Laudato Si' Week 2022 Reflections

From May 22nd to May 29th, 2022, we will commemorate the seventh anniversary of the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. For the Clinton Franciscan family this commemoration coincides with our recent commitment to our Laudato Si’ Action Plan in which we have dedicated ourselves and our community to learning about eco-spirituality and responding to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor.

 

How did we get here? Where are we going? As Pope Francis writes, responding to injustice requires a personal and cultural conversion, one that challenges us to see the world around us with different eyes.

 

“Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who need to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone. This basic awareness would enable the development of new convictions, attitudes and forms of life. A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal” (Francis, Laudato Si’, 202).

 

For these next eight days, we will share reflections from our Sisters and Associates on our Laudato Si’ Action Plan goals. We invite you to read about our journey as we continue to grow in our personal and communal conversion to an integral ecology that values each aspect of God’s created world. May these reflections guide you to a deeper awareness of your place in the world, relation to the Earth and the poor, and the ways you are called to respond in peace and justice.  

Laudato Si' Week 2022 Reflections

May 29, 2022

Reflection on Eco-spirituality by Lanie Lass

Thank you, God, for these massive maple trees
Surrounding with shade in ninety some odd degrees.
Open windows offer delight of an ever~ so~ slight breeze
Carrying a sweet scent of lilacs, one of God's specialties.
Branches swaying gracefully to and fro with ease.
It's too early for air conditioning, no need to freeze.

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May 28, 2022

Reflection on Systemic Racism by Sister Marilyn Huegerich

The core of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si message is challenging. He argues that praising the God of creation includes being willing to challenge and transform systems, institutions, and our own patterns of comfort that fail to care for the planet and for each other. “Human life is itself a gift,” he says, “which must be defended from various forms of debasement” (5). The cry of the poor is reality.

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May 27, 2022

Reflection on Income Inequality and Basic Human Rights by Sister Kathleen Holland

The Cry of the Poor, Income Inequality and Basic Human Rights are terms/concepts we’ve all heard, but do I (we) really know what they mean or how they affect a person’s life? Recently, U.S. Catholic printed a Haitian proverb, We See From Where We Stand, which I found very thought-provoking. “Where do we stand? Do we stand in the luxury of our own home? Do we see the walls filled with comfort and security...?”

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May 26, 2022

Reflection on Nuclear Disarmament by JoAnn Snodgrass

Many years ago, I heard a presenter of a seminar I attended state, “Until we stop doing violence to the earth, we will never stop doing violence to one another.”

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May 25, 2022

Reflection on Immigration Reform by Sister Anne Martin Phelan

In the Gospel today Jesus is speaking at the Last Supper, as he gathers with his disciples, sharing life with them. He realizes that there is much he wants to express but cannot say, so he washes their feet, breaks bread, and shares wine. His words and actions comfort and strengthen them in ways that only the Holy Spirit might help them to understand.

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May 24, 2022

Reflection on Anti-Trafficking by Sister Eileen Golby

My passion for victims of human trafficking began at a LCWR meeting in 2012. A young woman shared her story of being trafficked and her return to freedom. Someone she considered a friend invited her to a party. She accepted, and her life changed drastically for the next few years. She became the property of her trafficker to do whatever he wanted. After a few years, she found an opportunity to escape her trafficker and found a safe haven and the help she needed to rebuild her life.

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May 23, 2022

Reflection on Restorative Justice by Sister Janet Ryan

In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we are told that Lydia listened, and her heart was opened. Often, we forget to focus on listening. We are so absorbed in responding to people and stimuli that we miss the importance and value of listening.

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May 22, 2022

Reflection on Cry of the Earth by Sister Marilyn Shea

Today, we begin the celebration of Laudato Si’ Week, 2022. We take this opportunity to reflect on Pope Francis’ plea to “Care for our Common Home.” In this time of increased degradation of our air, land, and water, we are called to reflect on the Cry of the Earth and our responsibility to respond.

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