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Celeste Peterson
Dr. Martino
Contemporary Catholicism
8 November 2017

Having grown up in a Catholic Church, I thought I knew all that there is to know about

the religion; however, I could not have been more wrong. After taking this theology course, my

knowledge of the Church is much deeper, and my opinions about it have even changed. Prior to

taking a legitimate course about the Religion, I always thought that being Catholic just meant

going to mass every Sunday, following along in the readings, celebrating the Eucharist, and

repeating it all the following week. I will be the first one to admit that I in no way consider

myself the best Catholic and I realize that sometimes my mind is not in the right place during

mass, but nonetheless I at least thought I understood my religion. I did not realize how alive the

Church really is, it is not just a routine to be followed each week, but rather is a fluid set of

guidelines that Catholics and non-Catholics alike can turn to in times of need. In these times of

need, we can turn to Papal Encyclicals as guidelines to handling current events. While I had

heard of these “encyclical letters” that addressed issues in the world, I had not actually examined

any of them. Because of this, I never truly grasped the concept that the Church has so much to

teach us in the current world. I was quick to simply equate it to a centuries-old practice that

could not possibly have anything to say about current issues, especially those that tie in with

science. Fortunately, I am learning more and more each day that the Catholic Church still has so

much to teach the world, aside from the ideals taught in the Bible and at mass; these teachings

help make the earth a better place for all that inhabit it.

As is mentioned above, the Church can be turned to, by Catholics and non-Catholics the

same, as a way to answer questions and solve problems in today’s world. Amongst the problems
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in today’s world is the current state of the earth; it is clear we are living in a time of an ecological

crisis. Obviously, this is an issue near and dear to every scientist’s heart, but it is also an issue

that Pope Francis was able to comment on and make suggestions about. As this is an issue that

most people would not automatically associate with the Catholic faith, it is no surprise that Pope

Francis addresses the necessity for there to be collaboration between science and religion. For

this reason, the encyclical helps to exemplify the Church’s approach to faith and reason. Pope

Francis, and the Church as a whole, realizes and respects that not everyone shares in the opinions

of the Church in a religious aspect, but is willing to put this aside with the hopes of

accomplishing good. While it may not be beneficial to try to convince those who are not

religious to care about the ecological crisis in terms of religion, Pope Francis asserts that “the

Catholic Church is open to dialogue with philosophical thought” (Pope Francis, p. 30). This open

dialogue is a way of forming syntheses between faith and reason. In this particular instance, the

Church is happy to put faith aside and talk to the secular world in a way that does not involve

religion, all with the hopes of bettering our world. This willingness to be open exemplifies the

Church’s flexibility and adaptability; the Church realizes that things change overtime and that it

must change along with the rest of the world, even if that means adapting our faith to some

extent.

Although Pope Francis approaches the ecological crisis in a more secular way whenever

talking about collaboration amongst the faithful and the non-faithful, he also challenges us

Catholics to examine the crisis in terms of our religion. In order to tie together the environment

with religion, Pope Francis brings up two different biblical references. The first reference comes

from the first chapter of Genesis, where God is commanding man to fill the earth and to rule over

it. The second reference also comes from Genesis, although the second chapter this time, where
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God placed man in the Garden of Eden and commanded him to work in it and take care of it. At

first glance, the quote that gives man the power to rule over the earth comes off a little unsettling.

Upon second glance, and from Pope Francis’ explanations, it is easy to see that many people

throughout time have misinterpreted this quote and that rather than control the earth, man should

have a mutual responsibility with the earth. The second quote also comes off a little strong, and

may have also been misinterpreted. With this quote, it is understood that man should cultivate

and plough the land, but he should also protect and preserve it. After further examining the two

biblical quotes Pope Francis brings up, it is easy to see that man and earth should have a mutual

relationship, where man can take what he needs from the earth, as long as he in turn cares for and

replenishes it.

Aside from the two creation accounts Pope Francis brings up, he also brings up Jesus’

relationship with the earth and its significance. During his time on earth, Jesus was a remotely

ordinary man, who had respect for everyone and everything around him. This respect was

evident in his treatment of his non-human companions on earth, he often called to others to stop

and appreciate the beauty of the earth that God created. Because of his deep respect to nature,

nature obeyed him, which many people were awed by. For as many people who were in awe by

and respected Jesus, there were just as many who criticized him for doing earthly things, like

eating and drinking. Regardless of all the attention he received, both positive and negative, Jesus

simply continued living his life. It was this aspect of Jesus that helps tie him to our ecological

crisis; in all of his glory, he continued working. Jesus worked and led a simple life, which is

what we are called to do in this crisis. We should all be working, as God worked and still works,

and we should aspire to do things that bring us closer to God. If Jesus, the Son of God worked,
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everyone should follow in his footsteps in order to better the earth and bring a special meaning to

work.

Pope Francis also brings up “universal communion” in order cultivate ecological concern.

