N0tre
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Dadiangas
University St. Marcellin
GRADE 12 Virtual Recollection
Facilitator: Annabel (Yumang) Sexton
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and
in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.
What is a
RECOLLECTION?
…is intended to be a personal
encounter with God often
characterized by meditation, silence,
reflection, and prayer. It primarily
seeks to renew faith that may have
long been practiced but not fully
internalized so as to bring about the
desired positive transformation of
every human being.”
THEME:
“Walking by Faith
to a New Beginning.”
OBJECTIVES:
• To know more about one’s self;
• To identify the authentic self by affirming and sustain
one’s giftedness;
• To appreciate the strength and power to survive in
transforming the environmental life’s challenges;
• To articulate & live in protecting our common home &
do one’s personal response.
“Greening” the Marist Heart:
A Call for Ecological Conversion
What is Laudato Si?
“PRAISE BE TO YOU”
What are the main messages of Laudato Si, Pope Francis’s
groundbreaking new encyclical on the environment?
1. The spiritual perspective is now part
of the discussion on the environment.
The greatest contribution of Laudato Si is an
overview of the environmental crisis from a
religious point of view. Until now, the dialogue
about the environment has been framed mainly
using political, scientific and economic language.
Now, the language of faith enters the discussion
— clearly, decisively and systematically.
2. The poor are disproportionately
affected by climate change.
The disproportionate effect of
environmental change on the poor is
strongly highlighted in almost every
page of the document, and the Pope
provides many baneful examples of the
effects of climate change, whose “worst
impact” is felt by those in developing
countries (25).
3. Less is more.
Pope Francis takes aim at the
“technocratic” mindset, in which
technology is seen as the key to
human existence. He also critiques
an unthinking reliance on market
forces, in which every
technological advancement is
embraced before considering how
it will affect our world. Christian
spirituality, by contrast, offers a
growth marked by “moderation and
the capacity to be happy with little”
4. Catholic social teaching
now includes teaching on the
environment.
Against those who argue that a papal
encyclical on the environment has no
real authority, Pope Francis explicitly
states that Laudato Si “is now added to
the body of the Church’s social teaching”
(15). It continues the church’s reflection
on modern-day problems that began
with Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum
Novarum, on capital and labor, published
in 1891.
5. Discussions about
ecology can be grounded in
the Bible and church
tradition.
In Chapter Two, Pope Francis
introduces “The Gospel of Creation,” in
which he leads readers through the
call to care for creation that extends as
far back as the Book of Genesis, when
humankind was called to “till and keep”
the earth (67). But we have, sadly,
done too much tilling and not enough
keeping.
6. Everything is connected
— including the economy.
Laudato Si is a “systematic”
approach to the problem. First, the
Pope links all human beings to
creation: “We are part of nature,
included in it, and thus in constant
interaction with it” (139). But our
decisions have an inevitable effect on
the environment. A blind pursuit of
money that sets aside the interests of
the marginalized and the ruination of
the planet are connected.
7. Scientific research on
the environment is to be
praised and used.
Pope Francis does not try to
“prove” anything about climate
change. Rather, his encyclical
accepts the best scientific research
available today and builds on it. So
Laudato Si draws on both church
teaching and contemporary scientific
findings from other fields to help
modern-day people reflect on a
contemporary crisis.
8. Widespread indifference and selfishness
worsen environmental problems.
Pope Francis strongly critiques those who
ignore the problem of climate change, and
especially its effects on the poor. Why are so
many of the wealthy turning away from the poor?
Not only because “some view themselves as
more worthy than others,” but because frequently
because decisions-makers are “far removed from
the poor,” with no real contact to their brothers
and sisters (90, 49). Selfishness also leads to the
evaporation of the notion of the common good.
9. Global dialogue and
solidarity are needed.
Perhaps more than any other
encyclical, Laudato Si draws from the
experiences of people around the world,
referencing the findings of bishops’
conferences from Brazil, New Zealand,
Southern Africa, Bolivia, Portugal,
Germany, Argentina, the Dominican
Republic, the Philippines, Australia and
the United States. The pope invites into
dialogue and debate “all people” about
our “common home” (3).
10. A change of heart is required
This encyclical, addressed to “everyone living on
this planet” calls for a new way of looking at things
(3). We face an urgent crisis, when the earth has
begun to look more and more like, in Francis’s vivid
image, “an immense pile of filth” (21). Still, the
document is hopeful, reminding us that because
God is with us, all of us can strive to change course.
