Recently I received a copy of a periodical in which I have an article. It is always humbling when I see something in print that I wrote. When I was taking those writing classes in high school, it never occurred to me that someday I would see my ideas in print. I simply would have thought the writing was merely homework that was due. In most cases I considered it a pain to write, edit and receive some kind of grade. I didn’t think someone else might be helped by what I thought.
The journal which came in the mail is a British publication put out by the Jesuits. I figure that is enough for a little laugh---a Quaker publishing in a Jesuit British magazine. It certainly is not going to be widely read. While I feel good about what I said, it will not change the world. In some ways I am honored to be included in a publication that is not an obvious one for me, given my background.
And so it was that I opened the journal and found my article. They made it look good. The editors added a couple pictures that illustrated something I had said in the article. That was a nice touch. The article focused on the now five hundred years since the Protestant Reformation began. I do a little history---mentioning Martin Luther, for example---but it is more than a celebration of history. I am interested in the question: so what, what does the story of the Reformation mean today?
Today and tomorrow are more important to me than yesterday. Of course, we learn from yesterday, but the focus is more appropriately on the present and that which is to come. As I again read my words, I was pleased to see how I had ended the article. I chose some words from Pope Francis and his early papal encyclical, Laudato Si’, published in 2015. I smiled because those words from the Pope are so important for us at this time, if we are going to have a future. Even though I have written on this theme before, it is worth re-visiting.
The theme has to do with taking care of our world. Even though all Christian, Jewish and Muslim faithful have some version of a creation story, which declares that God created a good world and asked us to be good stewards of that world, we have done a lousy job. Probably no group of people have done worse than our contemporary generation---me included! The Pope begs us to do better and to do it quicker. I share his appeal.
I like the fact the Pope calls our world “our home.” Listen to the first line of the letter the Pope sent to the world. “In the meantime, we come together to take charge of this home which has been entrusted to us, knowing that all the good which exists here will be taken up into the heavenly feast.” I love his image that pictures all of us coming together. It is a universal vision. I imagine all of us setting aside our petty quarrels in order to join together for some bigger purpose, namely, saving our world. It is a vision I can get behind.
The Pope envisions all of us coming together to take charge. That is a bold hope. Probably most of us have no sense of responsibility for our world. We are not in charge. There are a myriad of reason and excuses. The world is too big; I am not the problem and a host of other rationales for why I cannot take care of the world. And once we offer our excuse, we take ourselves off the hook. We are not responsible. And of course, the result is irresponsibility!
The Pope moves further in the invitation to take charge of the world by reminding us that God has entrusted this “home” to us. It is no wonder we talk about the world in abstract, impersonal terms. We don’t think about our world as our home. I suggest we begin thinking this way. Then it becomes more difficult to trash it, pollute it or otherwise disregard it. It is not unusual to do a spring house cleaning; maybe it is time we do the same to our global home.
The Pope moves on in his appeal to us. He acknowledges, “In union with all creatures, we journey through this land seeking God, for ‘if the world has a beginning and if it has been created, we must enquire who gave it this beginning, and who was its Creator.’” Now the Pope explicitly drags God into the picture. I like his image of life as a journey seeking God. It is almost comical how many other ways we journey through this land and our lives seeking all the things that are not God.
God is our creator and asks us to be stewards of the creation. We are part of that creation; surely, an early lesson is self-care. The next lesson ought to be world care. Some of us are not doing either one very well. We need to do both; choose either one as a beginning point. And once we engage self- and world-care, we can take a tip from the Pope.
I like his approach. He invites us in this fashion: “Let us sing as we go.” We got work to do, but at least we can have fun in the process. Don’t complain. Let’s sing. Wouldn’t you rather join a company of singers celebrating their commitment to make the world a better place? This becomes a happy labor of love. This is how the Pope sees it. Listen to him remind us: “May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.”
I opt for the joy of hope. Otherwise, we reflect on what’s going on and despair. Our option is to take care of our world. Sing while we go and celebrate the joy of hope.
The journal which came in the mail is a British publication put out by the Jesuits. I figure that is enough for a little laugh---a Quaker publishing in a Jesuit British magazine. It certainly is not going to be widely read. While I feel good about what I said, it will not change the world. In some ways I am honored to be included in a publication that is not an obvious one for me, given my background.
And so it was that I opened the journal and found my article. They made it look good. The editors added a couple pictures that illustrated something I had said in the article. That was a nice touch. The article focused on the now five hundred years since the Protestant Reformation began. I do a little history---mentioning Martin Luther, for example---but it is more than a celebration of history. I am interested in the question: so what, what does the story of the Reformation mean today?
Today and tomorrow are more important to me than yesterday. Of course, we learn from yesterday, but the focus is more appropriately on the present and that which is to come. As I again read my words, I was pleased to see how I had ended the article. I chose some words from Pope Francis and his early papal encyclical, Laudato Si’, published in 2015. I smiled because those words from the Pope are so important for us at this time, if we are going to have a future. Even though I have written on this theme before, it is worth re-visiting.
The theme has to do with taking care of our world. Even though all Christian, Jewish and Muslim faithful have some version of a creation story, which declares that God created a good world and asked us to be good stewards of that world, we have done a lousy job. Probably no group of people have done worse than our contemporary generation---me included! The Pope begs us to do better and to do it quicker. I share his appeal.
I like the fact the Pope calls our world “our home.” Listen to the first line of the letter the Pope sent to the world. “In the meantime, we come together to take charge of this home which has been entrusted to us, knowing that all the good which exists here will be taken up into the heavenly feast.” I love his image that pictures all of us coming together. It is a universal vision. I imagine all of us setting aside our petty quarrels in order to join together for some bigger purpose, namely, saving our world. It is a vision I can get behind.
The Pope envisions all of us coming together to take charge. That is a bold hope. Probably most of us have no sense of responsibility for our world. We are not in charge. There are a myriad of reason and excuses. The world is too big; I am not the problem and a host of other rationales for why I cannot take care of the world. And once we offer our excuse, we take ourselves off the hook. We are not responsible. And of course, the result is irresponsibility!
The Pope moves further in the invitation to take charge of the world by reminding us that God has entrusted this “home” to us. It is no wonder we talk about the world in abstract, impersonal terms. We don’t think about our world as our home. I suggest we begin thinking this way. Then it becomes more difficult to trash it, pollute it or otherwise disregard it. It is not unusual to do a spring house cleaning; maybe it is time we do the same to our global home.
The Pope moves on in his appeal to us. He acknowledges, “In union with all creatures, we journey through this land seeking God, for ‘if the world has a beginning and if it has been created, we must enquire who gave it this beginning, and who was its Creator.’” Now the Pope explicitly drags God into the picture. I like his image of life as a journey seeking God. It is almost comical how many other ways we journey through this land and our lives seeking all the things that are not God.
God is our creator and asks us to be stewards of the creation. We are part of that creation; surely, an early lesson is self-care. The next lesson ought to be world care. Some of us are not doing either one very well. We need to do both; choose either one as a beginning point. And once we engage self- and world-care, we can take a tip from the Pope.
I like his approach. He invites us in this fashion: “Let us sing as we go.” We got work to do, but at least we can have fun in the process. Don’t complain. Let’s sing. Wouldn’t you rather join a company of singers celebrating their commitment to make the world a better place? This becomes a happy labor of love. This is how the Pope sees it. Listen to him remind us: “May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.”
I opt for the joy of hope. Otherwise, we reflect on what’s going on and despair. Our option is to take care of our world. Sing while we go and celebrate the joy of hope.
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