Lent — A Time for Change

During Lent we are called to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ’s will more faithfully. One area where the world could benefit from personal conversion is what St. Pope John Paul II called an “ecological conversion”… “whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them” (Laudato Si’ 217).  Ecological conversion involves: 1) recognizing that we have harmed creation, 2) repentance for this harm, 3) commitment to change and become good stewards of creation, and 4) community conversion. 

As Pope Francis notes, a community conversion is equally important because “Social problems must be addressed by community networks and not simply by the sum of individual good deeds… The ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion” (Laudato Si’ 219).

Pope Francis calls us to serious action which in turn will have a positive effect on the whole world: “Efforts by households to reduce pollution and waste, and to consume with prudence, are creating a new culture. The mere fact that personal, family and community habits are changing is contributing to greater concern about the unfulfilled responsibilities of the political sectors and indignation at the lack of interest shown by the powerful” (Laudate Deum 72). Please consider how you can make a positive impact through ecological conversion!

---

Local SoC Opportunities

SE Michigan Interfaith Climate Justice Initiative (ICJI) is a growing ecumenical coalition of churches and faith-based organizations who gather to celebrate the Season of Creation for broader impact across the Metro-Detroit area. Our Rochester Area Catholic Family of Parishes is part of this coalition!

Click here for local opportunities for learning, prayer, reflection, and action to protect our common home for the 2024 Season of Creation.

Additional Resources

The Pope’s Encyclical

On Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si’) is the new appeal from Pope Francis addressed to “every person living on this planet” for an inclusive dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. Pope Francis calls the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path. This encyclical is written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor and humility. 

The title is taken from the first line of the encyclical, “Laudato si’, mi Signore,” or “Praise be to you, my Lord.” In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. The encyclical is divided into six chapters which together provide a thorough analysis of human life and its three intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbor, and with the earth:

1. “What is Happening to Our Common Home”
2. “The Gospel of Creation”
3. “The Human Roots of the Ecological Crisis”
4. “Integral Ecology”
5. “Lines of Approach and Action”
6. “Ecological Education and Spirituality”

While Laudato Si’ is the first encyclical to focus on the environment and its destruction in such a comprehensive way, its foundation rests in a long history of Church teaching on creation.

Read the full text of Laudato Si’ online here.