Of Tomatoes and Sunsets and Laudato Si’

By Sister Sharon Havelak, OSF

Earth has been on my mind a lot lately.

It would be easy to blame Pope Francis and his encyclical, Laudato Si’. But things have been brewing for a while now and Pope Francis’ words have just become the flashpoint. In his own inimitable way, Pope Francis provides a vision, not so much for “fixing” the world (though he certainly tells us we have a responsibility to do just that), but even more, a call to view the world – and all within it – as sacred.

That’s a very Franciscan notion. St. Francis of Assisi developed a profound conviction of the interconnection of each of us to each other and to all things – and all is united with the God who created it all and stamped it so that it reflects God’s very self in every nook and cranny. I can’t help but wonder what St. Francis’ response would have been, had he known how genetically similar we are to asparagus!

At lunch each day this past week, I’ve been savoring our home-grown cherry tomatoes, knowing that the season will be ending soon. The sweet juicy-ness is a delightful treat, a feast for the senses. And they grow right here, in our yard! At lunch each day, I can’t think of a better reason to take care of our Earth.

On Monday evening, I was very distracted at my meeting, seated facing a large picture window. The very gloomy day had erupted into a spectacular red and purple sunset. The whole sky was aglow in deep fiery colors. It was breathtaking! I couldn’t help but think of Sister Rosine’s favorite scripture: “I have come to light a blaze on the Earth. How I wish it were ignited!” (Luke 12:48)

There are a lot of big, important reasons to care for the Earth. But sometimes it’s the little ones that move me most.