The terrible scene that recently occurred at the historic AME Church in Charleston, SC, cannot be resolved by our analysis or rationalizations. This evil action can only find some resolution in our minds and hearts by focusing on the individuals whose lives were rudely interrupted by the violence and horror. These people were in their home worship space where they were no doubt quite comfortable. The radical in-breaking of gun violence took their lives and surely carried them into God’s loving embrace.

I choose to think about the deep faith of these church-goers who, midweek, were at their church praying for us and our world, praying for themselves and their families, praying for their city and its well-being. In the midst of the gunfire massacre, our Christian faith assures us that God called each of them by name. They were at prayer; they were focused on true Life. God was with them in the light and in this awful moment of darkness. God carried them into everlasting light and peace.

Even before Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment saw the light of day critics were sharpening their knives, with the usual “stay out of politics.” The extremists included the Heartland Institute’s paper entitled, “Is the Global Left Counting on the Pope to Split the Catholic Church Over Global Warming? According to the article, the Pope’s stance on global warming is part of a left wing communist conspiracy to weaken the church.

From Fox news to conservative candidates for president, a common critique is found—this is a political issue, not a moral issue. Since the issue of global warming is intertwined with the U.S. economy, the criticisms are sharp. The flat earth society is on alert and not happy!

NCR’s Thomas Reese stated well the importance of the encyclical: “The encyclical also matters because it puts the Catholic Church firmly behind the environmental movement. With the Pope’s embrace, the environmental movement goes mainstream. They can no longer be designated as tree huggers and Gia Worshippers.”

Let the conversation begin. It is extremely important for parishes, colleges, interfaith groups and all who are concerned about global climate change to come together to discuss this important document. On behalf of the Eco Justice Committee I would like to encourage sisters and associates to discuss the encyclical in study groups. You may order copies of the encyclical on the USCCB website (here). You may also download a copy of the encyclical or read online here.

There are many helpful resources to serve as study guides, including:

• Catholic Climate Covenant Encyclical Media Tooklit – click here
• Faith in Public Life Encyclical Media Training – click here
• Laudato Si Discussion Guide – click here

We look forward to hearing responses after the discussions and would like to include in “Just Reflecting” or on a justice blog.

Happy Reading!