Importance of ecological education

September 12, 2019

214. Political institutions and various other social groups are also entrusted with helping to raise people’s awareness. So too is the Church. All Christian communities have an important role to play in ecological education. It is my hope that our seminaries and houses of formation will provide an education in responsible simplicity of life, in grateful contemplation of God’s world, and in concern for the needs of the poor and the protection of the environment. Because the stakes are so high, we need institutions empowered to impose penalties for damage inflicted on the environment. But we also need the personal qualities of self-control and willingness to learn from one another.

Source : Laudato Si'

Fr. Michael W. Davis

St. Gregory Church

My trips to the Holy Land over the years have been thrilling journeys of faith and discovery. There’s nothing like walking in the footsteps of Jesus, seeing the land made holy by his presence, and gaining insights into the places and parables of Gospel fame. Since those trips, I have never read or heard the Gospel the same way. Always ever new, ever fresh, the insights gained by a trip to the Holy Land make the Gospel come alive in powerfully concrete and dramatic ways.

Among the endearing and memorable images from my pilgrimages are photos, like the one on the front cover of this weekend’s bulletin, which recalls my visit to Bethlehem, where there are many baby lambs that can be encountered throughout the city. The calm, darling, nature of these little creatures, led each of us to be a bit “taken” with delight at the smallness, the cuteness, and the cuddliness of the little lamb. Each of my travelers stopped to “ooh and ah” at the sight. Many wanted to pet the lamb. Some of us had a snapshot taken of ourselves with the lamb securely placed on our shoulders, reminiscent of today’s parable of the shepherd who went after and found the lost sheep. With delight, he recovered the lost sheep, which was triumphantly and joyfully placed on the shoulders of the shepherd, who brought it back to the rest of the fold. It’s great to have 99 sheep. But, it’s even better to have all one hundred safe and sound!

Although this weekend’s parables tell us much about the Kingdom of God and the various levels of response to Christ’s offer of that Kingdom to would-be followers, it also speaks volumes about God Himself. Indeed, since He created us in His image and likeness; since through Baptism He has made us His own, members of his royal household, the People of God, the sheepfold of those redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, it stands to reason that He would also be exceedingly concerned about our welfare, yes our ultimate welfare, as we journey through life unto eternity. According to the Gospel, He has great joy when one of His lost sheep is found and brought safely back to the fold where it belongs. What a lovely and inspiring image of God, as the shepherd in search of the lost one, as the person in search of the lost coin, and as the Compassionate Father scanning the horizon for the return of His prodigal son. These parables could refer to our needed increased zeal for the Kingdom of Christ and for our rightful place in our Father’s House. But it also speaks of the nature of God who actively seeks out the lost, even those in the peripheries of life.

I am always deeply gratified and humbled by the privilege of welcoming Catholics, who have wandered away from the Sacraments or from the Church itself, back home to a life of faith and security in the Father’s House. More often than not, this happens in the confessional, where people humbly bear their souls with longing to regularize their lives in the grace of God. Indeed, it takes a lot of courage to walk through the doors of the confessional, especially after many years away. But how sweet is the relief of the embrace of our Compassionate God, who has always just wanted us to be at home with Him, wanting our human and spiritual wellbeing, our peace of mind, our fulfillment and every happiness as we live. Herein lies this weekend’s insight.

God is the One who searches after us! It is the Lord who has mapped out the path for our happiness and inner peace. He is the One who puts the desire for every good deed in our hearts. He has placed within us a discerning conscience. He likewise is the inspiration and holy impulse to move forward in courage to walk through the door of the confessional. Through many circumstances, He is the one who nudges us along toward truth, and rejoices when we are found, bringing us back to the rest of the fold, safe and sound, where we belong.

Fr. Michael W. Davis
Pastor