“Let Justice and Peace Flow” is the theme chosen for the Season of Creation 2023, the ecumenical celebration held every year from September 1, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
Paraphrasing a cry out from the prophet Amos “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5: 24), this year’s theme invites Christians to join in the river of justice and peace, to take up climate justice and speak out on behalf of the people most affected by ecological injustices.
Justice has to do with right relationships not only with our fellow human beings but also with Creation. This entails repentance for our ecological sins, a change of attitudes and living in peace with our neighbors and the environment.
There is so much to learn from indigenous people and communities. As they recognize the sacredness of nature, the indigenous live in an intimate relationship with the natural world and hold the ancestral wisdom of protection and care. In spite of being a minority of the world’s population, indigenous people protect nearly 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity. Their expertise is essential in the preservation of our remaining biodiversity.
Biodiversity has been declining at an alarming rate in recent years, mainly due to human activities, such as pollution and climate change. The hope of keeping the average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius is waning.
One of the greatest injustices of today’s world is that ecological disaster is hurting the most vulnerable living in less developed countries, who have contributed the least to the emissions of carbon dioxide.
So, what can Christians do during this year’s Season of Creation? On a personal level, we can commit ourselves to: take part in clean-ups, plant trees, and reduce our footprint. But individual actions are not enough; we need a universal movement of action.
At the global level, wealthier states have the duty to deal justly with communities that are suffering most from climate calamities. Those nations have fallen short of honoring their promises of paying for the losses and damages that vulnerable nations and communities are suffering as a result of ecological tragedies. Indeed, the poorer communities have contributed the least to the current climate crisis and yet they are enduring the most from its devastating effects. Civil societies, activists and advocates must persuade their governments to fulfil their promises of funds for the most vulnerable communities impacted by climate change.
