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Nativity scene is reminder of hope amid suffering, pope says
… and from Kocevje, Slovenia — responsible, respectively, for the Nativity scene and Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square — the pope said that Christmas "reminds us that Jesus is our peace, … The delegations were at the Vatican for the evening ceremony to light the Vatican Christmas tree and unveil the Nativity scene. Presiding over the ceremony were Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, … reference the history of ancient art and scientific achievements in the world. The Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square was a 98-foot-tall red spruce tree, which hails from one of the "most …
EarthBeat Weekly: Indigenous leaders call for voice, vote in climate talks
… remains a staple of religious rituals, but overharvesting of the resin threatens the trees that produce it . Carol Glatz of Catholic News Service reports on efforts to turn the tide. … home loans in areas mainly inhabited by people of color — tend to have more pavement and fewer trees than non-redlined neighborhoods and are on average 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit hotter in the …
As Paris Agreement reaches five-year mark, world 'not doing well' on climate change, Vatican cardinal says
… can take, such as placing solar panels on churches, supporting green agriculture and planting trees through programs like the Laudato Tree Project in central Africa. In May, Turkson's dicastery unveiled its Laudato Si' Action …
Frankincense's future: Ancient gift endangered, risks depletion
… frankincense is harvested from the "tears" that seep from cuts made to a variety of boswellia tree species, which grow in the harsh, dry climates of Yemen and Oman in the Arabian Peninsula, … of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan in East Africa, and in northwestern India. These trees are in severe decline and one species in particular — the boswellia papyrifera, which grows … he told CNS in a video call from Seattle. "It is absolutely possible for us to take care of trees, take care of harvesters, take care of their communities and take care of ourselves," he …
Hurricane devastation likely to spur migration from Honduras
… succession between Oct. 31 and Nov. 18. Floodwaters from a stream near Reyes' home swept away trees suitable for timber and part of his coffee field, which was on a hillside. His corn crop …
No pandemic can extinguish Christ's light, pope says at Angelus
… 6. From his studio window of the apostolic palace, the pope indicated the 92-foot-tall spruce tree already standing in the square and the work underway setting up this year's Nativity scene. …
Are we there yet?
… fear to get out ahead of God’s judgment. John described it as an “axe laid to the root of the tree” and a “winnowing fan” to separate the wheat from the chaff. John knew that his baptism …
EarthBeat Weekly: 'Love your local ecosystem'
… to ring true — with even greater urgency. "Get out there and find the rocks, the soil, the trees, the bushes, the birds that belong to [your] part of the world, and then think, what does …
Editorial: Go ahead and put up your Christmas tree early this year
… Christmas carols beginning the week after Halloween and fully decorated Christmas trees in early November. We would — gently, of course — encourage early decorators to festoon their Advent wreaths instead of trees, to sing " O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" instead of "Jingle Bells." And, for the love of God, … understanding this year if folks want to hang some literal lights on their houses, put the tree up a bit earlier than usual and crack open the eggnog before the 24th. As has been the case …
Simple Advent, Abundant Life: the sacred art of pausing
… of so much doing." The art of pausing can be as simple as breathing, standing in front of a tree or plant, stretching or drinking a cup of tea — anything that you do with all of your …
The Francis Effect podcast: Advent, US bishops' meeting and martyrs of El Salvador
… bishops, the grassroots nature of sainthood, and why this year it might be OK to put up your tree as early as you want. … How do I listen? … From your mobile device: You can listen and …
What the childlike know
… a hero sent by God, a figure like David rising from the stump of Jesse, the great dynastic tree felled by defeat and humiliation, renewed life rooted in the promises of God’s covenant with …
Europe's Christmas dilemma: risk empty chairs next year?
… be thrown away for the sake of a few warm and fuzzy hours exchanging gifts under the Christmas tree. "I would not want the progress of the past four weeks to be wasted because of four days," …
Eternal Word
… are part of. Jesus offers a simple parable for what is to come. When you see the buds on the trees you know summer is near. Read the signs of the times to know that the Kingdom of God is at …
Forest therapy reawakens human connection to the natural world
… Sr. Maureen Glavin , it was the way in which seed pods sprouted from the branch of a familiar tree, something she'd never noticed before. For me, it was the almost imperceptible trembling of … start in the forest, it really means the ecological environment, so you don't have to be among trees" for it to be effective, Frohlich said. … Healing power of nature … A small but growing … participants to connect to an other-than-human being, Glavin went outside and approached a tree that she sees daily. "I walked over to the tree, and I had this wave of affection for the …
A poor widow's warning
… what he is about to do at Passover. His encounter with Zacchaeus, the sinner in the sycamore tree, had prepared him to mount the tree of the cross to die for sinners. The outpouring of trust by a poor widow was a preview of …
EarthBeat Weekly: World's hunger for gold deadly for miners, environment
… Miners and their families live near the craters in shacks made of plastic tarps. Stripped of trees, the soil is unstable, and little or nothing is done to shore up the sides of pits like the …
I am coming to your house
… Pat Marrin … “He ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way” (Luke 19:3). Rev 3:1-6, 14-22; Luke 19:1-10 … because of his role as a tax collector. There is something comical about seeing him climb a tree to see over the crowds awaiting Jesus. Yet there is something deeply serious in his desire … with sinners and preaching God’s mercy. Something wonderful happens. Jesus looks up into the tree and “sees” Zacchaeus. The Gospels note that when Jesus looked intently at people he sees …
EarthBeat Weekly: Where will we go when home gets too hot?
… of the earliest known sites of human habitation that high, in a rock shelter well above the tree line. Some time earlier, I'd stood on the beach on an island off the southern tip of South …
Climate crisis, COVID-19 demand interfaith action, say religious leaders
… form of permaculture farming, especially in Indonesia . Buddhist monks ordaining trees and working to address climate change in their monasteries. Hindu priests and believers planting trees. "In order to prepare ourselves for the big paradigm shift, we have to build and accumulate …