"The weeks of Advent are about waiting, preparing, and anticipating the coming
of Christ in our lives. But how shall we wait? We give thanks, we pray,
and we open our hearts to the cry of the earth and the poor. In his encyclical, Laudato Si’, Pope Francis calls people
of faith and people of goodwill to dialogue about our
common home. As we enter the Advent season, it is a time
for preparation and hope for an earth and spirit renewed.This year, the Faith Economy Ecology Transformation Working Group’s Advent guide will explore some of the teachings of Laudato Si’ and how we can live them out in a way that brings greater joy in our everyday lives and more justice in our public policies. The encyclical acknowledges the “solid consensus” of the scientific community – that without immediate and sustained action, we are headed toward disaster.
At the heart of the current global social and ecological crises is an economic system that tries to lock interconnected societies into unsustainable patterns of production, overconsumption and waste generation, all driven by the mandate to grow. While we continue to witness people in poverty suffering the most from environmental devastation and an economic system that prioritizes powerful interests over the common good, there are also signs of hope.
Right now thousands are gathering in Paris for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP21. There is great expectation that an agreement will come out of Paris that will set us on the right track to keep the Earth’s temperature below 1.5 to 2 degrees C.
But even with an agreement, there is much work to be done. By sharing stories of how people are resisting policies that keep people and the Earth impoverished and by modeling sustainable lifestyle choices that reflect a “culture of care” of our Earth and our neighbor, we can begin to realize a vision of a new economy that prioritizes the whole of God’s creation."
Click here to download the Advent Reflection Guide
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