week 4a genesis as a call for action

Discussion Response

Dear Thinkers of Labor, Leisure and Religion:

This coming week, we shall be considering the same texts on Tuesday and Thursday so make sure that you print out, read and annotate St Francis of Assisi’s poem “Canticle of the Creatures” as well as Pope Francis’s _Laudato Si’_. *The guiding questions are the same whether you post on Monday or Wednesday.*

The two readings for this week are separated by over 700 years, yet are deeply connected. The first, shortest, and ultimately the inspiration for the second, is St Francis of Assisi’s poem “Canticle of the Creatures” (sometimes also known as “of Creation”). As noted on the Canvas syllabus, most of this poem is quoted by the current Catholic Pope Francis in the text we read. Some questions to ask ourselves then, are: What function does the poem play in Pope Francis’ argument? Why quote only part of it? And more philosophically (looking forward to a future week’s topic: what sort of power does poetry have (persuasive, emotive, cognitive, nothing at all? Does it speak any sort of truth (refer back to our discussion of myth and logos from Thu)?). As you read the poem by St Francis, I encourage you to think about the organization of the poem: how does Francis order his song of praise? What is the implicit connection between Creator and creatures in the poem? To whom are the final two lines addressed, “Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks…”

The second text belongs to a genre called “encyclical.” In the Catholic tradition it refers to a letter sent out by the presiding Pope to all the Church’s bishops. It is called “encyclical” because it is meant to “circulate.” These letters typically address important and current issues that the church and its leaders feel they must attend to. Earlier letters have addressed topics such as war, workers’ rights, and yes, even motion pictures! (cf. PopePius XI, in 1936). We are reading only the first two chapters from this very important letter. As you read, I invite you to try to articulate what is Pope Francis’ reading of Genesis. How is nature represented here? That is to say, is it presented passively or actively? Is it personified, or on the contrary, seen as a mere object? Would Pope Francis agree with an interpretation of Genesis that declares human beings superior to all other creatures and therefore granted unquestionable dominion over nature? Why is Genesis an important starting point for Francis’ argument? What image of work emerges in this letter (think back on the different implications and definitions that we have worked on so far, especially from Pascal David’s article in Week 1)? How does Francis relate work to creation and the task of mankind in this respect? How does this vision compare to, say, the Mayan view we read in _Popol Vuh_?
Some of you may be aware of the upcoming United Nations Climate Action Summit and the international movement of children and youth to raise awareness and inspire action regarding climate change. Our discussion of Pope Francis’ encyclical could not have been more timely to think about this important issue. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/ (Links to an external site.)
I look much forward to reading your thoughts and to our discussion together on Tuesday. Until then, I wish you a most inspired weekend.

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