“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good”: Genesis 1:31.
This verse from genesis together with the fourth universal apostolic preference of the society of Jesus, that is, caring for our common home inspires us in many ways today. Nature is among the richness we have inherited from God. And as the fourth universal apostolic preference invites all of us, we should take responsibility to keep and hold dear that richness.
Today, the crisis of the environment is mostly having negative impacts on the poor and those vulnerable people. Whether rich or poor, people consume water, food, and natural resources to sustain their lives. As many economic activities are based on natural resources, natural resources have been put under pressure which eventually caused an environmental crisis. One of the reasons why the poor are suffering today is the damage to the environment. This is because they are prevented from having good hygienic and living standards. As poor people rely more directly on the environment than the rich for their survival, they are mostly on the receiving end of environmental problems.
On the other hand, environmental problems add more to the misery of poor people. Environmental problems cause more suffering among them as environmental damage increases the impact of floods and other environmental catastrophes. Soil erosion, land degradation, and deforestation lead to a decline in food production along with a shortage of wood for fuel contributing to inflation.
So, what do we mean when we say, “caring for our own home?” Caring for our own home implies undertaking efforts to appreciate every living thing as part of God’s creation, investing more effort to protect the environment and save deprived people from the dreadful implications of environmental damage. As Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si (24 May 2015), we all share responsibility for caring for creation. Thus, our collaboration should involve taking part in efforts to deeply understand problems and fostering reflection and discernment that will move us toward decisions that will help heal the wounds already inflicted on nature. Caring for nature is one sincere form of venerating God who is always at work creating things. We must courageously take decisions that avoid inflicting further damage and that will change how we live our lives to allow the goods of creation to be used for the benefit of all.
As a Jesuit community at Arrupe, it is reasonable that we become the change that we seek to bring forth. Caring for our own home starts in our respective communities. This requires us to involve ourselves in practical activities that protect nature which is part of creation. Some of these practical activities may involve planting trees around us. Trees are a source of oxygen and provide food that benefits our health. Trees help save energy, clean the air, and help combat climate change. Each of us should adopt this strategy to plant trees (trees of oranges, avocados, and so forth) in our communities so that we protect nature. Besides, there is a need to volunteer for clean-up in our communities and avoid using many plastics. We protect nature when we shop wisely, buy fewer plastics bags and bring reusable shopping bags.
Lastly, we need to further our education. This would enable us to help other people understand the importance of protecting natural resources. Education may be a channel through which we can help those who violate nature and teach them how to be the protectors of nature.
By Fleury Nduwayo SJ.