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Faith Matters: This world is in need of social climate change
While the environmental crisis is a valid concern, growing rifts between neighbours that lead to violence are a threat to humanity that can be addressed through love of God
By Gerard Bergie Contributing Columnist
Saturday, November 4, 2023
We hear a great deal about climate change today. Even Pope Francis has issued an Apostolic Exhortation entitled ‘Laudate Deum’ (Praise God) that speaks about what he sees as a climate crisis.
Many would agree that climate change is not a good thing for our world.
I would like to argue that there is a climate change we should welcome; however, it has nothing to do with the environment. We need some ‘social’ climate change. Things are heating up and that is not a good thing.
What do I mean? To borrow from a popular song of 1965, composed by Burt Bacharach, “What the World Needs Now is Love.”
In the Gospel of John, Jesus states the following to his disciples. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
According to Jesus, love should be the sign that tells the world, ‘I am Christian.’
The followers of Jesus took this commandment from Jesus quite seriously. Following the command of Jesus, they understood they had to love one another. This commitment to love attracted many to the faith. Others, however, were offended because they considered Christian love to be too intense. They reacted negatively.
Tertullian was an early Christian writer who was born in Carthage, North Africa, around the year 160 AD. He believed that one of the reasons Christians were being persecuted was because of the love they extended to one another. Some considered it too extreme.
He writes: “It is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See how they love one another, they say, for they themselves are animated by mutual hatred; how they are ready even to die for one another, they say, for they themselves will sooner (be) put to death.” (The Apology, ch.39)
What is most important here is that, in the early Church, Christian love was noticed by others. It moved many to either hatred or admiration; however, it still made an impression: “see how they love one another.”
Is this still true today?
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus states that the greatest commandment is to love God, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
There is also a corollary to this commandment. Jesus stated, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) Loving God and neighbour are the two greatest commandments.
We love God first and then our neighbour. We do this with our heart, soul and mind. Jesus reminds us that we love not only with the heart, which is the source of emotion. We also use our soul, the core of our being, and our mind, the centre of our intellect. There is an interplay between all three which involves the human will. We may ‘fall’ in love with the heart, but we decide to love with the soul and mind.
We see a world around us where love seems to be eclipsed by hatred, violence and war. There is far less love shown to our neighbour.
How can we change this reality without losing hope?
For Christians, we can start by deciding to love God. When this is done, we naturally grow in our love for one another.
When we consider climate change, let us not only think of the environment. We need also to change the social climate with love!