Cabrera, Christian C.

L-140525
Laudato Si

Reading Pope Francis ecologically themed encyclical is an eye-opener - not in the sense that it
gives its reader an awareness of the problems that surround the ecological framework of the planet,
because, in truth, everyone is aware of these issues as these problems surround the lifestyles of our
generation (from businesses that revolve around the proposition of a better living; of isolation to
humanely suffering suffered by the effects of global warming and other natural and ecological conditions
that are adverse to the idea of a comfortable living), but, rather, an eye-opener in the sense that it raises
these adverse conditions of the Earth to a position where it can no longer be batted an eye upon, that the
prevalence of these ecological issues will cause no less than the extinction of man as we know it; and by
the fact that we as humans are the primary cause of these vile destruction of our own ecosystem, unless
we change our own lifestyles, we also will be the primary victims of the degradation of the environment.
Laudato Si, or Praise Be to You. A title fitting to convey the message that we as humans have
been blessed by God with the wonderful environment that we live in. Also, the message, together with a
declaration of our blessedness, conveys the responsibility that we have, together with the blessing of
living in this ecological framework, a duty to take care of our common home and not just speaking of us
as humans in this generation, but of all humanity present and future as they, inheriting the world from our
hands, have the same blessedness of us in the present. The Pope relays the fact that it is not just our
generation that is blessed and should be blessed, but also the future generations who are in danger of
inheriting a wasteland of our generation.
Praise be to You, my Lord. The title carries with it another connotation; that it is God from whom
we receive all these blessings. And by the fact that it is God who is the source, it is but natural to assume
that it is to God that we all belong. That we as humans are creatures of God as borne of His unending love
for us that we continually receive the goodness that surround us. The last statement makes us wonder. If it
is God who is the source of the goodness of the environment, that it is to Him that we owe our very
existence and our viability for tomorrow, then who then is the source of all the things that makes us
suffer?
The Pope furthers this question in the first chapter as he provides us the gripping issues that
surround our Common Home. First of which is climate change, the potentially most detrimental issue
regarding the degradation of our habitat and as one that concerns all, not just our own specie but of all
living organisms, threatening with serious implications regarding the future of humanity. But the Pope
tells us another eye-opener in his encyclical that in light of climate change and its adverse effects on

human life, it branches towards another compelling issue that is poverty. The Pope, as he speaks of global
inequality, tells us:
In fact, the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on
the planet: Both everyday experience and scientific research show that the gravest effects of all
attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest.
Several issues revolving the problem of climate change have amplified effects in the case of our
poor brothers. The issue on water, loss of biodiversity, and the decline in the quality of human life and the
breakdown of society are among the issues that, although suffered by all, are suffered the most by the
poorest. It is heart-breaking what the Pope says about the issue on poverty and how this societal, political,
and sociological suffering is further aggravated by the problems of our Ecology, a suffering most
attributable to the indifference of man not just as against the environment but also as against our poor
brothers and sisters; and nothing more apt could have been said considering the situation in our own
country where the struggles of our poor brothers in the slums are covered by the daily pursuit of the latest
scoop of various TV shows and celebrities, where the issue on water shortage in the slums are eased by
the construction of new malls.
True, these pursuits of little gratification have downplayed the more vital issues in the society;
and it is attributable to which that we, in small words, no longer care for the much larger issues so long as
our daily struggles are alleviated by the little happiness we get. This attitude has dire consequences for
our country today. We see how people seem to care about the political, economic, and social issues but
dont want to get encumbered in their own lives when it comes to addressing and doing something about
the issues.
The encyclical not only mentions these problems but also calls for a dialogue amongst all people
to address the more important issue at hand: caring for our common home. Also, it is called that we, as
humans reflect on our position here as tenants on this planet; that we should recognize that it is from God
that we came from, that we are blessed. Thus, it becomes our solemn duty to recognize that our endless
pursuit of humanly pleasures to the detriment of the ecology will remain endless if we focus on ourselves
and cause damage to others; and that it is by collective effort that we as humans can fully achieve
intergenerational justice and ecological prosperity.