For more than two years Sister Dorothy Stoner and Oblates Marlene Trambley and Kathe Pae have shared their insights on Care for Our Common Home through the lens of their own experience and that of Pope Francis's teaching in Laudato Sí. Their posts are available here. Today's post will be their final sharing on this topice. We are grateful for the time they have given us, for their reflection and their vision.
A caress of God
This September reflection on Laudato Sí will be our last for this venue. It seems fitting to end with each of us sharing what we most often reflect on from this extraordinary teaching of Pope Francis.
Marlene Trambley, Oblate:
“For me the concept of integral ecology covered it all. Relationships between nature and humankind includes all the goals covered in Laudato Sí. This is a big one.”
We read in #225, “An integral ecology includes taking time to recover a serene harmony with creation, reflecting on our lifestyle and our ideals, and contemplating the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence ‘must not be contrived but found, uncovered’.”
Kathi Pae, Oblate:
From #244, “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. In union with all creatures, we journey through this land seeking God….Let us sing as we go….”
Dorothy Stoner, OSB:
“Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose. None is superfluous. The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.” #84
What would you draw from Laudato Sí to share with others?
Suggested actions:
1. Establish a special time, in a quiet place, to slowly, reflectively read/reread Laudato Sí. Then read it again.
2. Invite a few friends or acquaintances with whom to read and discuss Laudato Sí. What response might you decide to express?
