The following is a guest blog by Father Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, Theological Consultant for the Laudato Si’ Action Platform and Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
In this passionate and informative call to action, Father Joshtrom explains how the Laudato Si’ Action Platform is helping both achieve the goals of the Dicastery and helping communities achieve their goals to care for our common home.
The Laudato Si’ Action Platform is helping to achieve the goals of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in two main ways.
The first is the emphasis placed on development. Rather than quantitative growth, development in this case focuses on qualitative measures of well-being that can make all of God’s creatures flourish on our common home.
“Our home must be a viable place for all, so through the Laudato Si’ Action Platform we work to care for and rebuild our common home.”
The second way is with an emphasis on the integral approach, which is rooted in the seven Laudato Si’ Goals and reaches its fulfillment when we achieve full sustainability in the holistic spirit of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ encyclical.
The Time to Act is Now
Droughts, floods, wildfires. The cry of the earth is clear. Scientists tell us this is the crucial “make or break” decade to act. Our children are marching the streets, pleading that we don’t destroy our common home.
“For major action to take place, we need local communities acting, connecting, sharing, and building alternative futures together.”
The mistake over the last decades has been to continue “talking about it”. What we need to do is act, and that is why the Laudato Si’ Action Platform is so important. It provides a guide for bottom-up action, situating people as the protagonists to use local resources and build networks for change.
Nothing is more urgent than taking action today.
Making the Choice for Change
When you enroll online in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, you get different options for how to take part – how to buy differently, use energy differently, eat differently – but you have to make the choice.
The beauty comes when people share their best practices, like harvesting rainwater, planting Indigenous species, or protecting Indigenous communities and standing for their rights. All of these are very concrete actions.
The role of the Holy Spirit in this effort is to recover the religious dimension of creation.
“The Holy Spirit helps us look in a fresh way at the world as God’s miracle, bringing us the hope and optimism we need to make change.”
When you see something as sacred, you cannot abuse it. As a gift that God has given us, we must cherish the Earth and all its resources. This perspective shifts our attitudes and gives us hope.
Action in Solidarity with Communities Around the World
Transformation of the world will not come from the rich and powerful – they are the ones destroying it. It’s the communities of people from across the globe joining together in solidarity on the Laudato Si’ Action Platform who are transforming the world.
We see this transformation taking place now in Indigenous communities, in local farmers taking care of the earth, in our children expressing concern over the plight of our common home.
3 Ways the Platform Empowers Communities
- Solidarity. We must always insist that this journey is not an individual project – it must be community-based.
- A roadmap of action. Most people would like to do something, they know it is urgent, but one can feel helpless without direction. The Laudato Si’ Action Platform offers a pathway to follow alongside your community, and through this pathway you are sustained on your journey.
- A vision of integral ecology. The shared Resources help us recognize that everything is connected – the economy and the environment are connected, politics and spirituality are connected. All of these important dimensions are woven throughout the Laudato Si’ Action Platform into a seamless fabric.
“The Laudato Si’ Action Platform provides guides, tools, and resources, and it also offers direct connections to other participants and stories of successful action for inspiration and collaboration.”
A Vision for the Future
This is a crucial decade for action in response to the climate crisis. Within this decade, the dream is to reach a critical mass for change. We hope that as many people as possible will join our journey on the Laudato Si´Action Platform.