In this Saint François of Assisi feast day, a saint who inspired a lot saint Yves’ whole life, it is interesting thinking about the respect due to Nature as an imperative necessity of Justice.

Blessed Pope Paul VI wrote: “ The everlasting examples of Saint Francis of Assisi and the great Christian contemplative orders offer a testimony of harmonious interior life, got thanks to an ambiance built on confident communion with the rhythms and laws of Nature”. Saint John Paul II linked peace with God and peace with Nature. It is good, too, remembering Benedict XVI quotation who wrote that Nature is the expression of a love and truth plan that talks about the Creator and His love for Humankind. Therefore, wasting Nature is a triple injustice: towards God, towards our fellow men and women – both now and in the future – and towards ourselves.

The Bible reveals that human being was created at the image of God and established as master of every earthly creatures that he might subdue them and use them to God’s glory. Nevertheless, the power of man is not absolute and there is not a right to use and abuse. Actually, in biblical language, the two verbs “to subdue” and “to use” describe the power of a wise king who worries about all his subjects’ welfare. Human being should observe the laws that govern the impulse of life and the capacity of Nature to regenerate itself: acting differently would be a sin of injustice towards God.

In the same way, wasting Nature is a sin against human being him/herself. The second Council of Vatican recall that God intends the earth and all it contains for the use of all, so that all created things would be shared fairly by humankind under the guidance of justice tempered by charity. On one hand, economic decisions must fulfill actual generations’ individual and collective needs; on the other hand, it is necessary to plane the future, setting up a just balance between what is needed for individual and collective consumption and what is required to preserve and devolve goods to future generations. Actually, these goods belong to the unique human family and human beings should understand that the ambient naturel environment cannot be confiscated by anyone for it is common good and the heritage of mankind. Thinking or acting differently is a sin: it prevents that everyone receive ones rightful due. However, riches nations consume 80% of available energy; and if the whole world population would live as the peoples of developed countries, three more times natural resources would be required than existing on earth. We must change this consuming way of life that is spoiling the planet. “In his desire to have and to enjoy rather than to be and to grow, man consumes the resources of the earth and his own life in an excessive and disordered way.” Saint John Mary Vianney said that we will have to give full account of every lost minute, of our health, of our goods, of the graces we waste, that is, of everything we did not use to do some good. This is exactly what means the sin by omission: not to do the good we should do. Indeed everything we get is a gift of God to serve each other. It is also true for natural resources…

Paul VI wrote that will be useless all technical measures to decrease the damages that the natural environment has already suffered as long as they will not be sustained by awareness about the necessity of changing our mentality. As pope Francis said during the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, quoting blessed mother Mother Theresa: “ Transforming the world needs first of all that everyone transforms oneself. It means a personal conversion. Now, the time has come to take control of one’s own control over things.” It is necessary to seriously revise the modern style of life so influenced by hedonism and consumerism and indifferent to the damages it provokes. Saint Francis of Assisi style of life, who married Lady poverty and gave up everything, calls us to realize that life is short and we have to act quickly to correct our way of life.