A People Who Produce Fruit
From Pope Francis’ 2015 Encyclical Laudato Si:
The current global situation engenders feelings of instability and uncertainty, which in turn becomes “a seed bed for selfishness.”
When people become self-centered, their greed increases. The emptier a person’s heart is, the more s/he needs to buy, own, and consume things. It becomes almost impossible to accept the limits imposed by reality and a sense of the common good disappears. As these attitudes become widespread, social norms are respected only to the extent that they do not clash with personal needs. Obsession with a consumerist lifestyle, especially when only a few people can maintain it, can only lead to violence and mutual destruction. Yet all is not lost– no system can completely suppress our openness to what is good, true, and beautiful or our God given ability to respond to his grace at work deep in our hearts. We should not forget the dignity God has bestowed upon us. No one has the right to take it from us.
