Forward March!

What did God make? EVERYTHING! How did he make it? GOOD!

Imagine that famous protest chant retooled with those words? How would it sound cried out from clusters of Catholics in Sunday’s People’s Climate March in New York City and around the world? After all, why not add the voice of the baptized to shake things up?

Then again, Sunday, September 21st and the days after may not need shaking up. Its climate marches, gatherings, talks, protests, and vigils around the world—all in anticipation of Tuesday’s United Nation Climate Summit in New York—are already getting attention.

So how will Catholics join in? And what can we add? Here are some ideas:

  • Start with Mass. New York's St. Columba's parish, 343 West 25th Street, will be offering its 9:00 a.m. Mass Sunday for a pre-march encounter with the Lord. God bless them for doing so.
  • Join up with the Franciscan Action Network, which is taking a Catholic lead in the march. (If you'll be in New York, look for the FAN banner among the Catholic contingent on 58th street.)
  • Pray the Rosary while marching. Pray it alone or preferably with a great many others. Given the role of the Blessed Mother in the history of the salvation of the cosmos, it seems fitting to pray the prayers she’s asked us to.
  • Sing Catholic hymns of creation's praise to God. There is a list of hymns that faith-based organizations will be singing. But how about the St. Francis inspired All Creatures of Our God and King? Or Praise God, from Whom all Blessings Flow?
  • Fast. While it’s awkward to fast on a Sunday—the day is, after all, always a celebration of Easter—why not partake of this or some other penitential activity and offer it up for the cause of life on earth.
  • Lift high the Cross. Enough said.
  • Keep Genesis handy. Whether on signs or that chant above, Genesis’s creation stories offer solid foundations for Christians that seek to protect what God created in the beginning very good.
  • And give a shout out of thanks to Pax Christi International, which is a Catholic sponsor for this international display of love for what God created.
  • Have an idea to add? Share it in the Contact link above or the comments below.

So whether you’re in New York City helping to add to the “strong Catholic presence” that Timothy Cardinal Dolan has called for, or in Manila walking with Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, or elsewhere around the globe, don’t be afraid to make known your Catholic presence. And according to the People's March calendar of events, there are certainly enough options to choose from.

But why should we witness to our Catholic faith?

Remember that in the end our limited activities will only take us so far—and probably not far enough. To reverse what we’re doing to our atmosphere (and our oceans, and rainforests, our ecosystems, and ourselves) we’ll need more than political activism and good intentions—as important as those are.

After all, remember what happened after the fateful, happy, wild march on that first Palm Sunday? Things got ugly a few days later when the people in that march didn't get their way. In the end, what they had hoped for wasn't nearly as good as what God did for them.

Likewise, no one can be certain how or even if the People’s Climate March and similar events will encourage the right kind of change. But that's okay. For Catholics, our final hope isn’t in our own activity. It’s in Christ, and how he transforms us. That means that we, as members of the Body of Christ, had better show up in numbers over the long haul—at marches, rallies, government hearings, and other worldly gatherings. And we had better bring with us the gospel of life and the offering of God’s grace.

And we had better do it now.

Photo: Flicker/Catholic Church (England and Wales)

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About the Blog

Catholic Ecology posts my regular column in the Rhode Island Catholic, as well as scientific and theological commentary about the latest eco-news, both within and outside of the Catholic Church. What is contained herein is but one person's attempt to teach and defend the Church's teachings - ecological and otherwise. As such, I offer all contents of this blog for approval of the bishops of the Church. It is my hope that nothing herein will lead anyone astray from truth.