How is Laudato Si challenging us to change?

[utunumsint]

Hi,

I am hoping to analyze the contents of Laudato Si with a spirit of openness to understanding what it might demand from me.

Summary from paragraphs 1 through 14.

w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

1-

1. 
   *]Replace consumption with sacrifice.
   *]Greed with generosity.
   *]Wastefulness with a spirit of sharing.
   *]Asceticism which entails a learning to give and not simply to give up.
   *]Inasmuch as we all generate small ecological damage”, we are called to acknowledge “our contribution, smaller or greater, to the disfigurement and destruction of creation”.
   *]Imitate the love of nature of Saint Francis. Every creature is our brother and sister. Not attitude of master, consumer, ruthless exploiter, unable to set limits.
   *]We must "refus[e] to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled.
   *]We must see nature as a glimpse of God’s infinite beauty and goodness. [by analogy]
   *]Any environmental solution must take into account the poor and excluded.
   
   These seem very good and general proposals. I wonder if the pope will get more specific as I read on.
   
   God bless,
   Ut

 

[SonOfMan]

Everyone has been citing the Pope condemning air conditioning. That’s about as specific as Ive heard. If you have it set at 70 or below, you are in Mortal Sin territory. 71-76 degrees is only Venial, I think.

Those are probably just rumors though. Id be curious to hear some specifics myself.

 

[utunumsint]

Everyone has been citing the Pope condemning air conditioning. That’s about as specific as Ive heard. If you have it set at 70 or below, you are in Mortal Sin territory. 71-76 degrees is only Venial, I think.

Those are probably just rumors though. Id be curious to hear some specifics myself.

Hahahahaha!

 

[LeafByNiggle]

Everyone has been citing the Pope condemning air conditioning. That’s about as specific as Ive heard. If you have it set at 70 or below, you are in Mortal Sin territory. 71-76 degrees is only Venial, I think.

Those are probably just rumors though. Id be curious to hear some specifics myself.

This is not so unusual as you are making it sound. Take for example the admonition and duty to exercise charity toward the poor, especially during Lent. The Church does not set exact manner in which this duty should be lived out. She does not say that 5 dollars a week is too little, or that 50 dollars is about right. You could make a joke out of playing with donation thresholds too. (“A millionaire who only gives one penny a year is in mortal sin territory.”) But the fact is the admonition is real and meaningful, even if the exact details of our response are left to the prudential judgement of the faithful.

So why can’t you look at Laudato Si that way?

 

[lynnvinc]

I’ve been pretty much into most of what the Pope is asking us to do in Laudato Si for the sake of life on earth for decades: reducing, reusing, recycling, becoming energy/resource efficient/conservative, going on renewable energy & 3 yrs ago getting an EV. We’ve managed to lower our greenhouse gases and other pollutants over the past 25 years & are now more than 60% lower than our 1990 emissions. Since 1969 when we got married we’ve made it a point to live within 1 to 2 miles of work and shops so as to save finite resources for future generations.

But this has all be done without any sacrifice and a tremendous savings of many $1000s, without lowering our living standard and even increasing it.

Now, inspired by Laudato Si, I’m looking into sacrifice, at least in very tiny ways. It is really helping me to diet – which I need to do for my health, but which I would not have been able to do without the inspiration of Laudato Si. I’ve lost about 10 lbs and need to lose some 20 more.

Also we live in a very hot climate; it sometimes gets up to 115F during the cunicula or heatwave in July & Aug. We had been conscientious about keeping our AC at around 79 or 80F, just at the top of our comfort level, but now we have it at 82F, and slightly feel discomfort off & on…for the sake of the kingdom of God.

I know these aren’t much, but we wouldn’t be doing these without the beautiful inspiration of Laudato Si! I hope there will be more we can and will do as time goes by…