95. The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone. If we make something our own, it is only to administer it for the good of all. If we do not, we burden our consciences with the weight of having denied the existence of others. That is why the New Zealand bishops asked what the commandment “Thou shall not kill” means when “twenty percent of the world’s population consumes resources at a rate that robs the poor nations and future generations of what they need to survive”.
Reflection: What does “Thou shall not kill” mean to you? How far does such nonviolence go in your mind and practices? Do you consider your use and/or waste of natural resources a way in which you ensure the lack of survival for future generations? Journal your prayer and reflection.
Action: Be aware this week of the natural environment as a “collective good.” Be aware of the water you use, the food you eat or waste, the packaging you dispose of (even if it is recycled). Are you acting in ways consistent with the natural environment as the “patrimony of all humanity”? If not, what one concrete action can you make?
Spaces of Hope
Resurrection means that we too will live on to the extent that we live now; that is, to the extent that we focus our passion, loyalty, and care to family, friends, community, nation, to transcend ourselves in love. The magnitude of our relatedness is the breadth of our lives, and the degree to which we live on in the evolution of life. To live eternal life is to live in the now unconditionally and wholeheartedly, to lose ourselves for the sake of love. Ilia Delia, Making All Things New (2015) 84.
Reflect on this photo taken by SSND Associate Susan Austin on her hike in north Coyote Buttes in the Vermilion Cliffs, part of the Paria Canyon in Northern Arizona/southern Utah. God of all creation. Used with permission.
As we identify more deeply with Christ, the very pattern of his life becomes ours. We experience, as individuals and as community, now one aspect and now another of Christ’s paschal mystery, of his life, death, and resurrection. Moving toward the fullness of personhood in Christ, we become more integrated, freer to proclaim the good news. (You Are Sent 46)
Justice for Immigrants
Read this compelling article about immigration, asylum, and the shifting sands of immigration policy in this week’s NYT article, “They Forgot About Us: Inside the Wait for Refugee Status.”
Ending Human Trafficking
Save the Date: 100 Days Until #WearBlueDay
It’s time to mark your calendars! As of October 3, #WearBlueDay was officially 100 days away. Each year on January 11, Blue Campaign recognizes National Human Trafficking Awareness Day by encouraging communities to wear blue — the international color for human trafficking prevention — and spread awareness of human trafficking. As #WearBlueDay gets closer, stay tuned for more information on the full slate of events and activities Blue Campaign has planned for January.
Learn more about how Catholic sisters around the world are working together against human trafficking. Consider joining the End Human Trafficking Committee and making a difference!
Dismantling Racism
Listen to the voices of Indigenous people who were victims of the sexual abuse crisis in the Church and the systemic racism that allowed for the abuse to continue uninterrupted for so long in this Georgetown Initiative webinar. Watch the video with others and discuss what caught your attention, and why.
Join the AMSSND Dismantling Racism committee in reading Undoing the Knots: Five Generations of American Catholic Anti-Blackness. Consider this from the book: “Undoing this missionary knot might be the most significant work any of us could take up. I can begin by practicing the fundamental first step of Catholic anti-racism: rejecting the idea that Black people require our charity and the notion that our charity is a sufficient response to racial inequity…I can examine the way my do-gooding maintains the alignment of the economic, political, and ecclesial powers that sustain so much of my own white Catholic comfort and stability.” (223)
Climate Change
COP27 will meet from November 6-18 in Egypt. Learn more about COP27 and the critical climate issues to be addressed. Add your voice to those of Catholics across the country by signing this letter to President Biden and the US delegation ahead of COP27, sponsored by the Laudato Si’ Action Platform and the Catholic Climate Covenant.
The Letter, A Message for Our Earth premiered in Rome on October 4th and is now available for individual viewing. This feature length film (1:21) is beautifully done, particularly powerful in how the issues of climate change are made visible through the lived experience of those most affected. Screenings can be held to promote Laudato Si’ and the film; for more information about screenings and the film click here.
Partnership with Haiti
Consider learning more about this action on behalf of the Haitian people and what it represents in terms of US policies towards Haiti. Beyond Borders, our partner in the work in Haiti, was a sponsor of the action. SSND partnership between the AMSSND and Beyond Borders in Haiti represents a deep commitment to justice for the people of Haiti. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti and staff members of Beyond Borders who are in Haiti. Commit to continue learning about the current situation in Haiti. Commit to learning the long US/Haiti history that influences the current time as well. May peace and justice be found in the spaces of hope our partnership provides.
