Remember Laudato Si? The encyclical from Pope Francis continues to be the focus of talks, programs, symposia and writings. Many people have moved on and forgotten about it. They've placed it on their bookshelf. However, as Francis reminds us, the encyclical has joined the canon of writings on Catholic Social Teaching. Those teachings make their way into courses at high schools, universities and programs in parishes and spiritually centres.
The hope is that we will see further personal and corporate appropriation of the teachings of Laudato Si as the current generation and future generations of young people find words of hope in the document, words that resonate with their worldview. The universal prayer intention entrusted to the Apostleship of Prayer for February is one more reminder from Francis about creation: "That we may take good care of creation – a gift freely given – cultivating and protecting it for future generations."
We recently had a conversation about the document at one of our meetings at the Jesuit community in which I live. A couple of people made comments that gave a healthy nudge to my complacency. They remembered being in other parts of the world as their ministry assignment. They described a huge gap between the way of life most of us in North America live and the lifestyle of people in many parts of the world.
I take for granted that ample hot and cold water will gush from my tap when I decide to have a shower or brush my teeth. There's the assumption that my computer will turn on immediately and that I'll have wi-fi when I want it. I do my laundry and toss it in the dryer. The heating in the house is good enough that I can comfortably wear a short sleeve shirt in January or February. I get irritated if my favourite cereal is not in supply because the house shoppers haven't had a chance to replenish it. I so take all this for granted that I panic when the city shuts the water off for repairs or when the hydro is off for a few hours or when my iPad doesn't do the right thing immediately or when I don't have the foods that I've come to take for granted.
Yet, like those Jesuits who shared at our meeting, I've had those kinds of experiences of being elsewhere in the world. I've lived in Jamaica and got accustomed to frequent power outages or a lack of hot water. I remember in Darjeeling having to confine myself to a hot shower every few days or the hydro quitting and having no idea when or if it would return.
On my experience as a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela I happily washed my clothes by hand, was able to forego my favourite foods, got used to cold showers, and shared my sleeping space with complete strangers. When in those situations I just get used to it. I can complain, but the power is going to come back when it comes back. If I don't get the food options I'm used to, I'll have to eat what is available, unless I decide to go to bed hungry.
The gap! I'm not sure what I can do about closing the gap between my wealthy Canadian lifestyle and the lifestyle of most of the world. That's too big a challenge for me, for one person. I feel helpless. But what I can do is make a more concerted effort at remembering my personal experience of being without the comforts I take for granted. Perhaps I can take a shorter shower or not do laundry so often or go without hydro for an evening or not mutter when I can't find the right cereal. It's the little things that can serve to remind me to be grateful and not to take the comforts of life for granted, those simple things that connect me more closely to my brothers and sisters around the world.