The long trek of Lent is over, and now we arrive full-force in Eastertide. Watch out – the Catholics just got their Hallelujah back! If there’s one thing we know about Easter, it is that the resurrection of Jesus was not simply an isolated event. When he rises, we are supposed to rise with him. What better way, then, to end this first full week of Easter than with Earth Day.
We have one planet, people. One. As of this post, we don’t have another planet to which we can flee when our discarded plastics and flaming fossil fuels threaten to bury us under a giant pile of hot yuck. And yet, the human species continues to show a remarkable dedication to the goal of its own demise. If ever we needed the hope of new life and resurrection, then now is the time. On Earth Day 2017, members of our global human family have (gratefully) taken to the streets, offering a loud and proud reminder of the need to use all tools at our disposal (including *gasp* SCIENCE!!!) to care for the gift of creation.
“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.”
We’ve been down this road already here on ChurchDrunk. From Laudato Si to EnvironLent to the singing hills of Appalachia, we have hopefully made it clear that we are decidedly pro-Earth. And from St. Francis to Pope Francis, Catholic tradition and social teaching stand firmly behind environmental policy that puts the responsibility of stewardship on each of us as members of the community of Creation.
So on this Earth Day weekend, I encourage you to go out and soak in the goodness of this beautiful planet. If you want, speak up about what you feel is the best way forward for us as a species, and how we can care for the home that we share with so many other incredible species. If you want, hike to the top of a mountain, or visit your favorite fishing hole, or find a new forest path, or watch the waves break on the beach. If you want, learn something new about the world and the way that it works. If you want, take a moment to thank God for the amazing gift of creation.
None of these are things that you have to do. The sun will still rise tomorrow without our advocacy, our adventuring, our inquisitiveness, or our gratitude. But if you want to, love your planet. “For from the greatness and the beauty of created things, their original author, by analogy, is seen.” (Wisdom 13:5)
-Ges
churchdrunk.com 
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