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[caption id="attachment_127510" align="aligncenter" width="800"]Catholic Central Catholic Central hosts Kaiser Johnson and Libby Slater. Copyright 2017 Family Theater Productions. Used with permission. All rights reserved.[/caption]

Throughout history, the Church has looked inward, to spiritual matters, and outward, to how we deal with other people and the world at large. Since kids are often intent mostly on the present moment, learning to widen both their inner and outer focus is valuable. This week with “Catholic Central,” we take you into the human mind, through the mind of St. Paul, and out to the rest of humanity and all of nature. 

[caption id="attachment_172057" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]CC-Care for the Environment Copyright 2020 Catholic Central. All rights reserved.[/caption]

What Does It Mean for Catholics to Care for the Environment?

In recent weeks, many of us have been deprived of spending our usual amount of time enjoying the great outdoors – and perhaps that has made us appreciate it even more. 

The Environment ... beloved of tree-huggers, hippies, and ... popes? In “Catholic Central: Care for the Environment,” Kai and Libby explore the rich teachings and tradition of the Catholic Church when it comes to the stewardship and conservation of the environment, and why it matters to Catholics. 

https://youtu.be/-SgxkkAeAkk

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Diving Deeper 

  •  What greater environmental issues do you feel most concerned about or called to respond to? 
  • Do you recognize the ways that your individual actions contribute to a broader collective impact? 
  • What might be some simple daily gestures you could make to demonstrate care for the environment? 

Activity 

Think about things you can do in your daily life to decrease waste and steward your resources. Some ideas could be: decreasing use of plastics, limiting water or electricity consumption, looking for reusable or recyclable materials, starting a garden, etc. After brainstorming some simple daily gestures, make a plan to enact those gestures in your daily life. Write your ideas down on strips of paper and draw one a week from a bowl or box that you keep in a visible place. 

Reflection by Father Vince Kuna C.S.C. 

One way to pass the time and approximate the spiritual meal partaken of at Mass is to cook and bake, especially for your family. Try to prepare a meal based on what’s currently exists in your pantry. When the cupboard runs dry, literally, then prepare the next meals from what you grow in your garden (where practical), and what can be gotten at the grocery store. You will hopefully learn the lesson of reducing materials by cooking with what’s available and using Earth’s natural resources for food.  

 


Copyright 2020 Family Theater Productions