This reflection, by our Community Engagement Manager Jules Gibson, is part of the Jesuits for Climate Justice Prayer Guide for COP30.
In chapter six of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminds us that environmental responsibility is not only about grand gestures or sweeping policies, but also about the small, daily choices we make.
These choices, though seemingly minor, are acts of love and solidarity with creation and with one another.
I am struck by how these practices: avoiding plastic, reducing waste, caring for living beings, are described as “generous and worthy creativity”. They are not burdens, but expressions of our deepest values.
In the face of the climate crisis, it is easy to feel overwhelmed or powerless. But this teaching invites us to reclaim agency through intentional living. It affirms that our actions matter, and that they can reflect the best of who we are.
As I reflect on this, I feel both challenged and hopeful. Challenged to examine my habits, and hopeful that collective change begins with personal transformation.
This is a call to live ethically and beautifully, to let our care for the Earth be visible in how we shop, travel, eat, and dispose. It is a spiritual discipline, a form of prayer in action, and a path towards justice for the planet and its people.
God of all creation,
We ask for the grace to live with intention and care.
Help us to see the sacred in every choice we make; in what we consume, how we travel, and how we treat the Earth.
May our daily actions reflect love, justice, and hope.
Give us courage to change, and creativity to inspire others.
Together, may we heal what has been harmed.
Amen.
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