By Andrea Nenzel, CSJP
As I prayed over this theme of “Loving Our World” and pondered what I might say, I was immediately aware of the natural rhythm of the theme: Head, Heart and Hands, which I realized is my unconscious way of experiencing life.
Head: Our work is no more and no less than the work of Christ. We are commissioned to continue spreading the Good News, to continue building the realm of God here on Earth. As Pope Leo states in Magnifica Humanitas: (1) “Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible.”
In our Constitution 21 we state: “Our history calls us to a special love for those who are poor. The weight of suffering and oppression borne by so many people today, especially those who are economically poor, cries out to us for action. Our response demands a firm commitment to work for justice in solidarity with our sisters and brothers.”
Heart: Loving is active, here and now – not intention, not a wish, not in the future. And what is “Loving”? It is first and foremost being present – fully and completely present to all of reality – encountering each other, seeing the grandeur of God in all of creation – being in right relationship with self, neighbor, God and all creation. It is as Micah states: (6:8) “… the Lord requires of you … to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.”
Loving means care, compassion, solidarity, living simply and with gratitude for all of life. Loving means being fully alive – feeling the pain and suffering of sisters and brothers near and far, feeling the anguish of our Earth. It means experiencing and sharing the fear, terror, loneliness, and despair of so many in our world today.
And yes, loving means laughing and dancing with joy, gratitude and hope.
Hands: Our world is this small planet that groans with all the misuse and abuse we humans have done over the centuries and that we continue to do. Our world is every person alive today and those yet to be born. Our world is all creatures, all creation. It is the starving child, the unhoused person begging on the street, the incarcerated, the migrants, the asylum seekers, those living in war destroyed hovels, those lonely and afraid of their growing dementia – yes, every person who is hurting whether visibly or not. And it is the prison guards, the ICE enforcers, those dropping bombs and the many decision-makers who cause violence, poverty and environmental destruction. Everyone!
Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ (106) states: “Men and women have constantly intervened in nature, but for a long time this meant being in tune with and respecting the possibilities offered by the things themselves. It was a matter of receiving what nature itself allowed, as if from its own hand. Now, by contrast, we are the ones to lay our hands on things, attempting to extract everything possible from them while frequently ignoring or forgetting the reality in front of us. Human beings and material objects no longer extend a friendly hand to one another; the relationship has become confrontational.”
And Pope Leo XIV in Magnifica Humanitas (13) states: “Building a world in which everyone can flourish requires shared responsibility and courage. No one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing, just as no one is so weak that they cannot play their part, for ‘power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Cor 12:9)”
So let each of us do our work in loving our world for we are committed to being yeast and bearers of hope as we breathe love, peace and justice into our world.
This article appeared in the Autumn 2026 issue of Living Peace.