What is an ecological conversion?
While we may easily conclude that Pope Francis’ call for us to undergo an eco-conversion is simply a call for us to recycle more and cut down on our carbon footprint. But there is more to an eco-conversion than first meets the eye. This short animation explores the radical call of a deeper conversion, which Pope Francis calls us to undergo, where we undergo metanoia, a change of both heart and mind.
This animation is based on the teachings found in the encyclical Laudato Si’, by Pope Francis. Find out more about the teachings on Laudato Si’.
TRANSCRIPT
At the heart of the Catholic faith is a call to undergo an ecological conversion. But this term may feel strangely unfamiliar within a religious context, perhaps more suited to the green and ecological movements we see today, urging us all to recycle more, to switch off lights and to save water.
So, when Pope Francis calls for an ecological conversion is he asking of us the same thing? Does he want us all to become green heroes, taking on a range of ecological friendly actions to care for our planet? Or does the call for an ecological conversion mean something else, calling us to something much deeper?
To answer this let us first explore the word conversion. While this term may imply a one-off event – a transition from the old to the new – in the teachings of Jesus the word conversion is more to do with an ongoing process: a transformation of heart and mind, leading to authentic changes in the way we live and behave. The Greek term for this is metanoia.
While it is easy to change one’s mind, changing one’s heart is obviously far more challenging. This is why metanoia, the con-version of both heart and mind, remains an essential component of Christian spirituality.
But when we speak about the heart in this context, we are of course not referring to the anatomical organ beating in your chest, but rather the place that is the source of our decisions, passions and motivations. For the heart is the source that ultimately determines how we live and act in this world.
Without a conversion of the heart, we fall too easily into the trap of the mind, where we fill our heads with good honest intentions, positive thoughts and ideas, but at the same time, we lack the inner drive and motivation to bring about the change we seek.
And if we are to tackle today’s ecological crisis a deeper con-version is essential. Because despite our best intentions other-wise, if our hearts are set on advancing our own wealth, social status and security, our behaviours will most likely become consumeristic, materialistic and controlling.
So, a conversion of the heart is not a simple romantic idea, but rather the hard and difficult path laid out in Christian prayer and spirituality.
When we closely examine our hearts, we can start to see the connection between what happens ‘in here’ is reflected in what happens ‘out there’ in the world. After all, the ecological crisis that we find ourselves in today is ultimately an expression of a deeper problem that lies within. The external deserts of the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast.
Our interior selves, which should be abundant and alive with inner joy and happiness, instead lie empty, while we forever seek happiness elsewhere.
Christian spirituality, through the teachings of Jesus, shows us that the path to authentic joy and happiness can be found when we draw from within, from the eternal source that is God.
A consumer society, by contrast, convinces us that joy and happiness can be found when we draw from without, through the possession of material goods and the accumulation of wealth.
The hyper-consumerism that ensues from this remarkably successful strategy is creating untold havoc both to the environment and to the global family. Precious rainforests are now under threat, environmental limits are being breached, global inequality is rising, and we edge ever closer to the reality of extreme climate change as a result.
This means that at the heart of this crisis, is a crisis of the heart. Without a deep or inner conversion we are unlikely to get out of the mess that we now find ourselves in. This is why the ecological crisis is a summons to a profound interior conversion.
Only until we individually undergo this interior conversion will a new spirituality rise, one that builds community, and that motivates, nourishes and gives meaning to our collective actions.
After all, it is only by working together we can bring about last-ing change. That is why the ecological conversion must also be a community conversion, calling us all to work together to find new creative solutions to protect our common home.
So, as we can see, while the phrase ‘ecological conversion’ might sound slightly out of place within a religious context, it is simply the same call that is found in the teachings of Jesus: to undergo a transformation of heart and mind, restoring our relationships with each other, with creation and with God.
And given the huge and significant threats we now face as a global family, the simple call for a transformation of mind and heart is needed now, more than ever.
Laudato Si’, On care for our common home.
Pope Francis, 2015
217 “The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast”.[152]For this reason, the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion
217 So what they all need is an “ecological conversion”, whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them. Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.
218. We must examine our lives and acknowledge the ways in which we have harmed God’s creation through our actions and our failure to act. We need to experience a conversion, or change of heart”
219. The ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion.
220. This conversion calls for a number of attitudes which together foster a spirit of generous care, full of tenderness. First, it entails gratitude and gratuitousness, a recognition that the world is God’s loving gift, and that we are called quietly to imitate his generosity in self-sacrifice and good works.
220. As believers, we do not look at the world from without but from within, conscious of the bonds with which the Father has linked us to all beings. By developing our individual, God-given capacities, an ecological conversion can inspire us to greater creativity and enthusiasm in resolving the world’s problems
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