LOVE OF OUR COMMON HOME:

      There is a beautiful thought of Fr. Jules Chevalier that points to the immanence of God’s love in creation: “Already in matter, there is a sort of knowledge, a beginning of love. In the atmosphere and in the water, these thousands of varieties of animals know one another, love one another: a first draft, a first outline, perfect in itself, wonderful, entrancing…” (Le Sacré Coeur, p. 62). This profound insight of the Founder implies a particular emphasis on our moral responsibility to care for the environment, our common home, because God’s love is manifested in the whole of His creation.

      Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ emphasizes our moral responsibility to care for the earth, our home. What is happening is indeed alarming: climate change, global warming, rising sea level, stronger typhoons, severe flash floods, shortage of drinking water, etc.. These have become grave threats to everyone on this planet especially the poor and the underprivileged. What brings us into this state of the environment is the fact that what we do, our human activities, affect gravely the land, water, air and different types and forms of biological life that make up our planet’s whole ecosystem. Numerous varieties of animal and plant species are heading towards extinction because forests, grasslands, wetlands and aquatic ecosystems are mindlessly degraded or destroyed.
      The ecological crisis challenges us to make a reassessment of our understanding of ourselves, our relationship with one another and the environment. We have to take into account our values and lifestyle, our relational and moral choices in view of preserving the planet. We need the Spirituality of the Heart to reorient ourselves towards forming right relationships not only among ourselves but also with the non-human species in the ecosystem.
      Living out the Spirituality of the Heart would lead us to nurture the human community and the environment. We can live sustainably by living simply. To live simply is to unburden ourselves from the preoccupation of having more to being more. Simplicity is not to be understood as living with less than what we need to flourish but to live with balance in order to find a life of greater purpose and fulfillment with each other and with the environment. 222212
Sustainable living in the light of the Spirituality of the Heart demands that the pattern of our relationship be anchored on love. Love of our common home requires significant changes of attitudes and values; it requires an ecological conversion. Ecological conversion is about seeking harmony with other human beings in the community and with the environment because it is what God intends for all of His creation. To be in harmony is not to take what is due for others especially from the poor who have less access to earth’s resources; it is not to take more from what the environment can replenish.
      Laudato Si reminds us that all life-forms on this planet constitute the great interconnected and interdependent system (Nos. 70, 92, 111, 138, 240). Damaging one part of the system affects the whole. To be able to live sustainably for the present and future generations, we should conserve the existing life-support systems so that the planet will continually nourish life. We conserve biodiversity in which a variety of species and other organisms are being protected because they are all components of our life support system. We ensure the right use of renewable sources of the environment that includes soil, wind, forests, marine and freshwater ecosystems.
      Love of our common home ultimately boils down to personal responsibility. Every person can make a small or great effort that could nourish or damage the community and the environment. Each person has the moral responsibility to nurture communal and environmental sustainability. This has to be emphasized in our different ministries as Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, especially in our time.
      To that end, we say that the environmental problems we have at the present are contrary to God’s will. We have failed our role as caretakers – as stewards – of one another and of God’s creation. We have broken the bond that God has created between us and the environment. What is required is a change of heart that should start with the recognition that everything owes its existence to God. Laudato Si’ strongly admonishes us: “We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us.” (No. 67).
      The sad state of the environment demands that we love God by loving His creation, not to abuse it as if we own it, and to love our neighbor especially the poor who suffer much from the effects of the environmental destruction.
We have to identify ways to change our core values and paradigms so that the bond could be restored and a meaningful, fulfilling relationship with one another and the environment would happen. In striving to fulfill our role as morally responsible stewards, we have to live out the Spirituality of the Heart to care for one another especially the poor and the environment. That constitutes our mission too, at the present time.

Fr. Abundio ‘Jay-Ar’ Babor, MSC
Philippine Province