Why Catholics Care For Creation.pdf

Care for creation is an ancient Catholic concern that has taken on new urgency due to environmental issues like global warming. The Church has understood creation through the centuries, with early Christian teachers and saints reading the "book of nature" alongside Scripture. The Bible teaches that God created the world and gave humans the responsibility to care for it, but this has often been misinterpreted to justify reckless use of resources. Instead, humans should be caretakers and tenders of the earth. The story of Noah and the flood reveals that humans are part of the garden, and the rainbow sign of the covenant of love with God was meant for all creation.

Catholics can look to holy people like Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi, who remind us that we are part of the natural world and should live in a way that cares for the earth. St. Francis' love of Christ and creation offers a model for living in a time of ecological devastation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs that the use of the earth's resources is not absolute and requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.

The 14 Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy can serve as a guide for care of creation, with actions like feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, and praying for the living and the dead taking on new meaning in light of creation care. Examples include cooking and giving nutritional food produced with ethical concern for land, water, and creatures, conserving water, and converting consumer lifestyles to ones of sustainability. Care of creation holds a long and rich history within Scripture, tradition, and Catholic social teaching, and facing the challenges of global warming and other environmental issues are serious moral matters that require responsible action.