Greta Thurnberg meeting Pope Francis during General Audience in the Vatican Laudato Si’
Jane Mellet
Happy New Year everyone! This month the young Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg celebrated her 18th birthday. In August 2018, Greta sat outside the Swedish parliament, striking from school, in protest of the failure of world governments to urgently address the environmental crisis our world is facing. It takes great courage to do something like that alone. Little did Greta know that she had started a worldwide movement which would involve millions of people from almost every country in the world. It is a huge reminder of the power of one person to affect change and the ripple effects of actions for good in this world. The Fridays For Future movement oozes a Spirit-filled energy that inspires change. Greta has spoken so passionately to world leaders, including Pope Francis, to international conferences, she has even sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to call for urgent and immediate action.
As 2021 begins, we are reminded through this deadly pandemic of just how connected we are as a global community, how fragile our ecosystems are and just how dependant human health is on those ecosystems. The New Year always presents an opportunity to rethink our lives! As you are considering what you might do to make 2021 a more positive experience, be encouraged by Pope Francis who writes: “Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to develop a spirituality of global solidarity” (Laudato Si’, 240). So, inspired by Greta and Pope Francis, here are some tips to start 2021 off on a Laudato Si’ foot:
-Make one small change each week in your house, discuss with your family what you might do: recycling, eliminate single-use plastics, think about rewilding for springtime, walk, run or cycle instead of using the car, spend more time in nature connecting more deeply with God’s creation.
-Eco-Congregation Ireland is holding an online meet up on Saturday January 16 at 11am. This event will be for faith communities to share experiences and ideas with input from those who have received the Eco-Parish Award. Want to know how your parish can make a start? Register by emailing: info@ecocongregationireland.com
-During lockdown you could access the TED Talks ‘Countdown’ series and watch one per day. There are so many wonderful short documentaries about the environmental crisis and exciting solutions that are making a difference in our world.
We can all do something and who knows where it may lead, as Pope Francis says in Let us Dream: “For a long time, we carried on thinking we could be healthy in a world that was sick. But the [pandemic] has brought home how important it is to work for a healthy world … The green and the social go hand in hand. The fate of Creation is tied to the fate of all humanity.”