We can move towards an “ecological conversion” in
which we can listen to the “cry of the earth and the
cry of the poor” (49). To use religious language,
what the Pope is calling for is conversion.
With minimal
effort, you can
turn those
banana peels
and apple cores
into gold. Let us
break it down.
Small steps can add up to big reductions in your
electricity use—and your utility bill.
Save electricity
• Turn radios, television sets and lights off
when they are not needed -- the exception
is when you are not at home; leaving them
on is an inexpensive security option
• Wait for a full load for the washing machine,
and use the shortest cycle
• Wash clothes in cold water
• Use heaters, fans and electric blankets as
little as possible
Considering making the switch? Here's everything you
need to know about driving electric cars and hybrids.
Travel cheaply
• If possible, walk or bike
• Use public transport rather than
driving
• When driving, accelerate
gradually and brake gently
• To save fuel, keep the tyres on
your vehicle at the correct
pressure
Harnessing power generated by the sun reduces
your reliance on fossil fuels, but it can come with a
price tag. How to decide if it’s worth it to you.
A step-by-step guide to protecting your
community from dirty development projects.
Recycle
• Recycle as much paper and
plastic as the local council
allows
• If they are soiled, rinse
plastics lightly before putting
them in the recycling bin / bag
• Keep soft plastics (bread
bags, newspaper wraps) out
of the landfill -- reuse them if
your local council does not
accept them for recycling
In general
•Compost as many food scraps as
possible -- coffee grounds and egg
shells make good compost
•If it is permissible, use a ‘keep-cup’ for
your visits to coffee takeaway shops
•Drink tap or filtered water, not bottled
•Buy from companies with eco-friendly
policies
•Buy less, thus saving time and money
Today, “the issue of environmental
degradation challenges us to examine
our lifestyle”.
Laudato Si,147
Marist Spirituality
Let us be careful to see God
in all his creatures, since
they are the outcome of his
goodness ...
.
(Circular on the Spirit of
Faith, Br Francois)
PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD:
God is everywhere. God sees everything. God is
everywhere, so I owe him respect at all times. God’s
presence pervades the whole universe. He fills it,
governs it and maintains it. He is there in his
essence as well as through his Wisdom, in his
goodness and power.”
Summary of LIFE, Ch. VII/2: “On what is the
practice of the presence of God”
Marcellin has nothing more to
propose to us for the progress of
our (Marist) spiritual lives than this:
LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD,
cultivate the presence of God in the
“everydayness” of life, take time and
space apart …be recollected…
Deepen our realization that it is
GOD that “we live, and move, and
have our being”,
(St. Marcellin Champagnat)
…IN OUR STYLE OF GOVERNANCE
For a new beginning, we believe in governance that:
is responsive to emerging calls from children and young people
on the peripheries and fosters the care of our common home.
Like Mary at Cana (Jn 2, 3),
we feel challenged by the needs of
the world around us.
Inspired by Mary, we feel called to:
move away
from a culture
shaped by “ego-s” and
adopt that of the “eco-s” (ecology,
ecosystems, an economy of solidarity, …) to reduce
the scandal of indifference and inequality. --from the
Message of the XXII General Chapter, 2017
TOWARDS A NEW BEGINNING …
…IN OUR VOCATION AS BROTHERS
For a new beginning as Little Brothers of
Mary, as mystics and prophets of a new
world, we believe that:
being brothers is a call to be signs of
humanity in all its fullness, which implies
healing the wounds of our own lives,
promoting the dignity of each person,
and caring for our common home.
…IN OUR MISSION
For a new beginning, as
Marists of Champagnat,
committed to the mission of
evangelization and education,
we believe:
Therefore, we suggest:
creating an integral ecological
awareness in all our communities and
different ministries, and developing
policies at all levels of the Institute that
strengthen our commitment to the care
of our ‘common home’.
Therefore, we need to
include ecological
conversion and
concerns in our
formation; we cannot be
indifferent to the future
of life and the Earth.
Everyday Steps of loving
our Mother Earth
• Pray for and with creation
• Live more simply
• Advocate to protect our common
home.
The ecological
conversion needed to
bring about lasting
change is also a
COMMUNITY
CONVERSION...
WHAT CAN WE DO
TO CARE FOR OUR
COMMON HOME AND
HELP PROMOTE
ECOLOGICAL
CONVERSION?
