Humanity is placed within creation as the stewards of its bounty.
In that spirit, be mindful of the impact your lifestyle makes on the world, particularly on the poor, and think about what you might do to make life easier for the vulnerable among us. We ask our loving God for the grace of being able to care for the great gift of creation and pray that all people will be moved to use and protect the earth to enrich the human family of all nations.
Bishop Robert P. Deeley
Diocese of Portland
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