Laudato Si: Sunday Reflection #40...Kissin' cousins

Part of the fun -- and challenge -- of writing these reflections has been coming up with their titles. Usually, if a title comes to me in a hurry, the writing flows well, but if not... well, let's say those untitled posts have been plain old hard work right down to the Sunday deadline (and they're usually the ones with multiple typos that I have to fix after their initial publication just because I changed directions in my thinking too often and was too tired to see the errors for the mistakes by the end).

So this week's title delights me. Its inspiration comes from the short section entitled "Religions in Dialogue with Science," paragraphs 199-201 of the Pope's encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. It can be accessed by clicking here and scrolling down.

Pope Francis and his writing team begin by explaining that empirical science, though it has taught us much about God's creation, cannot explain everything about reality. Its language often is unable to encompass the ethical values and principles that come through spiritual experiences, art, music, or poetry, simply because it sticks to facts and shies away from the human emotions and opinions that are needed to attribute value to life. Or at least, that's how I read paragraph 199. How do you see it?

This is where the kissin' cousins idea comes in: both science and faith, I would argue, are required to help us to live well in the world. They are kissing cousins in that science offers the discoveries that can help us to improve the planet's health and the necessary study of ecosystems, while faith keeps before us "the great motivations which make it possible for us to live in harmony, to make sacrifices, and to treat others well" (paragraph 200).

We need to have both cousins living in our hearts if we are to find solutions to our present ecological crises. It's not enough to have faith without science's potential solutions, nor would it work to have scientific ideas without faith's strong push for life and love for all of God's creatures. We need both!

I particularly like parts of paragraph 201:

The majority of people living on our planet profess to be believers. This should spur religions to dialogue among themselves for the sake of protecting nature, defending the poor, and building networks of respect and fraternity [note: community would be a more inclusive word]. Dialogue among the various sciences is likewise needed, since... specialization leads to a certain isolation... [which] prevents us from confronting environmental problems effectively. An open and respectful dialogue is also needed among ecological movements... The gravity of the ecological crisis demands that we all look to the common good, embarking on a path of dialogue which demands patience, self-discipline and generosity, always keeping in mind that "realities are greater than ideas."

That last quotation comes from Pope Francis's first encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium (paragraph 231).

So... if realities are greater than ideas, and science and faith can work closely together to make wise choices about how to decrease humanity's negative impact on nature, there is hope for our planet. Unfortunately, too often human beings choose either science or faith, forgetting that they can believe in God and evolution or whatever undisputed scientific information is on offer. The distrust between the two sides is well-documented, but it's time to put that in the past.

The good news is that there have been many people over the centuries who have been people of both faith and science, who have made important discoveries and contributed to the earth's good. An excellent article about over one hundred faith-filled scientists can be accessed by clicking here. And there are movements afoot where people from different beliefs and backgrounds are working together to create positive change in our world. The Charter for Compassion is one example:

Could something like this be created between the faith and scientific communities? A charter for scientific faith or faith-filled science? I think so -- but as with anything, connections between the two begin within us. Symposiums on Climate Change and other ecological issues are often left to scientists when the presence of believers would bring some ethical balance and wisdom that can be forgotten in the excitement of scientific discovery. Faith discussions about how to protect creation from further exploitation will remain only conversations without the scientists in attendance who can help action proceed. Openness to new ideas is a critical element as we go forward to solve our earth's problems.

So our challenge is to move forward as people of both faith and science -- to participate in ecological discussions and attend conferences and symposiums with an openness to the possibilities the kissin' cousins can create if we allow them to work together. Faith can work with science to bring our world around to wiser actions, to save our planet for future generations.

Let's pray that it comes to pass, and ask the Holy Spirit to show us where our action can help...

*******

A prayer for our earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe

and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live

as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,

so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it,

that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts

of those who look only for gain

at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognize that we are profoundly united

with every creature

as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle

for justice, love and peace.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: Change is a-comin'

Simple Suggestion #250... Wake up your compost!

