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The Passion takes hold
… and betrayed by the world. Jesus embraced this universal suffering in order to redeem us. Has Lent prepared us to go the final mile with him? …
A Climate-Conscious Lent: Oceans choking on plastic
See, :, Studies project that by 2050, there could be more plastic in our oceans than fish . Researchers estimate that on average, 8 million metric tons of plastic trash enter the ocean every year, an amount that keeps increasing. This pollution is ravaging our marine ecosystems, entangling and choking wildlife, such as seabirds, dolphins, fish and turtles, and even displacing plankton at the base of the…, Judge:, [Y]ou must keep my decrees and my laws. … And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. (Leviticus 18:26,28) You shall not pollute the land in which you live. … You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the Israelites. (Numbers 35:33-34) I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its…, Act:, Imagine what your house or patio would be like if you discarded all items made of plastic, Styrofoam-like plastic foam and other petroleum-based materials. Organize and plan a coastal or inland gorge clean-up (only about 9% of plastics are recycled ). Refuse to use plastic straws in restaurants or plastic or plastic foam "beads" as packing filler.
This Lent, let's change fasting from self-improvement to 'cultural spring-cleaning'
… about the future elicit a lament that questions what else do we have left to "give up" for Lent? We do not know one another's hearts. We ought not presume that expressions of seeming … are among the most appropriate responses as we journey through our second COVID-19 impacted Lent. To lament is to be present to loss, to live with the absence of what had brought us …
A Climate-Conscious Lent: More frequent and severe storms
See:, Scientists are cautious about linking individual major storms to climate change, but there are indications that extreme weather is becoming more frequent and more severe, as forecast by climate models, Examples are the 2017 hurricane season, which included Harvey, Irma, Maria and Ophelia, and 2020, when Eta and Iota struck Central America . What we do know is this: Moist air over warm ocean water…, Judge:, The majority of people living on our planet profess to be believers. This should spur religions to dialogue among themselves for the sake of protecting nature, defending the poor, and building networks of respect and fraternity. … The gravity of the ecological crisis demands that we all look to the common good, embarking on a path of dialogue which demands patience, self-discipline and generosity…, Act:, Look for a presentation about changing weather patterns. Talk about the ecology crisis in terms of our "common home." Organize a car pool for school or church attendance.
Catholics behaving badly: MSW has a little list
… power grid , another claim that did not bear scrutiny. Abbott should have given up lying for Lent. Laura Ingraham has repeatedly beat the drum on the immigration issue also, but that is not …
As pandemic stress lingers, religious organizations can help people manage
… to come out of retirement to lend a hand. Clergy, who are also frontline responders, have lent a hand. The Jesuit priests she knows at Fordham have remained "deeply engaged" with …
Folly to the Greeks
… Pat Marrin … “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?” (John 5: 27). … Fifth Sundy of Lent … Jer 31:31-34; Ps 51; Heb 5:7-9; John 12:20-33 A small detail in today’s Gospel opens up a …
Fifth Sunday of Lent: How Jesus obeys
What makes a person who she or he is? Obviously, there are some genetic and historical givens, but anyone who knows families, knows that even with identical twins, inheritance often influences looks more than personality or character. It seems that our life is one continual process of becoming our true selves; we are molded by our responses to events over which we have varying degrees of control…
EarthBeat Weekly: Organized crime threatens Amazonian Indigenous communities
… a partner in the Covering Climate Now consortium. EarthBeat's A Climate-Conscious Lent series continues, with Fr. Emmet Farrell reflecting on the food we eat, the air we breathe …
A Climate-Conscious Lent: 'Climate apartheid' or 'welcome the stranger'?
See, :, In 2017, David Wallace-Wells wrote in The Uninhabitable Earth that with diminished resources and increased migration caused by flooding, "social conflict could more than double this century." And a 2018 World Bank report concluded that water scarcity, crop failure and rising sea levels could displace 143 million people by 2050. The report focused on Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin…, Judge, :, In the present condition of global society … the principle of the common good immediately becomes, logically and inevitably, a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters. ( Laudato Si' , 158) The majority of people living on our planet profess to be believers. This should spur religions to dialogue among themselves for the sake of protecting nature…, Act, :, Ask someone who assists migrants why families risk their lives and security, searching for opportunities. Invite a speaker from Catholic Relief Services to explain the situation in the world and the agency's work with more than 60,000 refugees in our "common home." Talk with a migrant or refugee neighbor about their experience. Invite a speaker or migrant from another race or culture to your…
Honor the 'mothers' of early Christianity during Women's History Month
… in Cappadocia. Egeria meticulously chronicled the liturgical practices in Jerusalem during Lent, Holy Week, Eastertide and Pentecost. Her diary is valuable to scholars since it provides …