"Who is the greatest?" ~ Sunday 20th September 2015

In Pope Francis’s recent encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, he acknowledged that for so long human beings have treated the planet as if it were there solely for our use and exploitation, as if we were the greatest. He urges us to see the deep connectedness that exists with nature. ‘Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it.’ (139). Pope Francis refreshingly speaks of an ‘integral ecology’; that dealing with climate change involves an approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded and at the same time protecting nature. We can no longer treat any of these in isolation.

We are all an integral part of nature and are called to respect nature not simply because of its use for us, but because of the countless relationships that exist between the environment and ourselves. The earth is calling to us to act. We can make a real difference to people’s lives through the small choices we make: the promise to live more simply and more sustainably. It is up to us and we can choose to be part of the solution rather than the problem. Like the disciples in today’s Gospel, we are called to examine how we relate to one another, and that includes our relationship with nature. We must start listening to what the earth is saying to us, and like the child in today’s Gospel, respond with humility.