Photo Essay: Praised Be!

photo essay

Praised Be! PAPAL LETTER ON THE ENVIRONMENT ...119

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On the Care of

OUR COMMON Home “The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us.

Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were,

a caress of

God.

Pope Francis | Laudato Si n. 84

These words come from the letter that Pope Francis has written to the whole human race, entitled ‘Laudato Si’ (Praise Be), which is about the care of our common home, the earth.

What greater gift have we been given than this beautiful cosmos which supports our life and everything we enjoy!

In this photo essay we touch upon some of the letter’s main themes. It urgently calls for a greater respect of and care for our physical environment and for all humanity, especially the poor.

It also celebrates the beauty and majesty of our universe and every single expression of God’s life and love in it.

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The Places we

Cherish

The history of our friendship with God is always linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal meaning; we all remember places, and revisiting those memories does us much good.

Anyone who has grown up in the hills or used to sit by the spring to drink, or played outdoors in the neighbourhood square; going back to these places is a chance to recover something of their true selves.

Pope Francis | Laudato Si, n.84

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A call FOr

Respect

& Stewardship

Our “dominion� over the universe should be understood more properly in the sense of responsible stewardship.

Pope Francis | Laudato Si, n.116

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Solidarity & Justice

The rich and the poor have equal dignity, for “the Lord is the maker of them all� (Prov 22:2).

Each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations.

Pope Francis | Laudato Si, n.94, 67

Photo Essay

The Need For

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Less

When is More

Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more�.

Pope Francis | Laudato Si, n.138

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Our Duty to

Protect

& Preserve

Just as the different aspects of the planet – physical, chemical and biological – are interrelated, so too living species are part of a network which we will never fully explore and understand.

Pope Francis | Laudato Si, n.138

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Photo Essay

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