Our Land, Our Mother, Our Family!

EARTH DAY April 22, 2012

Mother Earth, she sustains us and governs us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs,

Brother Sun, he brings the day and gives us light,

Sister Moon, and the stars in the heavens; bright, and precious, and fair, they give us the brilliance and wonders of the night sky,

Brothers Wind and Air, and fair and stormy, all the weather's moods, they invigorate our lives and propel our boats,

Sister Water, so useful, humble, precious and pure, who quenches our thirst and nourishes the earth,

Brother Fire, he brightens the night, comforts us in the darkness, how full of power and strength.

The Canticle of the Sun, also known as the Laudes Creaturarum (Praise of the Creatures), is a religious song composed by Saint Francis of Assisi.

            This weekend, and specifically on Sunday, April 22^nd we recognize Earth Day.  It is a day and time that we set aside to become better educated and to become more aware of the importance of being wise stewards of God’s creation, and how it sustains us, our families, our communities and future generations.

            “Today the great gift of God’s Creation is exposed to serious dangers and lifestyles which can degrade it. Environmental pollution is making particularly unsustainable the lives of the poor of the world … we must pledge ourselves to take care of creation and to share its resources in solidarity”. — Pope Benedict XVI

“I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.” *

* The opening statement of the Nicene Creed – the profession of faith made by every Catholic at every Mass.

             You may be surprised to learn how strongly the Catholic Church addresses the needs and obligations for being stewards of our environment.  The following is taken from the Catechism (a.k.a.The Book of Rules!) of the Catholic Church . . .

280. Creation is the foundation of all God’s saving plans.”

282. Learning about and understanding creation is of major importance.  It concerns the very foundation of human Christian life.

339. Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for all human beings and their environment.

341. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and should inspire the respect and submission of man’s intellect and will.

358. God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him. 

The Seventh Commandment

YOU SHALL NOT STEAL.

2402.  In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits. The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race.

2415. The Seventh Commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation.  Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity. Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.

2456. The dominion granted by the Creator over the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources cannot be separated from respect for moral obligations, including those toward generations to come.

Some things we can all do now . . .

PRAYING – Getting in ‘tune’ with God.

• Be mindful and pray about those people most affected by environmental pollution; and for the grace to recognize our own contributions to the problem.  If you have a Bible handy (any edition will do) you can check-out the many Psalms that portray the richness of Creation that the people back then (like 2,600 years ago!) thought about their environment and the beauty of nature.

Psalms: 1:1,3; 8:3-9; 19:1; 23:1-2; 24:1-2; 29:1-11; 42:1; 65:8-13; 66:1-7; 67:6-7;68:4; 69:34; 72:16-19; 74:15-17;78:15-16; 89:5,11-12;90:1-2; 96:5b-6,11-12; 97:1-6; 98:7-9; 102:25; 103:19, 22; 104:1-35;119:89-91; 121:1-2; 135:5-7;136:1-9;143:8;146:5-6;147:5-6;148:1-10;150:1-6.  The Book of Daniel 3:61-82 (don’t miss this one!)

LEARN ABOUT IT!     Awareness always precedes change.

• Check-out the many web sites under “Earth Day” and “Environment.”

ASSESS WHAT CAN BE DONE!    It is time to make a plan.

• Conduct an energy audit of your home to discover where energy can be conserved.

• Consider and examine your carbon footprint to assess how your choices and behaviors contribute to or help reduce carbon emissions.

TAKE ACTION!    Nothing happens until some one takes action!

• Reduce your consumption of energy (act on your energy audit) by updating appliances, adjusting your thermostat – lowering the temperature at night, insulating, etc.

• Drive less and walk more, (not only good for the environment, but good for your own health – and pocketbook too!) combine errands, or use public transportation. Keep your tires properly inflated. Every pound under inflation uses 6% more gas. (Does that surprise you?) And tune up your car. A poorly tuned car can use 25% more gas. (At today’s gas price that would lower the cost of gasoline by almost $1.00 per gallon!)


UPDATE 4/28!  This really works!  Before a recent trip to Detroit - about 80 miles - I made sure my car's tires were inflated to the recommended pressure of 30psi - they had been between 27 and 28psi.  Well the miles per gallon (mph) as displayed on the instrument panel INCREASED from an average of 29 mpg to 32.9 mpg!!  So be sure to check the pressures in your tires!!

• Turn off lights and unplug appliances (especially “instant-on” TV’s and stereos) when you leave the room.

• Unplug your cell phone as soon as it is charged. (I found this surprising!)

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs.  (I know, they usually are not as esthetically pleasing as incandescent light bulbs)

• Turn off water when shaving, brushing your teeth and take shorter showering.

• Ride a bike, walk, carpool, or use public transportation whenever possible.

• Use biodegradable soap, shampoos.

• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. (I know, it’s not convenient! I am the reluctant-recycler.)

ADVOCATE    Get busy, make some “noise!”

• Write, email, or call your members of Congress and urge them that the needs of people living in poverty be a central priority, encourage them to pass the necessary legislation and other policies that address environmental stewardship.

            It is easy to ask, ‘What good will the little I can do make much of a difference on an environment that needs so much help and repair?” 

Let me answer that with a story . . .

            A young boy walking the ocean beach one morning after an overnight storm that had blown tens of thousands of starfish on to the sand, and one starfish at a time, the boy would toss them back into the ocean.  An old man (maybe old in years – or just an old mind set) questioned the boy because of the seemingly uselessness of throwing an individual starfish back – saying “What difference can what you are doing make when there are so many starfish on the beach?” 

            The boy answered, “It will make a difference for this one!” as he tossed another starfish back into the sea.

What is the point of this story?  Every little bit we do DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Let us pray,

            Lord God, creator of all the earth, you have given us the mountains and trees, the waters and the good earth which supports our crops, our animals, and ourselves. Never let us lose our love for our land, which is our mother. Help us to protect the land from abuse and to enrich the soil when we abuse it. Make our mother, the earth, fruitful again. Amen.

This is an expansion of the homily given the weekend of April 21 & 22.

Native American Prayer for the Earth

Earth, Teach Me . . .

Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.

Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.

Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.

Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.

Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.

Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.

Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.

Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.

Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.

Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.

Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain


An Ute Indian Prayer

The Ute are Native Americans now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. The name of the state of Utah was derived from the name Ute. The word Ute means "Land of the sun" in their language. Check-out Wikipedia and www.uteindian.com.

Here is some additional information of interest:

MARSHALL, MI — For the past 629 days, since July 2010 pipeline break that sent more than 800,000 gallons of heavy crude oil into the Kalamazoo River.

On Wednesday of this week, 629 days since the spill, a small section of the river has been opened to the public. 

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. "We are not done. We have a lot to do yet.”

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (aka BP Oil Spill) is turning out to be one of the worst oil disasters in history

The initial oil rig explosion killed 11 people and injured 17 others.

16,000 total miles of coastline have been affected,

Oil is still washing up on shores even though the well was capped in July 2010,

The BP Oil Spill is the biggest in American history, with between 17,000,000 and 39,000,000 gallons spilled in the Gulf of Mexico!

The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that 1 billion gallons of oil are spilled into the oceans each year, Gulf of Mexico spill notwithstanding!