Hurricane Florence, Global Warming, and Ember Days

Last updated on: April 29, 2019 at 8:18 am by Jack Hartjes

Hurricane Florence, Global Warming, and Ember Days 2019-04-29T08:18:28-06:00 Jack Hartjes

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A rescue boat plods through the streets of New Bern, N.C.

People are stranded, displaced, and still suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

A thought and a prayer as people on the East Coast recover from Hurricane Florence:

Hildegard of Bingen wrote, “We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.”

Lord, when you invited Adam to name the animals, you invited us all to participate in your creative work. Teach us to rejoice in your creation and assist in its care, that we, your humble creatures, may in all things give you praise. Amen. (Both quotes are from the September 17 entry in Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals)

This is Ember Week and also the week after Hurricane Florence. I am doing the traditional prayer and fasting during these three Ember Days. My intercessions, following the recommendations of bishops and Catholic groups, are for the suffering earth and suffering people.

Hurricane Florence and the global warming connection

Among the reasons some people are suffering is that other people have too little love and too little caring for the created world. People on the U.S. East Coast and many other places around the globe are suffering from unusually severe weather. While Hurricane Florence was flooding the U.S. East Coast, Typhoon Mangkhut was wrecking havoc in the Philippines and China. Among the reasons these things are happening is global warming.

The connection between human-caused global warming and the increasing power of storms is as clear as it can be…. Until it gets even clearer in the years ahead. No less clear is the role global warming plays in drought and wildfires in many Western states and flooding in the Midwest.

I have not been seriously affected by any of these phenomena. But I breathed smoke from several wildfires for a month last year while staying near Glacier National Park. Now we have a second straight year of unusually severe wildfires. Unusually severe weather has become common in the last several years. An inch of water in my southern Minnesota basement isn’t even a beginning of the harm flooding has caused this year to farmers and homeowners in my vicinity.

Charity not enough

As a Christian response to this suffering, a little prayer and fasting on Ember Days aren’t enough. People in many, widely scattered places need prompt help. That’s charity, and Christians have always been pretty good at it. But justice requires something else.

Patterns of consumption and waste are putting the earth and its peoples, especially people who are poor, in increasing danger. The Catholic Church, especially in the United States, has found a way to advocate for the innocent and defenseless when it’s life in the womb. We advocate for the institution of marriage. We need to step up our advocacy for the earth and the people who are harmed when we harm the earth.

Image credit: Washington Post

Ecology

Previous Post

September 19, 2018

The Fig Tree and the Temple: Monday and Tuesday Morning

Next Post

September 24, 2018 Not Rendering to Caesar and Other Challenges on a Tuesday in Passover Week

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Christmas Amazon Synod Angels Being Consumed Bible Catholic Modern Creed Ecology Economics Elizabeth Johnson Eucharist Fragments and Filaments Gender and Sex Gospel of Mark Herzog Historical Jesus Liturgy Luke Opening Scriptures on Way to Emmaus Ordinary radicals Parables Pro-Life Reincarnation Rosary Sacraments science Social Justice Souls Stories of Jesus The Creed Torture and Eucharist Tracy Uncategorized War and Peace

Select a Month October 2026 June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 November 2024 July 2024 March 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz