One Common Home

by Fr. Jason Laguerta This Sunday, we celebrate the Mass for the Care of Creation, a special celebration that was started by Pope Francis and continued by Pope Leo.  Through this Mass, the Church wants to put a spotlight on a very important matter in our life that we often neglect and do not care about enough.  

Many people think that the environment, ecology, global warming, and climate change are issues that are beyond them and beyond their concerns.  We often tell ourselves that these things are for advocates, environmentalists, scientists, or policy makers, but not for ordinary people like us.  Yet, that way of thinking is deeply mistaken.  The truth is that what happens in the environment around us affects each one of us, our families, our communities, and our future.

In sociology, there is a concept called sociological imagination.  It is the ability to make the right association and connection between our personal concerns and the social issues around us.  It reminds us that we are never disconnected from the world in which we live.  No man is an island, as the familiar saying goes.  We cannot live as if we are independent atoms existing apart from one another.  Philosophically speaking, we are not monads, for we are connected to each other and connected to the Earth, itself.

From the very beginning of our existence, we are linked to creation.  The Book of Genesis tells us that we were created from clay, and at the end of our Earthly journey, we return to dust.  Every Ash Wednesday, we hear these powerful words: “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.”  From beginning to end, our story is tied to the Earth.  Our lives, our bodies, and our future are inseparable from the world that God has entrusted to us.

As Catholics, we can also speak of what may be called a Catholic imagination.  This, in turn, is the ability to see life through the lens of systems, relationships, and interconnections.  It is the awareness that everything is connected.  Joey Ayala captured this beautifully when he sang, “Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkakaugnay; magkakaugnay ang lahat.” 

Everything is related to everything else.  That is why we should never think, even for a moment, that what happens in Pampanga, Bulacan, or any other part of the country has nothing to do with us.  We know from experience that when floods strike one area, when drought affects another, when forests are destroyed or coastlines erode, these events eventually affect everyone.  Sometimes even a short period of rain results in severe flooding.  The climate, the weather, and the environment are not distant realities; they are part of our everyday lives.

Each of us may have our own house where we sleep, rest, and take shelter, but Pope Francis beautifully described the Earth as our common home.  As humanity and as children of God, we share one home: the world, itself, and this is the only home we have.  There may be grand visions about inhabiting other planets someday, but for now, and for the foreseeable future, this Earth remains our one common home.  Therefore, we must care for it.

This is why this celebration is called the Mass for the Care of Creation.  The Church wants us, beginning with our Church leaders, Pope Francis and Pope Leo, to recognize an important truth – that the world in which we live is a precious gift from God.

In today's Gospel, the Lord, Himself, reminds us that where we live and the world entrusted to us are just as important as the life that has been given to us.  We are called not only to cherish our own lives but also to care for the creation that sustains and surrounds us because everything on Earth is a gift.  The air we breathe, the water we drink, the land beneath our feet, the rivers, oceans, trees, and plants are all gifts from God.

Our faith is not only spiritual; it is also incarnational where the human community and the ecological community are deeply connected.  The way we live affects creation, and the condition of creation affects the quality of our lives.  And we can see this connection even in recent events because just this past week, parts of Metro Manila experienced air pollution caused by haze coming from forest fires in Indonesia.  What happened in another country affected us directly, and scientists continue to point to the connections between global warming, climate change, and environmental degradation.  When glaciers melt and snow-capped mountains lose their ice, that water must go somewhere.  It flows into rivers and communities below, sometimes sweeping away everything in its path – and this is what happened in Nepal.

Indeed, everything is connected, and this Mass reminds us that we are all responsible; we are stewards of creation.  We have all been entrusted with the care of our common home.  Pope Francis repeatedly reminded us that this responsibility is not only for ourselves but also for future generations because we owe future generations our consciousness, awareness, and care.  This is our ecological debt to them.  If we fail to care for what we have now, what will we leave behind?  What kind of world will our children and grandchildren inherit?  What legacy will we pass on to those who come after us?

Of course, some people might say that these concerns are too distant or too large.  They might think what does climate change have to do with my ordinary life?  Yet, this Mass for the Care of Creation goes against that mentality because it reminds us that caring for creation is not a distant concern or someone else's responsibility.  It belongs to each of us, here and now.

Recently, we also had similar experiences in the parish.  For the first time in many years at Santa Maria Goretti, water suddenly rose around the Pius Center.  Within 10-15 minutes, the area was flooded.  Later, we learned that a damaged floodgate along a nearby river and its tributaries had caused water to overflow.  This experience reminded us that environmental issues are not abstract concerns. They affect our homes, our communities, and our daily lives.

When summer comes, we complain about the extreme heat.  During the rainy season, we complain about floods and endless rain.  When disasters strike, we often blame politicians or other people. Yet the truth is that we all share part of the responsibility. Our lifestyles, our disconnection from environmental concerns, and our lack of care contribute to the problem. Caring for creation cannot be left entirely in the hands of politicians, business leaders, or environmental advocates. It belongs to all of us.

And this is where the Gospel speaks strongly to us.  Jesus reminds us that we cannot serve both God and mammon (money).  We must orient our lives toward the Kingdom of God and toward what truly matters.  For when we honestly examine many environmental problems, we often find that greed and the pursuit of money are at the center.

What causes deforestation?  What contributes to environmental destruction?  Why do flood problems remain unresolved despite numerous flood-control projects?  The painful reality is that, too often, people have been more concerned about controlling money than solving problems, and this is why environmental care is not merely a technical issue.  It is also a moral and spiritual issue.

Thus, in our masses this Sunday, we pray not only for environmental programs and advocacies but also for the conversion of hearts.  Environmental advocates often encourage us to reduce, reuse, and recycle, which may seem like small actions, but they matter.  In our own little way, we can lessen our dependence on single-use plastics, reuse what we can, and recycle wherever possible.

Ultimately, the care for creation begins with care in our hearts.  We must develop both consciousness and conscience for the Earth.  We must remember that we have only one common home and that everything is interconnected.  Therefore, this Mass for the Care of Creation invites us to develop that Catholic imagination that sees everything around us as connected where we affect the world around us, and the world around us affects us.  

We are one human family living in the same common home.  Let us care for it together.  Let us become faithful and responsible stewards of God's gift.

Transcribed by Agnes Riel