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Protecting God's Creation
(A summary of this month's Youth Update) You have inherited a planet that is in trouble. Although you may not have contributed to the majority of its problems, you can help to correct them. Many of you choose to do your part. You recycle. You are involved in community organizations that help to clean up the environment. You and your friends may even initiate environmental projects. You repeatedly express your concern about creation. But what does any of this have to do with your faith? 1. The Church to which you belong teaches and encourages care for creation. The Catholic Church has been speaking out about environmental destruction for years. Pope John Paul II, who loves the outdoors himself, issued a document in 1990 to specifically address concerns about the environment. He says it is a "moral crisis." Respect for life, a fundamental Catholic principle, also embraces the land, the water, the crops. All of creation has value because it is created by God. Everything on earth serves a purpose that helps another part—the world is interdependent. Helping the earth helps the people on it as well. Some people think the earth is ours to do with as we want. "Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth" (Genesis 1:28). Dominion is not absolute power to destroy or create. Dominion is a responsibility as well as a trust. 2. The Church to which you belong encourages action on behalf of the earth. You bring amazing gifts and talents to the task of caring for the earth. You are aware and energetic! You have an openness to learning. You are curious. Most importantly, you are willing to donate your time and talents. You are a necessary resource in the work of protecting God's creation. Many manufactured products have a symbol on them, consisting of three arrows. This symbol means reuse, recycle and reduce. This is an easy-to-remember slogan of three ways you can make a difference every day. You can check to see if recycling bins are in place at your school. You can do the same at home. You can pay attention to how things are used—and then encourage less use and more reuse. You can recommend ways in which things can be reused rather than thrown away. You can encourage projects in your parish by talking with those who have influence. You can connect with other people who want to protect the earth by searching the Internet. You can use your voice to speak up for environmental concerns in your neighborhood. You can appreciate the wonders of creation around you. You can look at the world with love and pray in thanksgiving for all the gifts you have because of earth's abundance. Choose to appreciate what you have. When you do, you will look at everything a little differently. When you see differently, you will more easily act differently. And when you act differently, it changes the world!
3. Take the Initiative. The National Catholic Youth Initiative to Protect God's Creation is a program of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM). The initiative includes a resource manual to help youth in parish and school groups learn more about the environment and create service projects to make a positive difference in the world. The manual includes information about conserving water, protecting the rain forest, dealing with hazardous wastes and pesticides and lots of other topics. The manual is available for $20 through the NFCYM or by calling 202-636-3825. The Protecting God's Creation Initiative is sponsoring an Environmental Justice Training Institute at the National Catholic Youth Conference in St. Louis in November 1999. Young people from Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Reading, Ohio, read the entire text of this Youth Update and posed these questions to the author. If you would like to preview a future edition in Youth Update's private online chat room, contact CarolAnn@AmericanCatholic.org.
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