In the Service of Life: Loretto Celebrates Earth

Life is not a highway strewn with flowers,
Still it holds a goodly share of bliss,
When the sun gives way to April showers,
Here’s a thought that we should never miss:
Though April showers
May come your way,
They bring the flowers
That bloom in May;
And if it’s raining,
Have no regrets;
Because, it isn’t raining rain, you know,
It’s raining violets.
And when you see clouds
Upon the hill,
You soon will see crowds
Of daffodils;
So keep on looking for the bluebird,
And listening for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.”

“April Showers “ verses by B.G. DeSylvia, music by Louis Silvers

In her booklet, “In the Service of Life: Widening and Deepening Religious Commitment,” Loretto Sister Elaine Marie Prevallet noted, “Slowly but surely, we humans have been growing in our awareness that processes of interdependence and reciprocity characterize the whole of creation on planet earth. Increasingly, too, that awareness is challenging us to grow into a new sense of our own identity as humans who are responsible participators in the whole earth community. Our task is to articulate our lives within a frame that is large and flexible enough to encompass the planetary sense that is our contemporary life-context. The frame must keep us grounded in the gospel of Jesus, and it must push our roots deep into the Mystery of the life of God that draws all together in unity.” 

Whether it is April, May or December, Loretto honors and celebrates Earth in all its fragility and giftedness. Earth Day this year is April 22. One can remember the challenging words of global activist Jane Goodall, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

With a nod to a line from the song “April Showers,” here’s a thought that we should never miss: Loretto works for responsible change. In doing so, and in keeping with the goals of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment, Loretto works for the sustainable future about which Goodall speaks. Loretto Constitutions reminds us, “The need to broaden our vision and adjust our lifestyle and mission to a new millennium calls us to responsible change.” (I Am the Way,  #8)