Why is it that people litter? Littering shows the total lack of disregard people have for others around them, not to mention the environment. Littering Is not just a problem in cities; it is also a problem at the Jersey Shore.
The 2021 beach cleanup by Clean Ocean Action found 3686 e-cigarette casings, 3080 face masks, 1310 disposable gloves, 1311 dental picks, and a set of dentures. Almost 74% of the 513,605 items on the Jersey Shore, the Delaware River, and in northern Jew Jersey were plastic, with lots of single use plastic bags. Littering is more than lack of care for God’s earth; it reflects something missing inside ourselves.
When I was in Finland, I saw a kid throw a soda can on the sidewalk. An old man came over and berated him. He sheepishly picked up the soda can and put it in a receptacle for recyclables. You would never see that here.
Prayer for the Day
Pressing our feet into the wet sand, the clams sink below,
As we marvel, O God, in the beauty of your creation;
Touching the earth with our bare hands, the soil moves
As we feel a worm searching for the safety of the earth.
Grant, O Lord, that we feel the majesty of your creation
As we touch he earth lightly and with reverence.
In the name of the one who walks with us,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
The scale of the mess we leave behind is proportionate to the level of respect we have for others.
- Stewart Stafford, American actor
We will then return with our songs when the sun rises,
We will allow the forests to germinate and our spirits to nest in the earth
- Maria Isabel Lara Milapan, from the poem Kintu
All wisdom is from the Lord, and it remains with God forever.
The sand of the sea, the drops of rain, the days of eternity- who can count them?
The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth,
The depth of the abyss, and wisdom – who can search them out?
Wisdom was created before all other things, and prudent understanding from eternity.
The root of wisdom, to whom has it been revealed? Her subtleties, who knows them?
Ecclesiasticus, 1: 1-6