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AREAS OF PRAYER FOCUS
ECOLOGY; ENVIRONMENT;
POLLUTION
by
Rosa Curry
(Prayer Team #12 - Article 4)
“FOR HE REMEMBERED HIS HOLY WORD TO HIS
SERVANT ABRAHAM. AND HE LED FORTH HIS PEOPLE WITH JOY; WITH
SHOUTS OF JOY, HIS CHOSEN ONES. AND HE GAVE THEM THE LANDS OF THE NATIONS,
AND THEY TOOK WHAT THE PEOPLES HAD TOILED FOR,
THAT THEY MIGHT KEEP HIS STATUTES AND OBSERVE HIS LAWS.” PSALM 105:42-45
“Respecting the environment does not mean considering material or animal nature
more important than man. Rather, it means not selfishly considering nature to be
at the complete disposal of our own interests, for future generations also have
the right to reap its benefits and to exhibit towards nature the same
responsible freedom that we claim for ourselves.Nor must we overlook the poor,
who are excluded in many cases from the goods of creation destined for all.”
Pope Benedict XVI, 2008 World Day of Peace Message.
In this year of St. Paul, the Word proclaims to us what is
expected of us, not only to remain temples of God (1 Cor.
3:16-17), but to love one another with sincerity, detest what is evil, cling to
what is good. Anticipate each other in showing respect. Do not grow slack but be
fervent in spirit; He whom you serve is the Lord. (Romans 12: 9-12)
My prayer for the #12 area of prayer, “Ecology; Environment
Pollution,” is for Jesus, our Lord, to change the hearts of all
to strive for a clean and healthy environment
2008 U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the apostolic nuncio and ambassador to the United Nations, reminded the assembly that the Vatican has already taken steps to reduce and offset the carbon emissions of the Vatican City State, through the use of solar panels, to be installed this year on its audience hall. He explained that sustainable economic development must "take into account the demands of environmental preservation, climate change, economic development and basic human needs." The archbishop also advocated the use of "clean technologies" as an important component of sustainable development. As stewards of all creation, we must identify wise, careful actions that will reverse climate change and avoid its potentially dangerous impact on all life, especially human life.
Rabbi David Saperstein, Director and Counsel, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, states, “Preserving our natural world is a key component at the heart of what it means to be religious.”
(Continued in the next column)
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ECOLOGY; ENVIRONMENT;
POLLUTION
(Continued)
John L. Carr, Secretary of the Department of Social Development and World Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) states, “… religious leaders …(must) share an abiding love for God’s gift of creation and the biblical mandate and moral responsibility to care for creation. As people of faith, we are convinced
that “the earth is the Lord’s and all it holds.” (Ps. 24:1) Our Creator has
given us the gift of creation: the air we breathe, the water that sustains life,
the climate and environment we share – all of which God created and found “very
good.” (Gen. 1:31) We believe our response to global climate change is a sign of
our respect for God’s creation and moral measure of our nation’s leadership and
stewardship.”The website,
www.catholicsandclimatechange.org, and many other such venues are available
to us, so we can be informed and know what we can/must do. We already know that
we must PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, unceasingly.
(Rosa
Curry is a pastoral member of the Spirit of Love Prayer
Group at Our Lady of the Woods Parish in Woodhaven, MI, and a
member of the DCCR Assembly, representing the South Region.)
NOW WORD SERIES
For May/June 2009
by Jim Lovelock
I Love You and I Know You.
'I AM'
The Light of the world,
The Living Bread,
Your Redeemer, Your Savior,
Your Provider, Your Assurance,
In Control, Triumphant,
The Lord Your God.
In Mark 8:27-29, Jesus and His disciples
left for the villages around Caesarea Philippi.
On the way, He put this question to His
disciples, “Who do people say I am?” And they
told him, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, others
again, one of the prophets.” “But you,” He
asked them, “Who do you say I am?” Peter
spoke up and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
Verse 30 says, “And He gave them strict
orders not to tell anyone about Him.”
Who is,
‘I AM’ in your life? The Lord now
gives us orders to proclaim His name throughout
the world.
Keep your eyes on the prize. ‘I AM.’
God bless you.
(Jim Lovelock
is a member of the St. Vincent
Ferrer
Prayer Group in Madison Heights, and the DCCR
Assembly representing the North Region.)
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