Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Homily for the Diocesan Season of Creation Mass
Readings: 1 Timothy 6:13-16; Luke 8:4-15
20 September 2025
Becoming catalysts for global action
Dear friends,
It has been 10 years since Pope Francis, inspired by Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Ecology, launched a timely and prophetic document “Laudato Si”. It could not have come at a more opportune moment. There is a heightened consciousness, informed by good science but also by signs of the times, that we cannot conduct business as usual. It is a matter of intergenerational justice that we pass on a legacy that is life-flourishing instead of life-diminishing to our children and grandchildren. We must have the courage to move to the new future where God beckons.
“Laudato Si” shows the way. The time has come for Christians to show the alternative pathway of hope, justice and sustainability against the ingrained culture of denial, fear and defense of the status quo. Pope Francis was fond to say that if we want a different world, we must become a different people. Ecological conversion, that is, a profound spiritual transformation that leads to a harmonious way of living in communion with creation begins with us.
Each of us can begin to live life simply and poorly. We have one of the highest per capita emissions of carbon dioxide in the world. The other day, our government has announced new target in order to bring down the emissions. But surely, we must do our part. There are practical measures that we all can do reduce our carbon footprint. Invest in renewable energy; divest from fossil fuels; consume less and waste less must be the way for us Christians to give new expressions to the first beatitude: to live the spirit of poverty and simplicity.
St Francis intuitively understood that we cannot live our lives disconnected from nature. Poverty and simplicity for him didn’t mean to wear shabby clothes or to live in derelict conditions. It is to claim nothing as our own. It is not to be possessive. It is to live without appropriation and domination. In its deepest sense, to live simply and poorly means to be a steward, guardian and caretaker of all the gifts we are given in trust. It means to be in relationship, partnership and solidarity with everyone and everything around us.
The Word of God that we have heard encourages us to live a life that is deeply relational and reciprocal. In the first reading, Paul writes to Timothy attesting to the strength of his faith. He displays the extraordinary power to overcome adversity and to remain committed to the cause of the Gospel. Not only he is unshaken by the trouble at hand, Paul is also able to share the joy of a faith-driven life. Deeply grounded in the love of God in Christ is the secret of Paul’s resilience.
In the Gospel, Jesus taught his disciples a new way of living through the parable of the sower. It warns us against a kind of superficial living that seeks short-term gains and successes. This is what the parable of the sower refers to when it uses the image of the seeds falling on patches of rock or those smothered by thorn bushes. The seed that produces the harvest is nurtured in deep rich soil, which can be understood as a metaphor for dedication, commitment and sacrifice.
The parable teaches us the art and the discipline of working towards long term and viable solutions as opposed to the short-term interests. In view of the environmental degradation and the climate crisis that threaten the planetary viability, can we metaphorically continue to sow the seeds in patches of rock or in thorn bushes? Can we go on living in ways that leave future generations with little or nothing good to harvest? Do we have the courage to plow the fields and prepare for the season that others can benefit after us?
Dear friends,
As a Franciscan, I endeavour to take ecological conversion seriously. There are areas that I am more successful at changing than others, I must confess. I try to stay healthy by adopting healthy lifestyle and practices. One of them is to spend time working in the garden of the seminary and making the environment around me more presentable. I find that when I am more gentle and caring with nature, I am more gentle and caring with myself. It is therapeutic and rewarding to see the result of your effort. As I progress in my stewardship of the environment, I begin to appreciate the symbiotic and circular economy at a personal level. I still drive a car mostly on my own but I learn to reduce my carbon footprint as much as I can. Humility and poverty are not just esoteric virtues. They bind us to nature and one another as one.
Let us pray that we may become catalysts for global action in the way that Pope Francis has so prophetically challenged us. The world we live in is on a trajectory that needs to be courageously corrected, if we are to flourish into the future. We are in the Jubilee Year. Jubilee is the graced time or the Kairos to heal, restore and ensure long term viability for all. God calls us to become a community of disciples and pilgrims of hope with our fellow human beings. Let us form ourselves into a force for the common good and social transformation. May we become the leaven in the dough, so that we can influence others for the sake of a better world and a better future for all.
