The Holy Father Pope Francis exhorted us all to be better stewards of the earth’s resources, and that is not only good Catholicism. Its good common sense.
However, has anybody else noticed how Catholics who are keen on Earth Day seem to be taking their cues not from our Catholic tradition–which has a pretty good record for encouraging good stewardship of the earth’s resources–but taking the lead from the secular environmental movement.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not down on environmentalism per se. I do suspect, however that the environmentalist movement is heavily infiltrated–if not funded completely–by powers with a globalist agenda. Furthermore, much of the environmental movement looks to New Age spirituality rather than anything Christian. Sniff around the environmental movement’s spirituality fringe and you’ll find Gaia the name for the Mother Earth Goddess, loopy types of feminism and various other “earth magic” hokum.
Then we have the problem where conservative Catholics see all the New Age, globalist stuff and back off completely saying for Earth Day they’re going to turn on all the lights, drive their cars more and use spray cans and cut down a tree. Sure, they’re just joking but why not have the final joke and do Earth Day in a truly Catholic way?
Its okay to be a little bit of a tree hugging hippie.
Here are some suggestions:
- Read the creation story from Genesis. Out loud and outside.
- Get your animals blessed like on St Francis’ feast day
- Sing the Benedicite. Go here for versions in Latin, Book of Common Prayer and Modern English
- Sing the song St Francis wrote: The Canticle of the Sun
- Wear Birkenstocks.
- Hug a tree.