Did you know that May is a good time to wake up your compost? Are you saying to yourself, what's that supposed to mean?

Hopefully, the title of this suggestion elicits a few different responses in readers:

1) I don't have compost. Fact is, everyone has material that works for making compost, and it's easy to go from there. If you eat, you create food waste -- kitchen scraps (greens) like fruit and vegetable peels, stalks and leaves, eggshells, apple cores -- anything except bones, meat or greasy stuff (I also avoid large fruit pits/stones just because it takes them so long to break down). If you live in a single family dwelling, you likely also have some yard waste -- grass clippings (though those are better left on the lawn to protect its roots and give it natural nitrogen), plant prunings (skip the weeds and woody branches), and the all important autumn leaves (browns) which provide necessary carbon for breaking everything down and preventing odors.

We human beings all create compostable materials simply because we don't often eat entire plants, and about 29% of Edmonton families use kitchen scraps and the other compostables mentioned above to create black gold for their gardens and lawns. Composting is pretty easy, and here in Edmonton, although most of our organic waste is eventually composted by the City's amazing Waste Management system, it saves a lot of greenhouse gases, energy and money if we do it ourselves. Plus, you'll never find anything better for topdressing your lawn or feeding your plants and soil!

2) I've always wanted to compost. Well, I have great news for you! All you need is an inexpensive compost bin (or you can make your own pile or pit with a bit of chicken wire if you have an out of the way spot for one) and a quick lesson on how to do it. I'll bet there are books in your local library with all sorts of information, or if you live here in Edmonton, you can attend excellent workshops offered by the John Janzen Centre's Compost'S Cool workshops to learn all about composting with some hands-on experience. You might also consider applying for next year's Master Composter/Recycler Program, which I highly recommend! (Applications are accepted year round.) There is also a lot of info on the City of Edmonton's webpage, which you can access by clicking here. Contrary to what you may have heard about composting, if the basic rules are followed, it does not create odors or attract varmints...

3) I have to wake up my compost?? I know, it seems like a weird idea, but if left alone for long periods (like over winter) compost piles become rather dormant and their processes slow to less than a crawl -- because the bacteria and microbes that work in a loose, damp and healthy pile run out of the air they need in order to function properly. Now that we're into Spring, it's time to get those processes revved up again.

I've actually been wanting to write this moodling for weeks already, because I woke up my compost on May 7th. That was the day that I revisited the compost bins that I filled last fall and over winter. I had so much garden waste to compost last October that I filled all three bins almost to the top with layers of green garden waste (chopped stalks, vines and plants), browns (autumn leaves and broken up soils from planter pots) and plenty of water. Over winter, I added my kitchen scraps and more leaves (I keep a few bags close by, as you can see in the first picture).


On May 7th, those three full bins had shrunk to only half full, so I "fluffed" them up by combining them into two full bins, one with the older, more finished materials, and one with the fresher stuff that didn't compost much in winter's cold. I was delighted to see that some of my vermicomposting pets, the red wiggler worms that I also keep in my indoor compost bins, had survived the winter -- that means my compost piles were still warm and working in the coldest months.

As I moved everything around, I added water because compost piles need good moisture in order to function well. Since then, I've used my compost stick (basically a long skinny stick with a bit of a blade at the bottom) to stir up the piles every two weeks or so, just to add some air.

If this sounds like too much work, it's also possible to compost without shovelling, stirring or watering -- basically, you just make a pile with layers of greens and browns and keep adding to it, allowing it all to rot without any interference. Unfortunately, it will take a lot more time and space, and it might attract unwanted critters. I frequently poke around in my compost bins because I want to produce the maximum amount of compost in a season. It's better than the bagged stuff money can buy, maybe because of those red wigglers.

