Feed the Hungry We all know that it is not possible to sustain the present level of consumption in developed countries and wealthier sectors of society, where the habits of wasting and discarding has reached unprecedented levels. (LS 27) Climate change is a global problem many of the poor live in areas particularly affected and their means of subsistence are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing and forestry. They have no other financial activities or resources which can enable them to adapt to climate change or to face natural disasters. (LS 25) Our inability to think seriously about future generations is linked to our inability to broaden the scope of our present interests and to give consideration to those who are excluded from development. Let us not only keep the poor of the future in mind, but also todays poor whose life on earth is brief and who cannot keep on waiting. (LS 162) Which words or phrases are staying with you from these quotes? How does this challenge you in your thoughts or actions in feeding the hungry?
Give Drink to the Thirsty Our world has a grave social debt towards the poor who lack access to safe drinking water, because they are denied the right to a life consistent with their inalienable dignity. (LS30) Some studies warn that acute water shortage may occur within a few decades unless urgent action is taken this could affect billions of people, it is also conceivable that the control of water by large multinational business may become a major source of conflict this century. (LS31) How do these words challenge you in your thinking about the life giving gift of water? What is your response?
Clothe the Naked A sober look at our world shows the degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey, even as technological advances and consumer goods continue to abound limitlessly. We seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something we have created ourselves. (LS 34) How do these words resonate with you with regard to clothing the naked? What response does it call forth in you?
Shelter the Homeless There is a need to protect those common areas, visual landmarks and urban landscapes which increase our sense of belonging, of rootedness of feeling at home within a city which includes us and brings us together. (LS151) How does this statement challenge your thinking about homelessness? Who in your community may not feel at home there?
Visit the Sick The contemplation of creation allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us since to contemplate creation is to hear a message, to listen to a paradoxical and silent voice. (LS 85) The external deserts in the world are growing because the internal deserts have become so vast. (LS 217) How do these statements invite us to consider visiting the sick? Inherent is Mercy is a sense of mutuality where do these statements reflect that mutual action?
Visit the Imprisoned The extreme poverty in areas lacking harmony, open spaces or potential for integration, can lead to incidents of brutality and to exploitation. In the unstable neighbourhoods of mega cities, the daily experiences of overcrowding and social anonymity can create a sense of uprootedness which spawns antisocial behaviour and violence. Nonetheless I wish to insist that love always proves more powerful. Many people in these conditions are able to weave bonds of belonging and togetherness which convert overcrowding into an experience of community in which the walls of ego are torn down and barriers to selfishness overcome. (LS 149) Where might people be imprisoned by the physical or social structures of your community? What is your response?
Bury the Dead Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost forever for reasons related to human activity. Because of us thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right. (LS 33) Many intensive forms of environmental exploitation and degradation not only exhaust the resources which provide local communities and also undo the social structures, which shape cultural identity and the sense of the meaning of life and community. The disappearance of a culture can be just as serious, or even more serious, than the disappearance of a species of plant or animal. (LS 145) Take a moment to experience the loss of the richness of culture and creation by human action. What thoughts or feelings does this stir up in you?
Correct the Sinner When the media and digital world become omnipresent their influence can stop people from learning how to live wisely, to think deeply, to love generously. In this context the great sages of the past run the risk of going unheard amid the noise and distractions of information overload. Efforts need to be made to help these media become source of new cultural progress for humanity and not a threat to our deepest riches. (LS 47) How can we allow the wisdom of the past to emerge as a light to our future in this digital age?
Instruct the Ignorant Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it. (LS 19) If laws are to bring about significant, long lasting effects the majority of members of society must be adequately motivated to accept them, and be personally transformed to respond. (LS 211) Where are you on the journey to personal conversion for the sake of the earth? How might we be conduits of transformation of heart in the process of ecological action?
Counsel the Doubtful True wisdom, as the fruit of self examination, dialogue and generous encounter between persons is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data but in connection with the pain, the fears and the joys of others and the complexity of their personal experiences. (LS 47) Reflect on the statement above what is the cost of this type of encounter? What is the benefit?
Comfort the Sorrowful We can see signs that things are now reaching a breaking point, due to the rapid pace of change and degradation; these are evident in large scale natural disasters as well as social and financial crisis, for the world s problems cannot be analysed or explained in isolation. Yet hope would have us recognize that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems. (LS61) How do these words speak to you about your role in offering comfort to those that may be despairing about the future of the planet? How can you be an advocate of hope?
Bear wrongs patiently For all our limitations, gestures of generosity, solidarity and care cannot but well up within us, since we were made for love. (LS 58) To achieve reconciliation with creation we must examine our lives and acknowledge the ways in which we have harmed creation through our actions and failures to act. We need to experience a conversion, or change of heart. (LS218) This work of Mercy invites us to bear wrongs with patience. How do the words above invite you to this work of Mercy?
Forgive all injuries The spirit of God has filled the universe with possibilities and therefore from the very heart of things, something new can always emerge. (LS 80) If the present ecological crisis is one small sign of the ethical, cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity, we cannot presume to heal our relationship with the environment without healing all fundamental human relationships. (LS 119) What connections do you see between healing and forgiveness when it comes to care for our common home? How are you invited to respond?
Pray for the living and the dead Creator 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 (LS 246) Which words or phrases of this prayer are staying with you? What is your response?