In 2015, Pope Francis gave the Church and the world a remarkable gift, his encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. It was embraced not only by Catholics but also by Christians of other traditions, people of other faiths, scientists, and world leaders. More than just a book of teachings, it has become a global call to action in the face of environmental destruction, climate change, and economic systems that place profit over people and creation.
But Pope Francis does not leave this response to policy makers. He asks each of us as individuals, as families, and as parish communities to respond personally and concretely. At The Basilica of Saint Mary, our Creation Justice Committee exists to help our parish live out this call. During this Season of Creation, I invite you to reflect on what your own response might be.
For myself, I turn to the spirituality of Saint Benedict as I try to live Laudato Si’. I am a Benedictine oblate, a lay person who lives in the world but tries to shape daily life by the wisdom of the Rule of Saint Benedict, written in the sixth century. The Rule was written for monastic communities, but its principles such as humility, balance, prayer, work, hospitality, stewardship, and stability can guide anyone who seeks to place Christ above all else. At first glance, the Rule says little about the environment. Yet, when we look closely at its biblical roots and the history of Saint Benedict and Benedictine life, we discover that it embodies what Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ calls an integral ecology.
Integral ecology is the heart of Laudato Si’. Ecology is the study of how living things relate within a natural system, like a forest or a lake. Pope Francis widens that view by reminding us that our lives are bound up not only with the natural world, but also with social, cultural, economic, and spiritual relationships. In Laudato Si’ Pope Francis placed care for creation in the body of Catholic social teachings and integral ecology as its heart. The cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor are one.
This vision of relationship goes back to the very beginning of the Bible. In Genesis, God creates order from chaos so that life may flourish. God sees everything he made as good, giving dignity to all of Creation. And humanity is given the unique task of tending creation, not as owners but as caretakers of God’s gift. This original covenant is a three-fold relationship between God, humanity, and creation itself. It is Eden, where God’s love sustains every bond. “The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all who dwell within” (Psalm 24:1).
Much of salvation history is God’s call to restore this Edenic covenant. From Noah and Abraham to the prophets and finally to Christ, God calls humanity back to right relationship. In contrast, Scripture often sets city-states and empires as symbols of what happens when we break that covenant. The problem was not cities themselves, but the way ancient empires gained power by exploiting land and people to enrich a ruling elite. In the biblical story, true liberation comes when God’s people leave such systems, enter the wilderness, and begin again in covenant with God and creation.
Saint Benedict lived at such a turning point. As a young man, he was sent to Rome for his education, but what he found there disillusioned him. Rome, though nominally Christian during his time, still carried the social and moral corruption of the Roman Empire. Benedict turned his back on this world of ambition, exploitation and excess and sought solitude in the wilderness of Subiaco east of Rome. There, he began forming a God-centered community rooted in humility, prayer, mutual service, and stewardship. His Rule reflects that choice:
- No private ownership (RB 33): All belongs to God and is held in common.
- Mutual service (RB 72): The needs of others come first.
- Stability (RB 58): Monks vow to remain rooted in one place. This stability binds them to the rhythms of a particular land, teaching them to live within its natural cycles and its limits.
- Prayer and work in rhythm with creation: The daily hours and seasons shape life with God.
- The cellarer (RB 31): A steward who treats all goods as sacred, with special care for the poor.
Over the centuries, this Benedictine pattern of life gave rise to monasteries that became models of stewardship. Rooted in place, monastic communities learned to cultivate the land and live within its gifts. Many developed sophisticated systems of forest management, ensuring that timber was harvested sustainably and re-grown for future generations. Others built fishponds to provide a renewable source of food while conserving wild stocks. Monks became leaders in agricultural innovation — developing crop rotation methods, vineyards, and herb gardens that balanced productivity with long-term soil health. In each case, the goal was not exploitation but harmony to use creation wisely, share abundantly, and preserve resources for those yet to come.
Seen this way, Benedictine spirituality is a living expression of integral ecology. It teaches us to receive everything as a gift, to hold nothing as possession, and to treat every relationship with God, with people, and with creation as sacred.
As an oblate, this has shaped my response to Laudato Si’. It challenges me to live simply, to see myself as a steward rather than an owner of property, to support just economies, and to care for the poor and vulnerable whose lives are most threatened by environmental decline. It also calls me to pray with creation to see the turning of seasons and the cycles of growth and decay as reminders and a celebration of God’s providence.
I encourage you to find your own way of responding to Laudato Si’. Whether through parish initiatives, family practices, or personal commitments, we are all invited to join in this sacred work of healing relationships, restoring balance, and living as stewards of God’s creation.
Gregory Harris
Creation Justice Committee