If you have any questions about waking up your compost -- or even starting the composting process, feel free to leave comments and I'll be happy to share more details. As a Master Composter/Recycler volunteer for my city, I love to help people learn how to give back to our earth by feeding the fine layer of soil that supports us all.

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Click here.

Sing You Home

Here's the prettiest piece I've run across in a while, sung by the Ennis Sisters and the Shallaway Youth Choir. Beware, it's a bit of a tearjerker...

For Newfoundlanders, July 1 is Memorial Day, the day to remember the Newfoundland Regiment --many of whom died at Beaumont Hamel during the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916 -- and others who lost their lives in war. This gorgeous little video is part of the 100th Anniversary remembrances coming this summer. Oh, for an end to war everywhere...

Laudato Si: Sunday Reflection #39... Redefining "progress"

I was fascinated by a featured conversation on the radio last Sunday -- a respectful discussion about Climate Change between environmentalist Tzeporah Berman and law professor and lawyer Bruce Hardy, who hold opposing views in many respects. They didn't jump down each other's throats, but admitted to the many challenges when it comes to changing humanity's reliance on fossil fuels. It was refreshing to hear people of their backgrounds and experience discussing each other's views without insisting on "my way or the highway." As in so many things in life, dialogue is essential, especially when it comes to the things we must do for the sake of our planet's health. We need to compromise our way into wiser paths, hopefully in a hurry!

This week's reading of Pope Francis' 2015 letter to the world, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, talks about the necessity of change in the way we move forward in paragraphs 194 -198 (they can be accessed by clicking here and scrolling down). Given the urgency of our warming planet (evidenced in the recent wildfire at Fort McMurray that grew to over 5000 sq km this past week and crossed the Alberta border into Saskatchewan, as well as fires in Siberia, Africa, and other places), His Holiness' letter is too gentle in many ways. But there are a few spots in this week's reading where he's almost feisty! Almost...

Human progress in the past has left us with a planet and many species that are suffering due to environmental and social degradation. We see exploitation, species extinction and incredible poverty on the one hand, and overabundance, greed and extreme wealth on the other. Remembering the words of Einstein about not being able to solve our problems with the same thinking that created them, it's clear we must come to define progress differently:

It is not enough to balance, in the medium term, the protection of nature with financial gain, or the preservation of the environment with progress. Halfway measures simply delay the inevitable disaster. Put simply, it is a matter of redefining our notion of progress. A technological and economic development which does not leave in its wake a better world and an integrally higher quality of life cannot be considered progress (paragraph 194).

Somewhere along the way, we've been brainwashed to believe that progress and growth of any kind are always a positive thing, forgetting that they must always be evaluated in terms of the big picture, the common good. Too much growth in the human body is often known as cancer. And the words SUSTAINABLE GROWTH can fall into that category, too, the Pope says, when they become an excuse or a distraction. We think we are choosing sustainable options when really we are buying into "halfway measures" that "delay the inevitable disaster."

For some reason, this brings to my mind all the products on the shelves of our stores these days that are marketed as "sustainable," "ecologically friendly," "earth safe," or any other number of terms that would seem to indicate that they won't harm (or are less harmful -- than what?) to the environment. But the thing we need to remember about marketing is that it's often designed to mislead consumers using what's known as 'greenwashing.'

However, just slapping a 'green' label on a product doesn't alter it in the least, and marketers have been known to do just that in the hopes that the eye candy of a more "natural" appearance on, say, a dish detergent bottle, will catch the eye of consumers who want to feel good about saving the environment. But even with pretty leaves on the labels, it's buyer beware, and we all need to educate ourselves and each other about product ingredients, production, and what the labels are actually telling us. Click here to access Lindsay Coulter, the Queen of Green, and her helpful list of bona fide green labels, and feel free to share it with your friends. Don't let anyone you know be fooled by greenwashing! Generally, the simpler the ingredients/production, the better.

