At the end of this election week, Dan Misleh shares a reflection on our common future.
Dear Friends:
Even as we absorb the free and fair choice voters made on November 5, we must remember that the work of a Christian believer is never done. Inspired by our prayer, our rituals, our study, and our laments and celebrations, we are called as a community to continuously renew Earth and its people. The Gospel message and Catholic Social Teaching call us to works of charity and social justice. Through their social encyclicals, Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis all remind us that our social, cultural, political, and economic systems are not perfect, but through the actions of Christians living the Gospel and our teachings, they can be perfected.
For Catholic Climate Covenant, our heartwork is focused on living our vocation as co-creators with God through God’s amazing gift of creation. That means protecting this gift so present and future generations may have life in abundance.
Yet, heartbreak abounds. Too many of our young people are feeling hopeless and helpless about the future. Many in older generations share their anxiety and worry that their awareness and efforts are too late. Too many of our brothers and sisters near and far are living in poverty and needlessly suffering from our carelessness and selfishness. Too much of God’s creation–all living things–are disappearing because of humanity’s heavy footprint.
In the midst of this despair, heartwork enters. This work demands that “We see, then, that in the heart of each person, there is a mysterious connection between self-knowledge and openness to others, between the encounter with one’s personal uniqueness and the willingness to give oneself to others. We become ourselves only to the extent that we acquire the ability to acknowledge others, while only those who can acknowledge and accept themselves are then able to encounter others.” (Dilexit Nos, #18).
During his papacy, Pope Francis has repeatedly called us to encounter the other, to be a field hospital for those who suffer, and, because of our heavy human impact, to see nature as the poorest of the poor. These efforts demand that we focus on the common good, not just what’s good for me; that we prioritize solidarity with all humanity; and that we prize all creation as a reflection of God’s infinite love of us.
In Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis reminds us of the divine love that is the Sacred Heart of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Christ never abandons us. Christ is at the center of our own hearts, but we must practice the disciplines of prayer, silence, listening, and expressing ourselves with integrity and honesty to hear what Christ in our hearts is calling us to.
Catholic Climate Covenant will energetically pursue our heartwork, our mission: to inspire and mobilize the U.S. Catholic community to care for creation and achieve climate justice through the lens of integral ecology. Together with our many national partners, the Covenant will continue developing practical and inspirational programs, resources, and advocacy campaigns.
And in this time of transition, let’s be still and listen to what our hearts are saying to us. How shall we proceed? What can we do together to transform this moment into an opportunity to deepen our commitment to justice, mercy, love of each other, and the care of our common home?
With my own heart full of gratitude for each of you,
Dan
