Pray with Pope Francis Reflection - September 2024
Fr. Edmund Lo, SJ
Monday, September 9, 2024
My brothers and sisters: In this month of September, our Holy Father invites us to pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and of victims of natural disasters and climate change, and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in which we live.We may think of extreme climate change as isolated events in human history; but in many different parts of the world, people are regularly exposed to the drastic impacts of extreme climate. Their livelihood, lodging and personal safety are always being threatened. The cry of the Earth is always accompanied by the cry of the poor. Those of us who live in more affluent areas of the world can afford to take measures to mitigate the effects of extreme climates: We can buy an air conditioner to counter a heat wave, or that we can afford to move to a neighborhood that is less prone to local flooding or landslides in the event of a major storm. The poor literally cannot afford to take these measures.Moreover, we should be on guard against a fatalistic mentality and be paralyzed by a sense of hopelessness. Doing our part and making contributions the best we can are meritorious in themselves. Let us then hear the cry of the poor within the cry of the Earth, and not be indifferent to them. May God bless you today.Watch previous Pray with Pope Francis videos here.
