Justice Matters: 

“There is enough for every man’s need not for every man’s greed,” said Gandhi echoing Paul’s words: “The man who gathered much had none too much, the man who gathered little did not go short.” What a wonderful picture where it is as natural to give as to receive.  The readings today contain messages and actions that show God’s desire for all to live well.  

SEE We see that over-consumption is dangerous, but as our “government gears up to hold the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, it continues to bail out Britain’s biggest polluters by granting tax credits to major oil and gas firms..” We also see on TV the current drought in USA.  Katharine Hayhoe, Texas, Climate scientist and chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy uses the dice as a metaphor and says  “Climate change is loading the weather dice against us. We always have a chance of rolling a double six naturally, and getting an intense record breaking summer heatwave. But decade by decade as the world warms, it’s as if climate change is sneaking in and taking one of those numbers on the dice and turning it into another six, and then another six. And maybe even a seven. So we are seeing that heatwaves are coming earlier in the year, they are longer, they are stronger.”

Reflect Pope Francis says “From God's hands we have received a garden, we cannot leave a desert to our children.”   Jesus used his gifts to heal.  Do we know how we can use our gifts to act and help protect the earth?  How do we develop the gifts we need to protect the earth?  Perhaps courage to change our lifestyle or make a stand, knowing this crisis is one that can only be solved communally?

Act David Attenborough says "Building a sustainable, stable world should not be viewed only in terms of the things we must stop, but also the things we will gain." Watch the short video where he expands on this. 

Last week we gave a list of websites.  One action you can do is make yourself aware of some of their content –  information brings confidence and an understanding that it is only by “my” action in both the personal and political sphere that change will happen. Don’t worry, action doesn’t need to be dramatic – it can be writing to your MP, putting a poster up, asking questions.  You are also very welcome to join the Eco Circle on Tuesdays where a small group support each other to pray and act. 

Tricia Kaminski