Laudato Si'

In 2015, Pope Francis pleaded with the world to listen to the earth crying out " because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her." There is no country that more demonstrates the irresponsible use and abuse of the goods of the earth than our own. If all the world consumed the earth's goods as we do, the environmental damage and the depletion of the world's resources would reach astronomical proportions. Yet relatively few individuals and virtually no societies have ever willingly adopted a simpler style of living that was not imposed upon them by war or social upheaval. Pope Francis hopes that our love for one another and our gratitude for such a beautiful planet will reverse our desire to consume more and lead us to a simpler lifestyle that has a much smaller impact on the planet. He roots this hope in the Gospel since there is no question that the words of Jesus do make us long for a life more rooted in simple appreciation of the blessings of God and less focused on accumulating more and more. If you are inspired by the Pope's call, you can read it here: Laudato S

i' (24 May 2015) | Francis (vatican.va).

You can also join us for a retreat on this very theme here at the Jesuit Retreat Center:

The Spirituality of Caring for the Earth: Living Happily with Less

https://jrc.retreatportal.com/calendar/event?programcode=23SON03571

Fr. John Auther, SJ is a Jesuit for 42 years and a priest for almost 30 years. In his pastoral ministry he has devoted a good deal of time to Spanish-speaking work, detention facilities and retreats. He began working at JRC in January 2020