Year of Faith and Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church Part Seven

 

 

Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Life, Justice and Peace

Creation Sustainability Ministry

Year of Faith and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

 

 “I…hope that we will make this the year when we begin the habit of life-long learning in our faith. A good place to start is to study the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), especially as they are expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.” (9)

“…I recommend that in this Year of Faith, we begin a practical study of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church in our parishes and our homes.” (12)

Jose Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles

Witness to the New World of Faith: A Pastoral Letter to the Family of God in Los Angeles on the New Evangelization and Our Missionary Call (October 2012)

 

Chapter Ten of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

Safeguarding the Environment

New Lifestyles, 486-487

 

Environmental challenges require an assessment of individual and societal lifestyles.  Consumption, focused on solidarity for the common good, realizes the interdependence of all humanity and the biosphere.

“Serious ecological problems call for an effective change of mentality leading to the adaptation of new lifestyles, in which the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and communion with others for the sake of the common good are the factors that determine consumer choices, savings and investments.  These lifestyles should be inspired by sobriety, temperance and self-discipline at both the individual and social level.  There is a need to break with the logic of mere consumption and promote forms of agricultural and industrial production that respect the order of creation and satisfy the basic human needs of all.  These attitudes sustained by renewal and awareness of the interdependence of all inhabitants of the earth, will contribute to eliminating the numerous causes of ecological disasters as well as guaranteeing the ability to respond quickly when such disasters strike people and territories.  The ecological question must not be faced solely because of the frightening prospects that environmental destruction represents; rather it must above all become a strong motivation for an authentic solidarity of worldwide dimensions.” (486)

 

In thanksgiving, we appreciate God’s creation.  The world exclaims God’s continual providential care in sustaining life.

“The attitude that must characterize the way man acts in relation to creation is essentially one of gratitude and appreciation; the world, in fact, reveals the mystery of God who created and sustains it.  If the relationship with God is placed aside, nature is stripped of its profound meaning and impoverished.  If on the other hand, nature is rediscovered in its creaturely dimension, channels of communication with it can be established, its rich and symbolic meaning can be understood, allowing us to enter into its realm of mystery.  This realm opens the path of man to God, Creator of heaven and earth.  The world presents itself before man’s eyes as evidence of God, the place where his creative, providential and redemptive power unfolds.” (487)

 

 

To read the full text of paragraphs 486 thru 487 visit:

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

 

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion

 

486

List three serious ecological problems, one locally, one nationally and one globally. How can you change your lifestyle by making alternative consumer decisions to help mitigate these problems?

 

Prayerfully reflect on your interdependence with all creation.

 

487

What is the most profound way you have experienced God’s creativity in creation?

 

How do you experience the providential nature of God in creation?

 

Write a poem about entering into the realm of the mystery of God from observing creation.

 

By Barb Born August 3, 2013

 

Year of Faith and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church Safeguarding the Environment Part III

Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Life, Justice and Peace

Creation Sustainability Ministry

Year of Faith and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

 

“I…hope that we will make this the year when we begin the habit of life-long learning in our faith. A good place to start is to study the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), especially as they are expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.” (9)

“…I recommend that in this Year of Faith, we begin a practical study of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church in our parishes and our homes.” (12)

Jose Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles

Witness to the New World of Faith: A Pastoral Letter to the Family of God in Los Angeles on the New Evangelization and Our Missionary Call (October 2012)

 

Chapter Ten of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

Safeguarding the Environment

The Crisis and the Relationship between Man and the Environment, 461-465

 

Unconditional dominion  over the environment to exploit resources, void of moral principles, can be rooted culturally and historically.  The modern era and technology accentuates this process, with potential risks to environmental sustainability.

 

“The Biblical message and the Church’s Magisterium represent the essential reference points for evaluating the problems found in the relationship between man and the environment.  The underlying cause of these problems can be seen in man’s pretension of exercising unconditional dominion over moral considerations which, on the contrary, must distinguish all human activity. The tendency towards an “ill-considered” exploitation of the resources of creation is the result of a long historical and cultural process. The modern era has witnessed man’s growing capacity for transformative intervention…Because of the powerful means of transformation offered by technological civilization, it sometimes seems that the balance between man and the environment has reached a critical point.”(461)

 

Man seeks to use technology to manipulate nature, without regard to finite resources.  Priority for a disposition to consumerism diminishes the dignity of the human person and creation.

“Nature appears as an instrument in the hands of man, a reality that he must constantly manipulate, especially by means of technology…starting from the presupposition…that an infinite quantity of energy and resources are available, that it is possible to use them quickly, and that the negative effects of the exploitation of the natural order can be easily absorbed.  This reductionist concept views the natural world in mechanistic terms and sees development in terms of consumerism.  Primacy is given to doing and having rather than to being, and this causes serious forms of human alienation…” (462)

 

Respect for God’s creation prohibits manipulative and exploitative posture towards nature.  But the scale must also not tip towards a theology that creation supersedes the dignity of the human person, so nature becomes divinized.

“A correct understanding of the environment prevents the utilitarian reduction of nature to a mere object to be manipulated and exploited.  At the same time, it must not absolutize nature and place it above the dignity of the human person himself.  In this later case, one can go so far as to divinize nature or the earth…” (463)

 

The environment reflects creation by God as a gift humanity should nurture in thanksgiving.  Man and nature do not exist in a vacuum void of God, but the relationship with God defines our relationship with one another and the environment.

“A vision of man and things that is sundered from any reference to the transcendent has led to the rejection of the concept of creation and to the attribution of a completely independent existence to man and nature.  The bonds that unite the world to God have thus been broken. This rupture…has improvised man’s very identity…it is the relationship man has with God that determines his relationship with his fellow men and with his environment. This is why Christian culture has always recognized that creatures that surround man as also gifts of God to be nurtured and safeguarded with a sense of gratitude to the Creator…” (464)

 

Humanity has a responsibility to maintain a healthy environment for all humanity, by mitigating sources of pollution and providing for sanitation and hygiene needs.  The use of technology and resources should respect human dignity today and of future generations.

“The Magisterium underscores human responsibility for the preservation of a sound and healthy environment for all…Technology that pollutes can also cleanse, production that amasses can also distribute justly, on condition that the ethic of respect for life and human dignity, for the rights of today’s generations and those to come, prevails.” (465)

 

To read the full text of paragraphs 461 thru 465 visit:

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

 

 

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion

 

461

What moral considerations should govern man’s dominion of creation?

How do you perceive resources being exploited nationally and globally?

In your community, how do you see the environment’s hospitable aspect threatened?  What can your parish and neighborhood do to mitigate this?

 

462

List three ways nature is manipulated by technology.

In what ways do you see consumers acting like resources are infinite?

How can you adapt your lifestyle to reflect the finite amount of energy available now and for future generations?

463

In divinizing nature or the earth, how is the dignity of the human person diminished?

In what ways do you see nature absolutized?  How can you address this in a positive way?

Imparted with the responsibility to care for God’s creation, what five actions will you take this week?

 

464

What are your favorite creatures in God’s creation? How do you thank God for them?

How does your spirituality define your relationship to the environment?

Write a poem of praise about God’s creation.

 

465

What are three promising technologies to enhance the quality of life globally?

How can resources be more justly distributed?

What can you do to respect the ethic of life and human dignity for future generations?

 

 Barb Born May 6, 2013