Our desire for progress is a tricky thing. We would all be wise to consider that sustainable growth is something of any oxymoron on a planet with limited resources. Sufficiency would be a much better phrase to apply to the way we need to live. Do we have sufficient food, shelter, clothing, etc. to satisfy our basic needs?

As paragraph 195 notes, profit maximization is too frequently isolated from what products actually cost the earth and its inhabitants. As was noted by Pope Benedict in paragraph 50 of his 2009 encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, ethical production occurs only when "the economic and social costs of using up shared environmental resources are recognised with transparency and fully borne by those who incur them, not by other peoples or future generations." Popes love to quote other popes, and that quotation is good food for thought. How many of us are aware of what our North American lifestyle actually costs future generations, or our brothers and sisters in the developing world? And how do we begin to tally those costs and make up for them?

Paragraph 196 of Laudato Si underlines the principle of subsidiarity (a good definition of it can be found by clicking here) -- which expects that those with greater power will take greater responsibility for the common good by ensuring that every member of society, including the most vulnerable, has the freedom to fulfil her or his potential, from the grassroots up. Success and self-reliance don't give the strong absolute power over the weak if subsidiarity has its way, but rather we all invest in each other's efforts regardless of our abilities.

Unfortunately, political corruption and incompetence create many social and environmental problems for our world, but to this Pope Francis says, "A strategy for real change calls for rethinking processes in their entirety, for it is not enough to include a few superficial ecological considerations [greenwashing again] while failing to question the logic which underlies present-day culture" (paragraph 197).

In other words, we can't just blame our elected officials and business leaders for the state of our sister, Mother Earth. After all, we are the ones who vote and who support or reject businesses with our consumer dollars. If business and political leaders aren't living up to the challenge of caring for our common home, we have to highlight the distractions that get in the way of real action through boycotts or other forms of engagement. "While some are concerned only with financial gain, and others with holding onto or increasing their power, what we are left with are conflicts or spurious agreements where the last thing either party is concerned about is caring for the environment and protecting those who are most vulnerable" (paragraph 198). But we at the grassroots level need to work together, to wake politics and business up to their true responsibilities!

And just how do we do that? By helping our leaders to learn that progress can consist of maintaining what we already have so that it can be shared at every level. They need to be educated toward realizing that we live on a finite planet that needs to be treated with care. We have to let them know of our desire to support them when it comes to making difficult choices around moving to forms of energy with fewer greenhouse gas emissions, to take steps to clean up our planet, to help them see progress as a graph that levels off to a plateau where everyone has just enough, to bring about change that won't bankrupt the earth any further.

Most of all, we have to be willing to re-imagine our world with sufficiency as our goal for all of creation.

*******

A prayer for our earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe

and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live

as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,

so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it,

that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts

of those who look only for gain

at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognize that we are profoundly united

with every creature

as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle

for justice, love and peace.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: Kissin' cousins

Blessed rain

I was ready to whip out the Charlotte Diamond CD my kids listened to when they were little... "I'm ready for, you're ready for, we're ready for... the puddles!" The rain this morning was so beautiful! Our rain barrels are full, things are popping out of the soil, and the robins are singing. My daughters went out and danced in the rain last night. I said many, "Thank You"s to God. Nothing like God watering everything instead of my garden hose -- her and his watering is so much more thorough! And the water isn't chlorinated.

I don't want to seem ungrateful, but we could use more. Suzanna and I took a walk at noon to take puddle pictures, and there were hardly any puddles to be found. The ground is so dry, it soaked everything up already. And up north, where wildfires are raging, they're praying for the snow that's blanketing the western part of the province.

So if you have a spare prayer, please keep me company in praying for the firefighters who have been going steady since May 1st, and for the families who are waiting to return home to Fort McMurray.

Thank you God, for the rain you've given. Please send more to the places that need it most.

+Amen.