In doing so, Pope Francis helps to better clarify and emphasize the true meaning and concept of

communion and its importance in the Catholic Church. As it has been explained before, in the

Church, community is extremely important as the way to Heaven is through communion, it

cannot be done alone. Pope Francis reiterates the aspect of Universal Communion in the way he

claims that everyone must be loving and compassionate to both each other and also to all the

creatures of the world. Through this love for one another, God, and the earth, the world can be

brought together. This unity is vital in the Church, as it is the way to God, and is a way to solve

our ecological crisis that Pope Francis examines.

Aside from offering solutions to the crisis, Pope Francis also faults some of the things

that led to it. Amongst this list is technology as a whole, which brings up a slew of problems in

and of itself. Pope Francis states that the technocratic paradigm affects the way humans relate to

non-humans and the environment. In my opinion, I fully agree with Pope Francis. He explains

that we should be happy and proud of all of the technological advances we have made, but we

also need to reflect and reevaluate these advances. Of all of the specific problems Pope Francis

cites, I think the largest problem with our ever-increasing technology is the fact that it makes it

difficult for us to see the larger pictures any more. Pope Francis explains this inability to see the

larger picture as a “loss of appreciation for the whole, relationships between things, and the

broader horizon” (Pope Francis, p 54). Because of this loss of appreciation, things such as nature

become irrelevant and we become unable to solve the problems associated with it, as no one

seems to care about or appreciate any more.

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Aside from leading me to think about the problems with technology, Pope Francis’

writing also led me to think about the concept of imago Dei. It is no doubt that all of the

technology in our world gives us immense power, and with this power, we have to think about

the way God acts, and we must try to act in this way as well. As we know, we are created in

God’s image, and God is gracious and merciful; this mercy and grace can come through in our

technology in the way that we need to use it for good. We have the power to solve so many

problems in the world with our technology and we are called to do so since we share in God’s

mercy and grace. We must also love and respect our world the way God does, which is often lost

in one’s obsession with technological advances and one’s lack of compassion regarding the

environment.

Similar to his words about technology, Pope Francis also takes aim at “consumerism”

being to blame for our not-so-great relationship with the environment. With this, Pope Francis

explains that our society has become obsessed with “consuming” and have begun associating

freedom with consuming. Because of this, when people are not consuming as much as others, it

leads to people becoming selfish and developing an empty heart. As hearts become more empty

and the obsession with consumerism grows, there is much more violence and destruction. The

planet and resources are being depleted at the expense of everyone’s desire to consume.

In order to medicine the epidemic that is our current environment, Pope Francis explains

that changing one’s habits/virtues is the only way to change one’s lifestyle to one that is more

ecologically sensitive. His reasoning behind this is simple, education, rules, and even laws can

only bring about so much change. If people are not truly inspired by these things, they will not

change their lifestyle. It is only by a change of habit/virtue that people will truly begin to change

their lifestyle, until then, they will continue to disregard what they are told to do, even if it
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illegal. To bring about change, we must change people’s mindsets and learn self-control and

willingness to learn from one another.

To change someone’s lifestyle, or to have an ecological conversion, it will take more than

just doctrine. Pope Francis explains ecological conversion as the effects of an encounter with

Jesus becoming evident in people’s relationship with the world around them. Much like with any

issue, the Church sees the ecological crisis as an opportunity to have a conversion of heart, and

having a healthy relationship with creation leads to this overall conversion. Pope Francis further

explains that this conversion must be amongst a community, not within one individual.

The last three subjects brought up by Pope Francis, that of consumerism, habit, and

conversion help to deepen one’s understanding of the idea that the human person is “in process.”

Each of the subjects contribute to this idea in different ways. For example, it is no doubt that we

live in a world centered around consumerism, but we have the power to change that. We can

teach one another and change our mindsets, and thus our habits/virtues. We are not stuck in this

age of extreme consumerism. In fact, we are called, by God, to change the world, by first

changing ourselves.

After reading the few excepts from “On Care for Our Common Home,” I find that there

are so many takeaways. Pope Francis addresses the current ecological crisis that ails our world,

and leaves his audience with numerous new ideas, whether they be about the Catholic Faith or

about the science involved in the crisis. On an intellectual level, Pope Francis’ encyclical helped

to tie together the idea that the religion, and Catholic people in general are ever-changing; we

have the capability and the power to change ourselves and our world, as was given to us by God,

and we are called to do so. On a more personal level, this encyclical help to answer the question

that I often find myself asking: how do we know that God is still here in present days? I feel that
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the whole encyclical is evident of God’s presence; through His communication with Pope

Francis, God makes His presence felt. I realize now that the problem we face today, that is the

ecological crisis, and God’s intervention is no different than many of the stories in the Bible. The

encyclical left me with a feeling of hope and comfort, knowing that God is still present and

seeking to change our world, and that I live in a generation that possesses the power to help in

this change.