Sail 'n Rail Anyone?

My journey to The Climate Pilgrimage began last Wednesday on October 24th. I left Dublin by ferry for Wales and from there took numerous trains to Assisi, Italy.

The climate pilgrims passed through Assisi weeks ago on their journey from Rome and I knew I wanted to visit there as part of this trip. It's the home of St. Francis, patron of the environment and creation, Saint of peace. A flight to Rome is cheap as chips but I had decided that on this occasion I would not fly. We all know the 'inconvenient truth' of the impact of flying on the environment and when you start to read into the facts it's actually quite disturbing. I'm no expert on CO2 calculators or on the aviation industry so I'll just leave a few interesting links for you here: www.dw.com/en/to-fly-or-not-to-fly-the-environmental-cost-of-air-travel/a-42090155 and here:

www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/to-fly-or-not-to-fly/

One fact which blew my mind is that in 2017 only three per cent of the global population flew yet we flew 3.6 billion times.  Three per cent!!! Only 18% of the world's population have ever been in a plane. Once again it brings home the fact that the wealthiest of the world contribute the most to climate change.

It's unlikely that any of us are about to sacrifice our travel plans in the near future, nor is this about piling guilt trips on people. But maybe we could think about how often we fly and what the alternatives are. According to the above article by Wanderlust, Eurostar claim that a flight from London to Paris emits ten times more carbon per person per flight than their service from St. Pancras to Gare du Nord. My epic adventure last week was a long one I'll admit, I arrived into Assisi on Friday morning, but it was extremely enjoyable. Now there are a number of factors involved in order to take this option. I'm in the privilaged position at present to have the time to do this. Also I'm not one to shy away from a bit of an adventure.

My journey started bright and early when my lovely house mate Sarah kindly dropped me to Dublin Port (thanks Sarah, although it wasn't so bright outside!). I was in Holyhead in Wales by 11.30am and in the

centre of London at 4.30pm. For people in Ireland travelling to the UK it's certainly worth considering this as an option. The following morning I took the Eurostar to Paris and an overnight train to Milan. From there a couple more trains to Assisi.

Here my top ten perks of sail and rail in Europe:

1. You don't have to deal with airports, which will eat up half your day anyway.

2. It takes TIME. This is a good thing. You have no option but to SLOW THINGS DOWN. Ommmm

3. You see so much more countryside, coastline, sea, scenery, nature. . . It's good for the soul.

4. You meet far more people than you would on a flight. I counted ten people that I had full conversations with between Dublin and Assisi. That just doesn't happen on a flight. I was able to share with them about The Climate Pilgrimage and not all of them thought I was mad.

5. You can work in a much more comfortable way on the ferry and on trains.

6. It is ten times less damaging to the environment. (See articles above). You might be the eco warrior of the village but as soon as you buy a flight it's very hard to catch up that carbon count.

7. It's far less hassel... no two hour prior show up; no long security queues.

8. It is way more comfortable than a plane.

9. The journey is a destination in itself (probably a quote from somewhere).

10. You get a real sense of a country and you end up being dropped off in the middle of the city, not ten miles outside the city.

Just a few thoughts on the pilgrimage before the pilgrimage. I know we are all addicted to busy, myself included, and are unlikely to stop flying and trying to get 'there' as fast as possible anytime soon. But it is worth asking "do I really have to?"

Any downsides? The only downside was the loud snorer in the cabin on the overnight train from Paris to Milan. It always happens when you can't find the earplugs that are at the bottom of your rucksack. God bless her anyway. (Not the sentiments I used at the time!) Snore on!

"It cannot be emphasised enough how everything is interconnected...When we speak of the environment what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it." (Laudato Si, 138-9) 

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Our Common Home: From WMOF2018 to COP24 (The UN Climate Summit)

The World Meeting of Families event in Dublin in August 2018 had ‘Care for Our Common Home’ as a core theme running throughout the festival as we sought to bring the message of Laudato Si to pilgrims and a global audience. There were a number of eco-spaces helping to spread that message and one of the most interactive of those was the Laudato Si Prayer Space which was located in the main Prayer Marque in the RDS. This space hosted the Climate Justice Candle at its centre. This Climate Justice Candle has been on tour around Ireland to Christian parishes and community groups since the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. Pilgrims were able to write a prayer for the earth on ribbons or prayer flags which were hung on the surrounding walls. People sat on cushions having time for reflection, walked around the photo exposition and could sign the Laudato Si pledge if they wished. www.LiveLaudatoSi.org

By the end of the week, hundreds of ribbons hung from the walls of the prayer marque, holding powerful messages, a cry for the earth. We wanted to do something special with these ribbons and I am delighted that they are currently en-route from The Vatican to Katowich, Poland for the UN Climate Summit (COP24) which takes place in December. The ribbons and prayer flags are being carried on the backpacks of some mighty pilgrims who are walking from Rome to Katowich (1,500km) for climate justice. They left the Vatican on October 4th, the feast of St. Francis, and carry with them these beautiful prayers from WMOF2018.

