How can I reconcile the rising Wolf Moon’s serene beauty over snow-covered pines with the harsh reality of wasteful excess and desperate poverty that threatens to #destroy the planet, especially when, as Bishop Patrick J. Zurek has emphasized, no other Masses or activities are to be scheduled until after 1:00pm so all Catholics can attend the annual Respect Life Mass, echoing the Gospel’s haunting question, “Have you come to destroy us❓”❓
Gospel
Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth❓
Have you come to destroy us❓
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this❓
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
Reflection
The stillness of the Wolf Moon rising over snow-covered pines seems untouched by human hands, yet beneath this beauty lies the truth that we, in our choices, often destroy the harmony of creation. As I watch the moonlight glint on the snow, I wonder how often my own actions have contributed to the scars on the planet, even if unintentionally. Am I willing to examine these actions and repent for the ways I have harmed what God has entrusted to us❓
The annual Respect Life Mass is a moment to reflect not only on the value of human life but on the interconnectedness of all creation. Bishop Patrick J. Zurek’s call to prioritize this event reminds us that respecting life means addressing the systems that destroy human dignity and the environment. Are we prepared to honor this call, or will we let convenience destroy our commitment to such vital moments❓
On Care for Our Common Home challenges us to confront the paradox of abundance and lack: some have so much they do not know what to do with it, while others are trapped in degrading poverty. The wastefulness of the privileged few threatens to destroy the planet for all. This imbalance demands a reckoning, a way of living that does not exploit but sustains. How do I contribute to restoring balance rather than destroying it❓
Even the moon, with its phases, teaches us about renewal and humility. It wanes to make way for the new, yet humanity clings to excess, unwilling to let go of what destroys others and the earth. In the face of this, the Respect Life Mass becomes a symbolic moment, calling all to gather, repent, and choose life in its fullest sense. Am I willing to heed this call, or do I let the excuses of busyness destroy my capacity to respond❓
As I ponder these truths, the Gospel’s question echoes in my heart: do we live in ways that destroy the very life we are called to protect❓ Have my actions, intentional or not, contributed to the destruction of the vulnerable, the poor, or the earth❓ And in the quiet of this reflection, I am left to ask myself the haunting and transformative question,…
We fail to see that some are mired in desperate and degrading poverty, with no way out, while others have not the faintest idea of what to do with their possessions, vainly showing off their supposed superiority and leaving behind them so much waste which, if it were the case everywhere, would destroy the planet.
FROM PARAGRAPH 90 of ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME