II NORTH COUNTRY CATHOLIC DIOCESAN LIFE APRIL 4, 2018 MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE Care for God's creation the other? Lord, : must above all protect Birth Control and Nature By Colleen Miner Let's turn to the popes to mankind from self-destruc­ A connection between hu­ Director, Respect Life Ministry see how they explain the malt me an. iTlftrument tion. There is need for what mans and nature which connection. ofJour peace; might be called a human many are not aware of is the ecology, correctly under­ effects of artificial birth con­ Last in a series · '. where there is hatred,4Ir: Humans and Nature stood. The deterioration of trol on our ecosystem. Not Saint John Paul II (Centes­ .• ,; letrne 'S/JIII I~~ . nature is in fact closely con­ only do they pollute the We are called to protect ~:,I{:... .•..~ nected to the culture that body (class A carcinogen), imus Annus) states: "Not ·wherdlie.re ,ls Injury, p~rdon; people and the planet, living only has God given the shapes human coexistence: but once excreted, our wa­ our faith in relationship earth to man, who must use • where .the~~ ' is doubt, faith; when 'human ecology' is re­ ters are polluted and chemi­ with all of God's creation. spected within society, envi­ cally changed. it with respect for the origi­ · where desr;r: hope; Perhaps a first memory of a nal good purpose for which the ~is ronmental ecology also The environment cannot creation story is from Gene­ it was given to him, but man where there is d.!ll"lffies~/~t; benefits. Just as human handle the chemical waste of women taking birth con­ sis or Matthew 6:26 "Look at too is God's gift to man. He and where ·ther~ ~ adAess,~ virtues are interrelated, the birds in the sky; they do must therefore respect the such that the weakening of troL Estrogen-filled birth not sow or reap, they gather natural and moral structure JOY: ''!Ii one places others at risk, so control (pills, patch, etc) nothing into barns, yet your with which he has been en­ - St. Fr~cis of Assi~ i the ecological system is enter into our waste water heavenly Father feeds dowed" (No. 38) "We cannot based on respect for a plan and have horrible effects on them." that affects both the health the fish population too. interfere in one area of the bility towards the poor, to­ Is life this simple? ecosystem without paying of society and its good rela­ Controlling creation by Pope Saint John Paul II's wards future generations tionship with nature." (No. manipulating reproduction due attention both to the and towards humanity as a 1990 World Day of Peace consequences of such inter­ 51) with artificial means, results message is:"When man turns whole. When nature, includ­ "If there is a lack of re­ in nature itself being ference in other areas and to ing the human being, is his back on the Creator's the well-being of future gen­ spect for the right to life changed. We must remain plan, he provokes a disorder viewed as the result of mere and to a natural death, if open to life, allowing the erations" (No. 6). chance or evolutionary de­ which has inevitable reper­ 'The seriousness of the human conception, gesta­ flow of nature and the circle cussions on the rest of the terminism, our sense of re­ tion and birth are made arti­ of life in its natural state. ecological issue lays bare sponsibility wanes." (No. 48) created order. If man is not the depth of man's moral ficial, if human embryos are at peace with God, then sacrificed to research, the crisis. If an appreciation of Overpopulation Myth earth itself cannot be at the value of the human per­ Human Ecology conscience of society ends peace: Therefore the land up losing the concept of Perhaps you've heard the son and of human life is We must be careful when myth that the earth is over­ mourns and all who dwell in lacking, we will also lose in­ caring for the earth that we human ecology and, along it languish, and also the do not neglect the human with it, that of environmen­ populated. Population Re­ terest in others and in the search Institute has three beasts of the field and the earth itself. Simplicity, mod­ person. So, when we hear tal ecology. birds of the air and even the "Love the Earth, don't give "It is contradictory to in­ easy steps to debunk this eration and discipline, as myth: fish of the sea are taken well as a spirit of sacrifice, birth" this should be alarm­ sist that future generations away'(Hos 4:3)." ing. respect the natural environ­ https:!