I'm usually not a big fan of young Hollywood actors. They all seem to have too much money, party too hard, and get into too much trouble. As it turns out, there's one young man who has used his resources to produce a new film that will hopefully blow people away more than (Napoleon) dynamite. Leonardo DiCaprio is well-known for shouting "I'm the king of the world!" from the bow of Titanic, but in The 11th Hour, released this week, he is now shouting a very different message: modern industrial society is creating problems that may seriously endanger the future of the human race.
Films like The 11th Hour and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth have helped bring a great deal of public attention to ecological issues over the past couple of years. But back in 1989, Pope John Paul II was already speaking out about against the destruction of the natural environment in his document The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility. In it he writes:
"Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment, people everywhere are coming to understand that we cannot continue to use the goods of the earth as we have in the past . . .[A] new ecological awareness is beginning to emerge. . . The ecological crisis is a moral issue."Really? A moral issue? Mr. DiCaprio and the U.S. Catholic bishops are in agreement that the ecological crisis is actually very serious--it's more than just worrying about some polar bears standing on (literally) thin ice. In their 1991 document, Renewing the Earth, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops declares:
"The whole human race suffers as a result of environmental blight, and generations yet unborn will bear the cost for our failure to act today. But in most countries today, including our own, it is the poor and the powerless who most directly bear the burden of current environmental carelessness."You don't have to be a treehugger to appreciate that. The issue is environmental, to be sure, but it has clearly become a human issue. The bishops are not prophets of doom, however. This is not a time for despair; this is a time to act. "How are we called to care for God's creation?" they ask. What can young Catholics offer to the environmental movement? How can we help?
Our faith is a great asset to the work for a society that will be sustainable for generations. In the face of overwhelming problems and incessant news reports on the disastrous effects of climate change, it is sometimes tempting to throw in the towel. But our faith assures us that we are cooperators with God in renewing creation. It is faith that gives us the courage to say--as quoted in the movie trailer--"What a great time to be born, what a great time to be alive, because this generation gets to completely change this world."
So what can you do to be part of the solution? Check out The 11th Hour Action Center to see the movie trailer, stories of people who are making a difference, links to other action-oriented organizations, and to learn more about "green" living. "The hope is you"!
Catholic Connections
"Our tradition calls us to protect the life and dignity of the human person, and it is increasingly clear that this task cannot be separated from the care and defense of all of creation."
-- Renewing the Earth , A Pastoral Statement of the United States Catholic Conference November 14, 1991
Reflection Questions
After looking at The 11th Hour Action Center, what is one thing you can do in your daily life to protect the earth and its people?
Join us in our Forum to discuss these questions!
