Association Of Catholic Bloggers

            En un mundo de prosperidad, el hecho de que todavía haya hambre es contradictorio. Nos lleva a pensar de inmediato en el contraste de la abundancia y desperdicio de los países ricos y la escasez de los pobres. Pero la realidad de este problema es más compleja y su solución radica en formas y dinámicas que la fe católica ha promovido desde los tiempos de Jesús. Es una realidad que en el mundo una quinta parte de toda la comida acaba en el basurero de acuerdo al Índice de desperdicio de alimentos 2021, publicado por el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA). Para nuestra sorpresa, el desperdicio de alimentos no es muy diferente en los países pobres que en los ricos. (1)      ¿Cómo puede ser eso? Una explicación es que el desperdicio se da por diferentes razones y en diferentes momentos de la cadena de suministro de alimentos.   En los países pobres se da antes del consumo, en el almacenamiento, refrigeración y distribución (producto de la m

Laudato Si' has caused a media sensation, both positive and negative.  Pope Francis' exhortation of the environment is consistent with his honoring of St Francis of Assisi who sung God's praises through the beauty of Creation.  However, I must admit, when I first heard the topic of the newest pontifical encyclical, I was very disappointed and dismayed.  The environment-- when there are thousands being persecuted, rises in violence, assaults on children both born and unborn, human trafficking, neglect, anger, abuse, darkness--so much going on in our fallen world! Shouldn't the Catholic Church take a stand on some of the grave issues facing humanity and our Church? Now, I must clarify here, I am not anti-environmental protection.  I reduce, reuse, recycle, compost and upcycle as much as possible and then some.  My family uses cloth napkins, diapers, feminine hygiene products, and cleaning cloths.  I make my own non-toxic, all natural, cleaning solutions and soaps. 

Pope Francis' encyclical reminds me we are not angels. We have bodies, and we must live in the physical world. It is this physical world, our common home, that Pope Francis asks us to consider: On many concrete questions, the Church has no reason to offer a definitive opinion; she knows that honest debate must be encouraged among experts, while respecting divergent views. But we need only take a frank look at the facts to see that our common home is falling into serious disrepair. Hope would have us recognize that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems. [61] Interestingly, when I searched for images of "home" to include here, nearly 100% of the photos looked like this: ©IPGGutenbergUKLtd/Getty Images Read more at Praying with Grace !