Garden moodlings and miracles

I'm tired. Good tired. I haven't been moodling here very much of late as it has been a week or two of serious gardening -- taking all the plants from the greenhouse (except for a dozen or so tomato plants to be given away) and transplanting them into the soil in various parts of the yard. They all have their homes now, and pretty much everything is in place except for peas and beans, which I'm holding back by two weeks as I don't want them to be ready for picking while we're on vacation. Here are some pictures from today:

Mostly tomatoes, with a few eggplants and peppers 

thrown in for the fun of it... and straw in between the boxes

thanks to my friend, Mark, and the local tobogganing hill...

cucumbers with trellis, thanks to my hubby...

tomato seeds planted March 2nd,

already fruiting, the first ones we'll eat...

Brussels sprouts, also planted March 2nd... 

an experiment...

carrots, planted one month ago today...

and we've already had a few good feeds of spinach...

My moodling as I work in the garden (musing, doodling -- where my mind goes) has been tied up in amazement and wonder at how things grow. Seeds are miracles. Hopefully, now that everything is planted, the rains will come -- and that's a miracle, too. 

But my best miracles are still my husband and kids. What do you consider your best miracles today?

Laudato Si: Sunday Reflection #38... The market ain't magic

I have to admit this Pentecost Sunday that it's getting harder and harder to put in the time to do these reflections now that the weather is fine and the garden is ready to be planted. But we're so close to finishing these Sunday readings that I'm not about to quit. We're into good stuff!

This week's reading from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, paragraphs 189-193, is the first half of a section entitled Politics and Economy in Dialogue for Human Fulfilment. It can be accessed by clicking here and scrolling down.

"In view of the common good, there is urgent need for politics and economics to enter into a frank dialogue in the service of life, especially human life" says the beginning of paragraph 189. Augghhh! This business of differentiating human life from that of the rest of the planet has created the "us vs. them" attitude that has allowed human beings to dominate rather than cooperate with creation. Here it would seem that the folks who wrote the encyclical with Pope Francis are forgetting the chorus of the song -- "everything is connected and/or interrelated." I'd like to erase that "especially human life" at the end of the sentence. Isn't it enough to be in the service of life?

I do go off on tangents, sorry. The point of paragraph 189 is that too often, necessary production of goods to keep life going gets waylaid by political or economic machinations, leading to "overproduction of some commodities, with unnecessary impact on the environment and with negative results on regional economies." The financial bubbles created by such production create a false economy, but Pope Francis suggests that "it is the real economy which makes diversification and improvement in production possible, helps companies to function well, and enables small and medium businesses to develop and create employment."

I like paragraph 190, in which Pope Francis notes (using different words than I will, so you'll want to read the whole thing) that the environment, not the economy, is the bottom line -- "...we need to reject a magical conception of the market."

Yes! Yes we do!

The Pope also asks, "Is it realistic to hope that those who are obsessed with maximizing profits will stop to reflect on the environmental damage they will leave behind for future generations?" In paragraph 190, the Pope could be writing his own adult version of Dr. Seuss' classic children's book, The Lorax.

If you've never read The Lorax, I'd recommend it -- it's the story of a little guy who lives in an idyllic place full of truffula trees, singing swomee swans, humming fish and little brown barbaloots who eat truffula fruit, until the Once-ler comes along, founds something like a corporation to turn the trees into thneeds (some sort of all-purpose trendy item that everyone wants -- in every colour of the rainbow). Of course, the Lorax sees the decimation of the truffula forests and the ensuing decline in the health and happiness of his animal friends. He tries to call a halt to the Once-ler's plans, but the Once-ler is too busy to listen. So environmental devastation results, the Lorax has to send away his loveable wildlife friends (it's a children's book -- extinction would be too harsh), the gorgeous green landscape turns many depressing shades of grey, and the Lorax sadly lifts himself into the sky by the seat of his pants, leaving the Once-ler all alone with a single word -- "Unless."

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not,"

the regretful hermit of a Once-ler tells a young visitor to his despoiled land as he hands over the last truffula tree seed. Written in 1971, The Lorax is the earliest environmental fable I can think of besides the Garden of Eden and Noah's ark.

