International Earth Day
On this day 22nd April, the International Day for the Earth, I add my voice to the many people who have considered the importance of the Earth. In the words of Pope Francis, we called it the Mother Earth, meaning it is housing all humanity and all that is created on the Earth. It is our home where have been put as custodians to take care of it, handle it, love it, cherish it and hand it over to the next generation in good condition.
So on this day, I pick up from the Book of Genesis chapter 1 verses 1 to 27, where we see how the Earth was beautified and worked on both organically and chronologically systematically well by our creator. He made everything in this world and he found each of them to be very good.
Now the good that God sees is much superior to what human beings can see, the beauty that God can see is much superior to our human mentality and thinking. The beauty that God recognizes in what He has made is superior to all of us. Therefore, all that has been created is by the Intelligence of God and has been made for our good.
But of course, these things are not superior in the sense that they are more important than us, rather, they were made for our sustenance. Everything that God created is intertwined and their ecosystems all depend upon each other; for instance, human beings depend upon the earth and earth depends on human beings. So this universal circle is the force of God that passes through all and unites all that He created.
Therefore what we can do during this particular day, is to pay homage to our Mother Earth. We must on this day say to our Mother thank you for hosting us, thank you for giving us food, thank you for giving us the air, thank you for providing security for us, and thank you for taking care of us in everything.
While being grateful to our Mother Earth for what we are benefiting from her, we are also then reminded, to take care of this our common home, the Earth. There are many things that can destroy the Earth; if the Earth is destroyed then automatically our livelihood is also destroyed. As such, it must be our paramount obligation to take care of the Earth. Let us avoid those things that can lead to the destruction of the earth such as cutting down the trees, polluting the rivers, putting deadly chemicals into the soil, and planting dangerous genetically modified types of plants just to mention a few. Let us be gentle and caring towards Mother Earth.
It is important that each one of us think about how much they can invest in the Earth, how good they can care for the Earth because it is the same way we act upon the earth that it will act towards us. If we take good care of it, we will reap the benefits, but if we neglect and do activities that harm our environment, we will suffer dire consequences.
I, therefore, call upon all of us, especially here in the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio, that we honor Mother Earth by being kind to her and taking good care of her. Last year we began a campaign of planting trees, may we continue with the same spirit especially during this rainy season. All of us must plant trees; these should include fruit trees, trees for making timbers, trees for decorations and for shades, useful grass, etc. let us work on them and we will be imitating God in co-creating this beautiful Mother Earth that He has given to us.
At the same time I ask that we should cease the destruction of the natural forest by burning it down thus causing the spread of forest wildfire; let us take responsibility to care for what has been entrusted to us by God.
May God Bless you all
Barani Eduardo Hiiboro, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio
