What We Read This Week

Each week, we bring you interesting stories from around the web. Here’s what caught our eye this week!

FAITH

Nurturing our ecological spirituality in the Season of Creation

While it is possible to celebrate the Season of Creation liturgically in the Catholic community, there are no specially prepared liturgical prayers or lectionary selections focusing on creation as there are for Advent, Lent, Easter and the other official liturgical seasons. Until we have such resources prepared and established, the basic Christian themes that emerge for the liturgies in this part of the Season of Ordinary Time need to be prayed and reflected on with creative attention to the ecological crises and needs of our times, with help from the themes of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.” Read Full Article

From ncrOnline

CHURCH

“Please Enjoy the Remainder of the Service in Our Lobby”

From Refocus

FAITH

How to Trust God When You’re Filled With Doubt and Disappointment

“When the rejection email came, I was sitting in my blue Prius in the parking lot at the gym, listening to a Christian radio station. After I read the email, I turned the radio off. I had been praying so fiercely for so long. I prayed that I would attend the U.S. Naval Academy. I prayed for the wisdom to know if this was where God wanted me to go…” Read Full Article

From Busted Halo

MEDIA

3 Grown Up Lessons We Can Learn From Kids’ Movies

This week sees the release of Smallfoot, an animated snow-monster movie from Warner Animation Group. Like many animated films, Smallfoot clearly targets its zany jokes and action toward younger audiences, but that didn’t stop the filmmakers from inserting some surprisingly heavy-handed messages about questioning authority, even when the rules tell you to bury your questions deep down. While the film itself didn’t prove to be all that memorable or unique overall, it did get me thinking about how effective animated films can be in teaching complicated lessons. Read Full Article

From Relevant Magazine

ENVIRONMENT

These are the Coolest Sustainable Shoes We’ve Ever Seen

One thing I’ve learned over the years of writing about sustainable fashion for TreeHugger is that eco-friendly shoe manufacturers are few and far between. It’s easy to find companies making yoga gear out of plastic water bottles and shirts out of organic cotton at reasonable price points, but it’s very difficult to find shoes that are attractive, affordable, and eco-friendly in every stage of production. Read Full Article

From Tree Hugger