Environmental Stewardship in the Catechism,
Part II
Excerpts presented by the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Conservation Center
Human life must be respected and protected
absolutely from the
moment of conception. From the first moment of his or her existence, a
human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is
the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. (no. 2270)
"In [God's] hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind" (Job 12:10). (no. 2318)
Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God. (no. 2319)
The right to private property, acquired by work or received from others by inheritance or gift, does not do away with the original gift of the earth to the whole of mankind. The universal destination of goods remains primordial, even if the promotion of the common good requires respect for the right to private property and its exercise. (no. 2403)
"In his use of things man should regard the external goods he legitimately owns not merely as exclusive to himself but common to others also, in the sense that they can benefit others as well as himself." The ownership of any property makes its holder a steward of Providence... (no. 2404)
Those who hold goods for use and consumption should use them with moderation, reserving the better part for guests, for the sick, and the poor. (no. 2405)
Political authority has the right and duty to regulate the legitimate exercise of the right to ownership for the sake of the common good. (no. 2406)
The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity. (no. 2415)
Use of mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. (no. 2415)
Man's dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation. (no. 2415)
Animals are God's creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals. (no. 2416)
God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing.... Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives. (no. 2417)
It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons. (no. 2418)
Those responsible for business enterprises are responsible to society for the economic and ecological effects of their operations. (no. 2432)
God blesses those who come to the aid of the poor and rebukes those who turn away from them. (no. 2443)
The seventh commandment enjoins the practice of justice and charity in the administration of earthly goods and the fruits of men's labor. (no. 2451)
The goods of creation are destined for the entire human race. The right to private property does not abolish the universal destination of goods. (no. 2452)
The dominion granted by the Creator over the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be separated from the respect for moral obligations, including those toward generations to come. (no. 2456)
Animals are entrusted to man's stewardship; he must show them kindness. They may be used to serve the just satisfaction of man's needs. (no. 2457)
Man is himself the author, center, and goal of all economic and social life. The decisive point of the social question is that goods created by God for everyone should in fact reach everyone in accordance with justice and with the help of charity. (no. 2459)
True development concerns the whole man. It is concerned with increasing each person's ability to respond to his vocation and hence to God's call. (no. 2461)
Giving alms to the poor is a witness to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God. (no. 2462)
Justice consists in the firm and constant will to give God and neighbor their due. (no. 1836)
At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He took bread...." "He took the cup filled with wine...." The signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation. (no. 1333)
The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic sacrifice the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through the death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ the Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity. (no. 1359)
The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of praise by which the Church sings the glory of God in the name of all creation. (no. 1361)
God who created man out of love also calls him to love the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love. Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It is good, very good, in the Creator's eyes. And this love which God blesses is intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the common work of watching over creation: "And God blessed them, and God said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.'" (no. 1604)
Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America Copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference Inc., - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm: The catechism search engine.
Read a reflection on the Catechism in "From the Garden to the City", by Sister Marjorie Keenan, RSHM
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