Through Lent with Pope Francis
Since the market tends to promote extreme consumerism in an effort to sell its products people can easily get caught up in a whirlwind of needless buying and spending. Compulsive consumerism is one example of how the techno-economic paradigm affects individuals This paradigm leads people to believe that they are free as long as they have the supposed freedom to consume. But those really free are the minority who wield economic and financial power. Amid this confusion, postmodern humanity has not yet achieved a new self-awareness capable of offering guidance and direction, and this lack of identity is a source of anxiety.
Laudato si’ 243
Scripture
2 Cor 3:18 NIV
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom…
Thought for Today
As I read Pope Francis’ caution on consumerism, might I see areas in my own life where I succumb to forgetting the difference between “needs” and “wants?”
As I examine my life, where might I sense a lack of freedom in what I own or how I choose to live?
Where might there be an invitation to freedom?
Can I share my thoughts or fears and desires with God?
How does God respond?
Music
The Lord is my Shepherd, Iona