In paragraph 191 the Pope notes that "some" accuse "others" (read: environmentalists) of "irrationally attempting to stand in the way of progress and human development just as the Lorax tried to make the Once-ler see the folly of his ways. But really, it isn't irrationality -- it's common sense that "we need to grow in the conviction that a decrease in the pace of production and consumption can at times give rise to another form of progress and development." Growth can no longer be our highest ideal -- but sustainability can!

The Pope and friends hold up "productive development" as an ideal in paragraph 192 because it "offers the fullest possibilities to human ingenuity to create and innovate, while at the same time protecting the environment and creating more sources of employment." Sustainable development means being aware of the many possibilities for growth, but letting some of them go in favour of protecting creation, using less, employing the ideas of "reusing, revamping and recycling," and increasing the efficiency of our energy use, to name just a few possibilities.

Paragraph 193 indicates that growth needs to be balanced or contained "by setting some reasonable limits and even retracing our steps before it is too late... the time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy growth."

If we look at the development in our world, we can see that in North America, we've had more than our fair share of growth. So how do we encourage more sober lifestyles, reduce our energy consumption and improve our efficiency as was suggested in the quote from Pope Benedict XVI toward the end of the paragraph?

We might have to employ a word that people in North America have forgotten in our rush to have it all -- we might have to sacrifice our over-abundant standard of living by forgoing some of the conveniences and experiences to which we've come to believe we are entitled. We might have to un-brain-wash ourselves from thinking that the newest, trendiest, fastest, biggest, smartest, brightest items on the market will fulfil all our desires. We might have to realize that unlimited market growth is limiting our ability to live in harmony with our sister, Mother Earth because it demands too many resources. We might have to remember how to be happy with less.

In other words, we might have to live by the fruits of the Spirit that we are celebrating on this Pentecost Sunday, and apply them to our care for our common home -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5: 22).

A stronger desire for these fruits in our lives, especially that last one, will help creation more than any market ever has... don't you think?

*******

A prayer for our earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe

and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live

as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,

so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it,

that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts

of those who look only for gain

at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognize that we are profoundly united

with every creature

as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle

for justice, love and peace.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: Redefining 'progress'

Have your say on Canada's Climate Change Strategy

Back at the beginning of September, the Alberta Government was looking for input toward the Paris Climate talks... and now the Federal Government is asking what Canadians think should be done to mitigate the effects of climate change which clearly is already happening.

With wildfires raging up near Fort McMurray, there's never a better time than the present to come up with a plan to handle climate change, which causes the disruption in our weather patterns that led to our warm, dry Alberta winter that fuelled the disaster up north. 88,000 people are still waiting to hear when and if they can return home, and the fires are still burning, adding to carbon emissions and causing further weather instability.

So if you have any ideas about how we can cut our fossil fuel emissions, change our lifestyles for the better and reduce climate change, now is the time to share them with the powers that be. Try thinking outside your usual boxes -- as Einstein liked to say, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

Click here to offer your ideas on our National Climate Change Strategy. Go for it!

Sunday reflection: Not your usual week

Apologies to my Sunday Reflections readers, but it's been a week where I managed to read paragraphs 189-193 of the Pope's encyclical with highlighter in hand... but that was all. It has been a very warm week, one that has gardeners (like me) getting into the dirt. I spent this afternoon digging weeds, watering trees, and waking up my compost piles instead of moodling about Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, and now I can barely keep my eyes open.

It's been an odd week here for the beginning of May, not only weather-wise, but because my radio station -- the usual way I get news because we don't have TV -- has been taken over by Fort McMurray wildfire coverage. Edmonton is the city closest to Fort Mac, and we've been inundated with donation and volunteering requests, stories of fleeing families and lost homes, and endless news reports on the latest wildfire information. My cousin and her family are safe, but there are many who are still trying to protect neighbourhoods that haven't been destroyed, though it's tough to do much more than that in the face of the inferno that is the wildfire. Suddenly, I am understanding ancient stories about fire-breathing dragons in a new way.

