Care for God's Creation

The Connection between our faith and the environment

We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored. (USCCB)

"The relationship between human activity and global warming must be constantly monitored for “the climate is a good that must be protected”."
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, #470

“Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.”
~ Pope Francis

From the USCCB's blog TO GO FORTH, an article on Pope Francis' Encyclical Laudato Si, connecting Care for Creation and our Gospel Mission:

In linking respect for human life and dignity with care for the natural world, Pope Francis follows in the footsteps of both Pope Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II, who noted that “respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation, which is called to join man in praising God” (Message for the 1990 World Day of Peace).

The efforts of all three are rooted in Scripture and longstanding Catholic teachings. Those teachings remind us that when we don’t responsibly care for God’s creation, it’s the poor who suffer most. Pollution, food and water insecurity, and conflicts over declining resources first affect those on the margins – “the least of these” Jesus entrusts to our particular care. There’s an “intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet” (LS, no. 16), and we have a responsibility to live out our solidarity with the poor in concrete ways.

Resources (More videos Below)

Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home, an Encyclical from Pope Francis (Vatican)
Caring for God's Creation: Resources for Liturgy Preaching and Taking Action in English (USCCB)
Ciudar la Creación de Dios en Espanol (USCCB)
Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home Discussion Guide (USCCB)
Laudato Si: Sobre el Cuidado de la Casa Común Guia de Discucion (USCCB)
Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home - Bulletin Insert/English (USCCB)
Laudato Si: Sobre el Cuidado de la Casa Común - Bulletin Insert/Espanol (USCCB)
Prayer to Care for Our Common Home - English (USCCB)
Oración para Cuidar de Nuestra Casa Común (USCCB)
Catholic Social Teaching on Care for Creation and Stewardship of the Earth (USCCB)
CST 101: Care for Creation Discussion Guide (USCCB and CRS)
CST 101: Cuidado de la Creación de Dios - Guía de Discucion (USCCB and CRS)
Homily Helps, Theological Questions, Quotes to Consider (USCCB)
Two Feet of Love in Action, Elementary Books (USCCB)
Care for our Common Home, with an Educational ToolKit (Caritas)
The Season of Creation, 5 Week Plan (USCCB)
Reflecting on Laudato Si (Millennial Journal)
Laudato Si: Why This Matters (CRS)
CRS Library of Resources on Caring for Creation (CRS)

Scripture

Genesis 1:1-31
God made the heavens and the earth and it was good.
Genesis 2:15
Humans are commanded to care for God’s creation.
Leviticus 25:1-7
The land itself must be given a rest and not abused.
Daniel 3:56-82
Creation proclaims the glory of God.
Romans 1:20
Creation reveals the nature of God.
1 Corinthians 10:26
Creation and all created things are inherently good because they are of the Lord.

Cinco Panes' Spanish Series-Laudato Si

Begin with this introduction:

Church Documents (Tradition)

The dominion granted to man by the Creator is not an absolute power, nor can one speak of a freedom to "use and misuse," or to dispose of things as one pleases. The limitation imposed from the beginning by the Creator himself and expressed symbolically by the prohibition not to "eat of the fruit of the tree" (cf. Gen 2:16-17) shows clearly enough that, when it comes to the natural world, we are subject not only to biological laws but also to moral ones, which cannot be violated with impunity. A true concept of development cannot ignore the use of the elements of nature, the renewability of resources and the consequences of haphazard industrialization - three considerations which alert our consciences to the moral dimension of development. (from St. John Paul II, On Social Concerns, 1987 [Sollicitudo rei Socialis], no. 34)

The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole. . . Our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others. It would be wrong to uphold one set of duties while trampling on the other. (Pope Benedict XVI, Charity in Truth, 2009 [Caritas in Veritate], nos. 48, 51)

Changes in lifestyle based on traditional moral virtues can ease the way to a sustainable and equitable world economy in which sacrifice will no longer be an unpopular concept. For many of us, a life less focused on material gain may remind us that we are more than what we have. Rejecting the false promises of excessive or conspicuous consumption can even allow more time for family, friends, and civic responsibilities. A renewed sense of sacrifice and restraint could make an essential contribution to addressing global climate change. (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good, 2001)