/www.pop.org/de­ must become a part of bunking-the-myth-of-over­ This can be confusing. Pope Benedict VI (Caritas ment when our educational everyday life, lest all suffer population/. In one passage (Matthew), the negative consequences in Veritate) raises this cau­ systems and laws do not the birds do not sow or reap tion: "But it should also be help them to respect them­ Pope Benedict (Caritas in of the careless habits of a Veritate) said that "On this yet the heavenly Father few." (No. 13) stressed that it is contrary selves. The book of nature feeds them but in Hosea, to authentic development to is one and indivisible: it earth there is room for Pope Benedict XVI (Caritas everyone: here the entire the birds are taken away in Veritate) states that "Our view nature as something takes in not only the envi­ when the land mourns. more important than the ronment but also life, sexu­ human family must have duties towards the environ­ the resources to live with So, what is this connection ment are linked to our du­ human person ... the natural ality, marriage, the family, between humans and cre­ environment is more than social relations: in a word, dignity, through the help of ties towards the human nature itself-God's gift to ation - how does one affect person, considered in him­ raw material to be manipu­ integral human develop­ lated at our pleasure; it is a ment. Our duties towards his children-and through self and in relation to oth­ hard work and creativity. At ers. It would be wrong to wondrous work of the Cre­ the environment are linked ator containing a 'grammar' to our duties towards the the same time we must rec­ uphold one set of duties ognize our grave duty to while trampling on the which sets forth ends and human person, considered in himself and in relation to hand the earth on to future other. Herein lies a grave criteria for its wise use, not generations in such a condi­ contradiction in our mental­ its reckless exploitation." others. It would be wrong to (No. 48) uphold one set of duties tion that they too can ity and practice today: one worthily inhabit it and con­ which demeans the person, "The Church has a respon­ while trampling on the sibility towards creation and other. Herein lies a grave tinue to cultivate it." (no. 50) disrupts the environment Pope Francis (Laudato 51) and damages society." (No. she must assert this respon­ contradiction in our mental­ sibility in the public sphere. ityand practice today: one "Authentic human develop­ 51) ment has a moral character. .YitIIfWtt/ J6/lrl r!JI'(t!l "The environment is God's In so doing, she must de­ which demeans the person, disrupts the environment It presumes full respect for f70.1' CJ£.Ca/i(}M gift to everyone, and in our fend not only earth, water the human person, but it use of it we have a responsi- and air as gifts of creation and damages society." (No. that belong to everyone. She 51) CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE NORTH COUNTRY CATHOLIC APRIL 4, 2018 IC OIOCESAN LIFE Diocesan college students gather for retreat Chaplain Conklin spoke By Amanda Conklin about the importance of this Contributing Writer corporal work of mercy and how prisoners are often for­ Ogdensburg - Joe Frissora, gotten. He shared some ways a senior at Clarkson Univer­ that the students could help sity in Potsdam, was one of if they were interested. 15 college students who Francisca Medina, is a jun­ gathered at Wadhams Hall ior at SUNY Canton, who is March 3-4 for the annual being fully initiated into the Lenten retreat led by campus Church at this year's Easter ministers from Canton and Vigil, shared how the retreat Potsdam. impacted her. "These retreats provide us ''The retreat was amaZing," the great opportunity to see she said. "This is my second that we are not alone in this retreat since I have been get­ 'modern world,'" Frissora ting closer with my faith and said. "We all recognize that the overall experience was there is more to this life than breath taking. the here and now. "As college students who "Going on retreats allows look for something different us to come together in in regards to guidance and search for more, to learn support, attending the re­ about our faith, and to grow treats is something to look spiritually without the dis­ forward to," she said. "Pe r­ tractions of the world around sonally I do a lot of self-re­ us," he said. flecting which has helped me Students from St. Lawrence University, Morgan Cappa, Ellie Sarle,and Jordan Tanguay, make cord rosaries during spiritually and mentally. The In addition to Clarkson, the the annual Lenten retreat for college students held March 3-4 at Wadhams Hall in Ogdensburg.