CARING FOR OUR COMMON HOME
Fr Quyen Vu SJ, Australian Provincial
Ten years after Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, the cry of the earth and of the poor continues to resound urgently in our world. Pope Francis called us to recognise the interconnection of ecological, social and economic justice. He called us to a conversion, so that we could recognise how our faith requires a response to the cry we hear. We Jesuits have recognised this call in our Universal Apostolic Preferences, naming “Care for our Common Home” as one of four preferences. This preference calls us to collaboration with all people of good will as we seek the protecting and renewing of God’s creation.
Pope Leo, early in his pontificate, has indicated that care for creation must be an ongoing responsibility of the Church. He has powerfully highlighted how the powerful have often approached God’s creation as a battleground for the control of resources. Such an approach is a consequence of sin. The “Season of Creation,” an ecumenical initiative celebrated from 1st of September to 4th of October, begins with a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. This year’s theme is “Seeds of Peace and Hope”. We are reminded that, amidst so much that is wrong, we are called to be evangelical witnesses of hope.
Within the Australian Jesuit Province, we have embraced a commitment to ecological conversion in our ministries and communities through the Care for Our Common Home (CCH) initiative. We strive to inspire a holistic ecological vision rooted in our faith in Jesus Christ and the call to reconciliation—with God, with one another, and with all creation. This is not simply a matter of completing tasks, important as they are, it is a heartfelt commitment to deepen our relationship with the Lord.
Video by Janark Gray.