This week I leave Dublin to join this Climate Pilgrimage, travelling by ferry and train to Assisi and then on to meet the group in northern Italy. From there we walk 1,000km travelling through Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia, Austria and into Poland for COP24 in December. The pilgrimage is being organised by a number of organisations including the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM) and Greenpeace to bring a strong message to global leaders about the future of our planet.

A quote from the pilgrimage website explains our purpose: “Our journey is inspired by Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ letter on climate change and ecology. As climate change makes storms rage, deserts grow, and seas rise, people of faith are called to act. We love our neighbours, the most vulnerable above all, and solving climate change is an act of love. Laudato Si’ says that we need to “set out on the long path to renewal.” You’re invited to walk this path by tweeting at leaders, holding a conversation in your community, or even walking the route with us.”

When we began the Our Common Home project for the World Meeting of Families in Dublin in 2018, we had no idea of how this project would evolve. There was a real sense of the Spirit guiding us in all sorts of crazy directions. This pilgrimage, for me, has flowed out of that experience. I am honoured to be carrying these prayer flags and ribbons to Katowich and I ask that, if you can, you might walk with us, online, in prayer, in your community, your family, wherever you are. Please encourage your parish, colleagues and friends to go to the website www.climatepilgrimage.com and write a prayer for the earth and a message for COP24. We can all do little things.

"Let us sing as we go. May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope". (Laudato Si, 244).

Website: www.climatepilgrimage.com Twitter:#theclimatepilgrimage Facebook:@theclimatepilgrimage


Photo Credits: Laudato Si Prayer Space WMOF2018 photos(Jane Mellett, Barry Redmond) Climate Pilgrims at Vatican 4th Oct 2018 (Tomas Insua)

Sunday 25th November Christ the King Gospel: John 18:33-37

“So you are a King?”

Today is the Feast of Christ the King and this Gospel certainly gives us an opportunity to lay aside a lot of cultural baggage we may have about kings, leaders and kingdoms. The Jewish leaders want Jesus executed and so they bring him to Pilate who engages in a debate with Jesus on ‘kingship’. Jesus is accused of claiming to be a ‘king’ and this passage plays on both the political and religious meaning of that word. Pilate is concerned with whether or not Jesus poses a threat to Roman rule, while the Jewish religious leaders are worried about the type of ‘Messiah king’ Jesus claims to be. Through his ministry Jesus has shown them that His kingdom is unlike the one that Pilate, or many other earthly leaders know. It is a kingdom built on love, service, justice, reconciliation and peace. Few ‘kings can measure up to this. Jesus is a servant King, a beacon light for today’s world. Who do you know in our world today who is the more living example of this type of kingship? When you look at the world’s political leaders, do they shine like a beacon light striving for peace, justice and care for the earth? On this Feast of Christ the King we celebrate a type of kingship that is a display of radical love. What a different world we would have if all those who hold power and authority led in such a way. Let us pray today that all leaders will be open to listening to the Spirit and strive for a more just world.

 

 

Sunday 18th November Gospel: Mark 13:24-32

My words will not pass away

This chapter from Mark is part of a farewell speech from Jesus to his followers in the last days of his earthly life. It sounds almost apocalyptic because we are nearing the end of the Church’s liturgical year and so the texts we read take this tone. Jesus is revealing to his disciples something about the new order which is coming. He talks about the ‘end times’ and this can appear frightening at first. However, if we enter into a meditation on this Gospel we might bring to mind something of those moments in our own lives when we felt like our world was ending. Perhaps it was the end of a relationship, the death of a loved one, the end of one stage of your life. Things which seemed so familiar and helped keep us secure suddenly changed. These can be extremely difficult periods of one’s life. It is during those times that someone comes to us offering prophecy of better times to come, of words that ‘will not pass away’. Jesus is preparing the disciples for what is about to happen to him and with assurance that God’s kingdom is far greater than any evil that is about to occur. The passage is often interpreted as referring to the seconding coming of Christ or his resurrection. Whenever we experience trauma we keep going with the assurance that resurrection is all around us and a new way of being is on the horizon.

Sunday 11th November Gospel: Mark 12:38-44

The Widows Mite

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is courageously speaking out against the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of his time. He is encouraging all his followers to engage in a reality check. The hypocrisy of the scribes is in total contrast to the humility and generosity of the widow in the second part of the Gospel. She gives not of what she has to spare, but everything she has. She is freer than the others. We can be quick to make judgements about another person’s commitment based on what we see happening on the outside. Those leaders who acquire the best seats and show up in all the frills may not actually be all they appear to be. Jesus is urging us to look into the person’s heart for what is there is far more important than all the trappings on the outside.

The widow gives everything and this does not have to be about money. We might recall those today who give us their time, their support, who pray from the heart and give of themselves expecting nothing in return. We might thank them, pray for them. We can also look into our own hearts today and challenge our motivations for what we do. Is Can we give more of ourselves to God or to someone we love? A listening ear, ‘wasting time’ with people, looking at how we spend our money. Jesus call us to search our hearts and the hearts of others in today’s gospel. The widow models Jesus’ way of discipleship in contrast to the those in positions of leadership and power.