As a Christian, I believe God has gifted people with all we need to live a good life. God as Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit, models community, shared love, working together.
Resources belong to all. We are to help our neighbors. We are to care for the natural resources so that all life can thrive and each one can get basic needs met; That includes nature. People cannot thrive without clean water, birds, fish, pollinators, animals. Everything interacts.
Our Hebrew ancestors were taught to celebrate a jubilee year every 50 years when all debts were to be canceled. Land sold to pay debts was to be returned to ancestral families. Everyone got to start over.
Our youth are asking us to curb our appetite for things and for money in order to have decent natural resources to bequeath to them. The common good needs to be weighed against individualism. There are times when people or families have had to sell their land for the sake of a greater good – roads being built, power lines, train lines.
Adults, businesses, corporations, governments need to take seriously the loss of our natural resources – clean water, clean air, healthy soil to grow crops and feed wildlife. Natural elements don’t stay within borders. Our actions have global impact.
We are called as people of faith to curb greenhouse-gas emissions for the sake of areas and countries that are being most impacted by the rising seas, heavy rains/floods, dry land that can no longer be farmed, erratic dangerous storm systems.
Yes, it means sacrifice for the common good. We need to fund more green energy and curb oil, coal and natural gas use. Fracking causes great destruction to the water and land, to the people that live nearby.
Governments need to set aside money to help communities mitigate impacts of serious storms and change our resettlement after storms that are likely to keep recurring. Let’s have community conversations including our legislators about the best way forward for today. Those impacted need to be part of the solution.
Sister Jackie Moreau
Sisters of Mercy Justice Committee
Portland
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