Whenever I travel around my diocese, I notice something important. Along our highways and other thoroughfares, the grass growing along the edges and central dividers is regularly trimmed, revealing the large amounts of garbage that lay hidden. After cutting the grass, crews of workers diligently clean up and collect the now-visible garbage.
I wonder how many people, when discarding or dropping litter from their cars, think that it doesn't matter, that it’s inconsequential, and assume that it will go unnoticed? However, the reality is starkly different: a person acting with indifference and carelessness dirties and pollutes, contributes to environmental degradation, transforming the surroundings into a garbage dump.
Our actions do not occur in isolation; every deed impacts others and the environment, for better or for worse. Each action, whether by me, us, or any individual, carries weight—it is significant.
As humans, we exist by love, not by chance. God alone is the sole creator and giver of life; the entire creation is an expression and fruit of the love that is God.
The world and the universe are in constant change and transformation; they are dynamic. Earth teems with life. Human hearts are restless and constantly searching because God made them for truth, beauty, and goodness.
The love that created the universe, that fashioned man in God’s image and likeness, calls us to mirror the creator and to respect and honor his creation.
Humanity and the world are interdependent; without one, the other loses meaning. Man without the world is adrift and has no home; the world devoid of man lacks purpose.
We are called to sanctify our environment. The question is, do I help to sanctify, or do I contribute to desecration?
God did not create us in a bubble as independent and solitary entities. No! God made us relational beings, intricately connected to one another and the world. Our dignity beckons us to mutual respect and care for the environment. God entrusted us with the world to make it our common home. Caring for it is our responsibility; we must not abuse or mistreat what God has entrusted us to steward.
Scripture tells us that God, in fashioning the universe, deemed it good. As the fruit of God’s love, both man and the world possess an inherent holiness. The absence of love tarnishes the beauty of creation and defiles its holiness.
Our actions, however seemingly small and personal, bear collective consequences. Every sin is to act without love; thus, every sin degrades, defiles, destroys, and enslaves. All sin contaminates not only our hearts but also the environment in which we live.
Disrespect for our dignity and the world insults the author of life. Let us resist being reduced to disposable commodities, for we are human beings, not mere objects. Our true worth lies in our humanity. Only inner freedom and beauty protect and safeguard human dignity because such a heart mirrors the love of our creator. Let us not allow consumerism to sully our hearts or darken our inner beauty and stifle our freedom.
God granted us free will; we’re free to choose and embrace the path to happiness that he placed in our hearts. If we surrender to God’s care, we’ll be able to look at our neighbor and the planet through his loving gaze and care for and respect them, as he has entrusted us to do.
Love embellishes, builds, and liberates, benefiting both humanity and creation. Let us always remember that God created us for love and in love. May Holy Mary, our mother in heaven, teach us to give our hearts to God so that he may nurture and make them more and more beautiful as he guides us to act with love.