So I'll forego my Sunday reflection due to sun tiredness and grief for the folks who have lost their homes -- and because it's Mother's Day weekend, and I don't want to spend Mother's Day at my computer. Pope Francis' letter to the world seems even more important as we see so many climate refugees coming from Fort McMurray to Edmonton... but the encyclical will be there next week, too. In the meantime, perhaps we can look back at some of the challenges Laudato Si has offered thus far, and do our best to live in harmony with our sister, Mother Earth.

The thing that strikes me this week is how tenuous life is -- we have had such a long period of peace and prosperity here in Canada that when something like this wildfire happens, we are in surprise and shock. But our brothers and sisters all over the globe who have been through all sorts of natural and human-made disasters understand better than we, perhaps, that few things in life are permanent, and that grace abounds even in times of trouble.

Enough about that. Happy Mother's Day to all Moms, Grandmas, Godmothers, and mothering souls who might not have their own children, but who care for young ones regardless. God bless us all, and I'll say it one more time: God, please send a good, soaking rain to Western Canada and other dry, dry places. That would be the best Mother's Day gift of all.

Another prayer for rain

Worried

I was going to post some gorgeous pictures of this morning's blossom-filled walk, but instead I'm praying for Fort McMurray, Red-Earth Creek, High Level, and any other place under threat of fire. If you are someone who prays, please pray with me.

God of everything,
we probably deserve everything that we get
when it comes to
the disastrous effects of climate change,
simply because
we've disrespected your wondrous creation.
But you're not a god of vengeance.
It's probably more heart-breaking for you to watch fires ripping through forests and fields,
blackening the earth,
heating the atmosphere further,
and destroying the homes and livelihoods
of so much wildlife and so many people.
After all, you made it all.

Please, God, please, send Alberta rain.
Help us to know that all you have given cannot be taken for granted,
but must be treated as precious gift.
Show us how to live more lightly on your earth,
and make us generous in sharing what we have
with those who are losing so much.
Bless all those who are fighting the fires
and keep everyone safe.

I know that this prayer is too little, too late,
but please hear me
and send us a good, soaking rain...

+AMEN

P.S. My cousin and her family are safe at the Syncrude camp near Fort McMurray. No word yet on whether their home was spared by the wildfires.

Laudato Si: Sunday Reflection #37... Ten important questions

Weed to Lee, strawberry to me?

Have you ever had someone else make a decision on your behalf without consulting you first? It happens occasionally at our house. About ten Aprils back, my husband decided to hoe the garden as a surprise for me. Unfortunately, those pesky weeds he was getting rid of were the strawberry plants that I had spent a day carefully moving to their new spot the previous autumn. Needless to say, it wasn't a happy moment for either of us, and definitely not for the strawberries!

No mistaking this straw berry patch
with all that straw!

That example is small potatoes in comparison to some of the stuff that goes on in our world. This week's section of Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home is called Dialogue and Transparency in Decision-making, paragraphs 182-188 (which can be accessed by clicking here and scrolling down).

Pope Francis and his encyclical writing team begin paragraph 182 by noting that "An assessment of the environmental impact of business ventures and projects demands transparent political processes involving a free exchange of views." But when there is corruption in any process, transparency and dialogue are the first thing to go. My husband is not corrupt, he just forgot the dialogue part!

Paragraph 183 underlines the importance of environmental impact assessments at this juncture in our planet's existence. We simply cannot afford to allow businesses, politics, policies, plans or proposals to do as they please with our planet and its resources as they have in the past. Rampant development without serious environmental, social, physical, and humanitarian oversight has led us to our present state. Pope Francis tells us

Environmental impact assessment... should be part of the process from the beginning, and be carried out in a way which is interdisciplinary, transparent, and free of all economic or political pressure. It should be linked to a study of working conditions and possible effects on people's physical and mental health, on the local economy and on public safety.

