Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si, Reverend Jostrom Isaac Kureethadam has written a guidebook, on heeding the call to save the planet from extinction.

Since the convening in Paris of COP21, the United Nations Climate Change Conference that sounded the call to limit global warming to “well below 2 degrees Celsius, while striving for 1.5 degrees Celsius,” consciousness about the need to care for the environment has risen tremendously.

The 10 commandments on caring for the environment have been clustered into three parts: Point of View, Judgment, and Action.

“Safeguard our only home from danger” is Commandment I.

Regarding the entire planet as home impels human beings to consciously protect it from harm. How is it that successive generations of humans have pushed the earth to the brink of destruction? The movement to reverse this descent gained momentum and traction only after a pro-environment consciousness finally overcame the inertia of ignorance and indifference.

“Listen to the plea of the poor’ is Commandment II.

The onus of oppression is carried by the proverbial masses that are “the least, the last, and the lost.” Recall how many decades had lapsed before we woke up to the harsh realities of Smokey Mountain and Payatas, and prompted the government to adopt 4Ps and similar poverty mitigation programs.

The next two commandments constitute the Judgment component.

“Rediscover the theological view of nature” is Commandment III.

The good news of the gospel emanates from witnessing and imbibing the magnificent grandeur of God’s creation. Every human being has been created to the image and likeness of God, and is, therefore, the embodiment of both his divinity and humanity.

“Recognize that damaging the environment is an ecological sin” is Commandment IV.

Listen to the wisdom of Pope Benedict XVI: “The external desert that is the world has expanded greatly, because the internal desert in man has also grown.” This was echoed by his successor Pope Francis: “The violence in our hearts is mirrored by the pollution of the earth, the air, the oceans, and in all forms of life.”

“Acknowledge that mankind is at the roots of the crisis of the earth that is our shared home” is Commandment V.

The spirit of enterprise that sparked and propels the industrial revolution is driven by a view of nature that is mechanistic rather than humanistic. In Laudato Sí, Pope Francis calls attention to findings about global warming that high concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide,methane, nitrogen oxide, and others, are outcomes of human activities.

The remaining five commandments constitute the third part on Action.

“Prosper an integral ecology” is Green Commandment VI.

Connectedness is the key concept. Pope Francis reminds us that all of humanity is interconnected across generations. In accordance with God’s will, we are commanded to cooperate, for in doing so, we complete each other.

Thus, Green Commandment VII is “Learn a new way of living in our new home.”

Human institutions are intrinsically equipped to promote and foster goodness. Hence, these should serve as harbingers of initiatives in innovation and change that promote quality of life.

This preceding viewpoint flows into Green Commandment VIII, “Teach and move people toward pro-environment citizenship.”

Individual action must converge and link up with similar initiatives so that a critical mass of beneficial outcomes is generated. From the fusion of community initiatives, a quantum leap into higher peaks of achievement may be attained.

“Embrace an ecological spirituality” is Green Commandment IX.

Abiding with this penultimate mandate is no different from fidelity to the preceding commandments. It requires a conscious commitment to renew oneself in total obedience to God, not simply being involved in sporadic projects of, say, recycling or upcycling waste materials.

Finally, Green Commandment X is, “Cultivate the environmental virtues.”

Like the patient gardener, we do not expect instant gratification. We commit to working toward fulfilling the 10 Green Commandments through wilful steps and purposive efforts every day of our lives.

We end our reflections by taking to heart Pope Francis’ A Prayer for our Earth:

“All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

“O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. We thank you for being with us each day.

“Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.”

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