# Walking in Praise with Pope Francis: A Personal Call to Care for Our Common Home
*2015-09-29*

> Bill Young reflects on Pope Francis’ message that caring for the earth is inseparable from caring for the poor, urging listeners to consider the human faces behind our food, clothing, and shelter.

## Opening and Liturgical Context

Good afternoon, I’m Bill Young. Today is Tuesday, September 29, the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. We’ll have special prayers for our guardian angels in a later episode, but for now we continue our series “Walking in Praise” with Pope Francis, focusing on our care for the common home.

## Pope Francis on the Earth and the Poor

This is day five of the series, and Pope Francis makes it clear that caring for the planet is inseparably linked to caring for those most affected by environmental degradation—the poor. All human beings are created in God’s image, and our responsibility to the earth begins with recognizing our interdependence with one another.

## Today's Ponder

When was the last time you thought about who grows the food you eat or who makes the clothes you wear? Do you have enough to eat and a safe place to live? These questions invite us to see the human side of every product and to consider how our choices impact the vulnerable.

## Prayer

God of creation, help me listen for the voices of the poor and the marginalized, and give me the courage to speak for them and their needs.

*Caring for the earth becomes truly personal when we recognize it as caring for our brothers and sisters.*