# The power of goodness
*2015-10-06*

> Bill Young reflects on Pope Francis's call to care for our common home, encouraging listeners to overcome the feeling of insignificance in the face of the environmental crisis.

## Overcoming the feeling of insignificance

When we consider all the dimensions of the environmental crisis—from extinction to starvation, the change of habitats, and the loss of clean air and drinkable water, to the wealth of a very few and the endless poverty for most—our first reaction can be to shrink away. It is easy to think that we are simply not significant enough to cause or effect change.

## The ripple effect of goodness

Pope Francis tells us that this is a false idea. Just as a ripple moves out from a stone thrown in a pond, the power of goodness is recognized and imitated. We must never doubt that what we do influences change.

## Reflection and prayer

Take a moment to ponder: Who has the power of goodness? Think of a powerful example of good in your life and consider how you might try to imitate that person.

God of creation, give me the courage to set my fear aside, and fill me with the confidence I need to help repair our Earth.

*Never doubt that your individual actions and goodness can create a ripple effect that influences positive change in the world.*