Reject the "Throw–Away" Culture
A Prayer for Life
Loving God, Creator of all,
We recognize that life is a gift from you.
Open our hearts to your Holy Spirit
And renew in us a deep respect for all persons:
The family, the unborn, the young, the adult,
The sick, the disabled, the abused, the imprisoned,
The aged, the dying, the homeless, the unemployed,
And the oppressed in any way.
Bless all of us and instill in us a deep
Love for your gift of life.
Through the intercession of Mary, Mother and
Virgin, may all our words and actions foster
Reverence for human life.
May we be true witnesses to the truth that all life is
precious and has sublime dignity.
Lead our nation and our world to this understanding
So that we may be a people dedicated to the protection
of all your sons and daughters.
We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ, the Word
Who became flesh and lived among us.
Amen.
Source: www.ascensioncatholic.net
"REJECT THE "THROW-AWAY" CULTURE"
"We have created a ‘throw-away’ culture which is now spreading."
— Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, no. 53.
How do you measure and value human life? the same disorder which drives one person to take advantage of another, to treat others as mere objects, imposing forced labor on them or enslaving them to pay their debts. The same kind of thinking leads to the sexual exploitation of children and abandonment of the elderly who no longer serve our interests. It is also the mindset of those who say: Let us allow the invisible forces of the market to regulate the economy, and consider their impact on society and nature as collateral damage. In the absence of objective truths or sound principles other than the satisfaction of our own desires and immediate needs, what limits can be placed on human trafficking, organized crime, the drug trade, commerce in blood diamonds and the fur of endangered species? Is it not the same relativistic logic which justifies buying the organs of the poor for resale or use in experimentation, or eliminating children because they are not what their parents wanted? This same “use and throw-away” logic generates so much waste, because of the disordered desire to consume more than what is really necessary. (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, no. 123)
Pope Francis challenges us to reject and shun the “throw-away” culture, which he describes as “a mentality in which everything has a price, everything can be bought, everything is negotiable. This way of thinking has room only for a select few, while it discards all those who are unproductive.”
In essence, the throw-away culture reduces everything, including people, to mere “things” or “objects” to be bought, used, exploited, sold, and discarded or disposed of when they are no longer deemed profitable, convenient or useful in satisfying one’s desires, such as the unborn, children, the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, the poor, the homeless, the hungry, the sick, the powerless, and the unwanted. It is a culture “which has today enslaved the hearts and minds of so many.” Together with the “culture of relativism,” in which everything and everyone becomes relevant only to the extent that they serve one’s immediate self-centered interests, it is
VIDEOS
"Throw-Away Culture and Gift" (Cardinal Tagle)
"Resisting the Throwaway Culture: Pope Francis Message on Human Life and Dignity" (Georgetown University)
"Resisting the Throwaway Culture: Protecting Human Life and Dignity" (Georgetown University)
"Throw Away Culture"
"Culture of Waste"
"Earth Day 2018: Beyond A Throwaway Culture"