He also points out the importance of consensus among stakeholders including the local population in honest and truthful conversation about "projects and their different risks and possibilities."

How do you go about making difficult decisions? I remember that when I had a difficult choice to make as a young adult, my parents encouraged me to sit down and make a list of pros and cons for each of my different options. It's a strategy I employ to this day, and have passed on to my own children for its wisdom -- and I'm not surprised to see that Laudato Si quotes the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church when it encourages a similar process in paragraph 184:

... decisions must be made "based on a comparison of the risks and benefits foreseen for the various possible alternatives" [Compendium, 469]. This is especially the case when a project may lead to a greater use of natural resources, higher levels of emission or discharge, an increase of refuse, or significant changes to the landscape, the habitats of protected species or public spaces.

We've seen many examples of projects that have been disastrous simply because the impact of their effects were unforeseen. The video below tells of 25 of the worst, all of them heartbreaking. These moodlings about Laudato Si have made me aware of a lot of things I definitely wouldn't go looking for...

The Pope also comments that "The culture of consumerism, which prioritizes short-term gain and private interest, can make it easy to rubber-stamp authorizations or to conceal information" (paragraph 184). But our internet age has made it a little harder to hide catastrophes like the ones in the video above. Social media seems to bring everything into the light, including things we wish we'd never see... but we need to see them, and to respond with action wherever we can. So there you have it -- something good about our digital age.

I like paragraph 185, which offers questions that should be asked of every project that affects our web of life:

When preparing a new project:

1. How will it contribute to genuine, integral development?

2. What will it accomplish?

3. Why?

4. Where?

5. When?

6. How?

7. For whom?

8. What are the risks?

9. What are the costs? 

10. Who will pay those costs and how?

The remainder of the paragraph explains that, depending on the situation, some of these questions might be given higher priority -- in some situations, for example, the importance of potable water as an indispensable resource and fundamental right would override any other environmental assessment.

In paragraph 186, the Pope defends "those who are most vulnerable and whose ability to defend their interests and to assemble incontrovertible evidence is limited." He explains that it should be up to the corporations or developers to prove that their activity will not harm the environment and those who live there. But such proof needs to come from unbiased researchers who are independent of any business interest. This brings to mind the doctors who were silenced when they tried to make public the high rates of cancer found in people living in the vicinity of the Oilsands. Honesty and transparency are difficult for big business, but critical for life.

The Pope is clear in paragraph 187 that we shouldn't oppose innovation which improves life, but reminds us that profit can't be the sole criterion for that improvement. New ideas, inventions and discoveries can be added into the conversation, hopefully leading to better outcomes for any given project -- but always, always with an eye to building consensus among all those who are affected by it. Consensus can be a tricky thing, and when it comes to the common good, compromise is often required. But that's better than the alternative -- having something imposed from on high, with no chance to work out a solution that appeases most of those involved.

I would add one further thing to the conversation -- so often, we think that innovation is always positive -- but just because we might be able to do something more conveniently doesn't necessarily mean it's better. We need to take into account the full impact of the change we are making -- including the impact we are having on those members of creation that we might not notice. Sure, we can get rid of insect pests by spraying, but if we go back to those ten important questions and look at who is paying the costs, it's often the voiceless.

The challenge for this week? Let's post these ten questions in a place where we can see them and ponder them in relation to news stories, things happening locally, and occurrences in our own lives. Then perhaps we can see and suggest improvements to the powers that be as they work toward improving the health of creation...

*******

A prayer for our earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe

and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live

as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,

so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it,

that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts

of those who look only for gain

at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognize that we are profoundly united

with every creature

as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle

for justice, love and peace.

+AMEN.

(A prayer for our earth and all quotations from Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home © Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Next up: The market ain't magic