September 9, 2024 | Blog

Listen to the Cry of the Poor and the Earth

September 9, 2024
By John Gonzalez, Office of Mission

The ones suffering most from the consequences of these disasters are the poor, those who are forced to leave their homes because of floods, heat waves, or droughts. Dealing with the environmental crisis caused by humans, such as climate change, pollution, or the loss of biodiversity begs responses that are not only ecological, but also social, economic, and political.

During the month of September, the Pope often raises his ecological concern for Catholics to reflect on. This year he has us consider the reality of growing natural disasters and the fact that the poor are often their greatest victims. The message has us focus our attention on the cry of those who suffer, the earth is suffering and the result are increasing natural disasters. The poor likewise suffer as a direct result from the dramatic changes of the earth. This year the Pope raised the theme of the cry of the poor in his World Day of the Poor Message and in it he shared a biblical passage where God demonstrates the “Preferential Option for the Poor.”

The poor hold a privileged place in God’s heart, to the point that, in the face of their suffering, God is “impatient” until he has rendered justice to them. “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord; he will not desist until the Most High visits him, and does justice for the righteous, and executes judgment. And the Lord will not delay” (Sir 35:17-18).

It is difficult for us to believe that God is paying attention because we are expecting things to happen right now. As the great American prophet, Martin Luther King Jr. once said.

The Arch of the Moral Universe MLK Jr.

This is true about the poor as it is with the earth. We have lost the ability to be aware of “the signs of the times”. The fact is that the increase in natural disasters should give us the pause to recognize that the earth is convalescing from the illness of our pollution and these natural disasters occur as it attempts to find balance (much like the fevers we experience when our antibodies are activated). The poor of course will have fewer resources to address these major ecological shifts and this too is something that will reach the ears of the Almighty.

The commitment that Pope Francis wants us to make is for a change of lifestyle that will respond to the needs of the poor and the needs of the earth. Part of this is a call to embrace a simple Christian lifestyle with concrete expressions such as the ones offered here.