Canticle of Daniel
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.
(Excerpts from Fr. Ed Ciuba’s
“Creation at the Crossroads”)
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Global climate change is a very good example of how all created reality on the earth is inter-connected. The earth is a complex of living systems, or a system of systems. Global climate change threatens the interdependence of all systems of life. Overwhelming scientific evidence drives home one central point: the fate of the earth and the fate of humans are one. What makes this an issue of major concern is that climate change poses the greatest threat to life on the earth that we have ever faced. Unless we confront this issue and deal with it soon, it will impact not only us but future generations as well.
In the scriptural passage taken from the prophecy of Hosea, the scene is a legal proceeding taking place at the city gate. The people of Israel are summoned before the judge and indicted with a listing of violations of the covenant. The verdict is “guilty” as charged. When the covenant is broken, the object of the covenant, the land, is no longer secure and fertile. The land returns to being a desert, its past unredeemed condition. the indictment of the people Israel impacts even the earth and its creature: “the beasts of the field, the birds of the, and even the fish of the sea perish.”
These words are not unlike those of Pope Francis: “Carbon dioxide pollution increases the acidification of the oceans and compromises the marine food chain. If present trends continue, this century may well witness extraordinary climate change and an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequences for all of us” (Laudato Si’, 24).
“The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to causes related to human and social degradation. In fact, the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet: … For example, the depletion of fishing reserves especially hurts small fishing communities without the means to replace those resources; water pollution particularly affects the poor who cannot buy bottled water; and rises in the sea level mainly affect impoverished coastal populations who have nowhere else to go. The impact of present imbalances is also seen in the premature death of many of the poor, in conflicts sparked by the shortage of resources, and in any number of other problems which are insufficiently represented on global agendas” (Laudato Si’, 48).
Putting Faith Into Practice
