“Glory
to God and Peace on Earth”:
Once again in
2009 this is the Christmas message.
“If you
want peace, work for justice”:
Once again
for 2010 this is the New Year message.
It is unjust
that others suffer poverty, while we are comfortably off.
It is unjust
that others suffer oppression, while we live in freedom.
Injustice
of this kind breeds anger, revolt and war.
Injustice
of this kind cannot give glory to God or bring peace on earth.
But there
is another injustice, a hidden injustice:
It is unjust
that developing countries suffer most from global warming
and
exploitation of the environment, while we hardly notice it.
It is unjust
that those least able to cope suffer most, from global warming
and
exploitation of the environment, if we don’t see it as our responsibility.
Pope
Benedict, in this year’s message for the World Day of Peace, reminds us
that our
world is God’s creation and that justice demands that we care for it:
justice
towards our fellow human-beings, as well as obedience to God.
Call it
ecological awareness, call it reducing CO2 emissions, call it the green
economy:
this is a
chance to work for justice
this is a
challenge to work for peace
this is a
call to give glory to God.
So what can
we do? We can start reduce our
carbon footprint in our own parishes through a programme called the Eco
Congregation. All the information necessary can be obtained from the Justice
and Peace Commission. By making
manageable changes in our parishes and in our domestic lifestyles we can move
towards better stewardship of the earth’s resources in order to give glory to God
and to help bring peace on earth.