MARFAM’S WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER 23 SEPTEMBER 2026. Visit our shop and please donate. https://www.marfam.org.za/shop

We’re not very far from the 2026 local elections in SA.   Does that have anything to do with Season of Creation and care of the environment, ecological conversion, etc?   I’m asking a young person what her generation is thinking and planning when it comes to “the world we want to leave to our children and grandchildren” – which has become quite a common saying – but not forgetting that the youth of today are our children. Depending on our age group – like me and other oldies – the youth of today are already our grandchildren too. 

With regard to the upcoming local elections in SA, some recent search has indicated that while there has been a good campaign to register young voters, then what?  The group that takes the matter most seriously is the 45+ who are many time than the 25-34 age group to take an interest in keeping in touch and reading about it now. There are many opinions, and some conflicting views about the issues that matter.  It is accepted that voter registration was satisfactory amongst the youth, but will they turnup and have they taken an interest in following the debates and manifestos.   Are the main concerns of the youth the same as for the elderly?  We, oldies are not worried about jobs,  but are worried about money and will our savings last till we die.   Youth are concerned about jobs but it appears that their concern about money is not like ours.   Maybe middle aged 40-60 year-olds  are more money conscious, most likely to have a job and  bond or rent to pay.   We’re all concerned about service delivery, i.e water – outages and sewerage spills, electricity, roads and food prices and of course, corruption and crime, with the ongoing horrific instance of  murders, especially of  women as is very much in the public eye at this time.     

My point is,  are we each, in different age groups and also cultural groups, as well as the more affluent and the poorer, responsible when it comes to recognizing the right to vote and consider it a responsibility?    Whoever we are, the major concern is who receives the cross on the ballot form? Do I know if the party I support is even on the list, is active in my town or ward and shows a concern for the rights and wellbeing of the citizens, rather then feathering their own nest?     

From the perspective of Laudato Si and the Season of Creation, what are doing today and what are we leaving to our children? Is it making good judgements, a real concern for parents or families to educate or provide good thinking tools?  Can becoming eco-friendly families be a part of the process? How seriously?   Pope Francis in Laudato Si writes, the natural environment has been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behavior. The social environment has also suffered damage. Both are ultimately due to the same evil : the notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives and hence human freedom is limitless. LS 6.   

We should discuss different views across the generations.  Consumerism boosts the economy, creates jobs but what is its environmental harm?   It can be tricky.   I had a real desire to go and see the spring flowers in the Cape – and combine it with a visit to my sister who is ill.   Am I doing a touristy thing to boost the economy or to experience the joy of creation, or what benefits are in these wonderful scenes for creation and biodiversity?  Spring flowers do regenerate the soil, provide a home for insects, birds and animals too.  The economic benefits are great, creating jobs, sustaining the economy and livelihoods of the region.    “serious about nature pamphlet.”   

Who teaches voter education and what are the essential points to consider?  Is it taught in schools and made available to higher education learners and those unemployed, poorly educated people, young and old, by whom and from what perspective.  The IEC, some religious bodies and NGOs are heavily involved, some focusing on youth in particular and doing so as objectively as possible. Is the environmental perspective featuring strongly enough?    Political parties of course have to push their particular agenda and manifestos which we need to study.  I believe it is important for families – because we are dealing with an intergenerational reality to make this part of their general discussions, sharing their own experiences with their young, their prayer life too, discerning God’s plan for our country, our world, our family today and in the future – for our children and grandchildren.  Could it involve becoming eco-friendly families, which is MARFAM’S message, reaching from home, to school, workplace and all of creation?    TR 23 SEPTEMBER 2026   

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

September 23. THERE IS HELP, THERE IS HOPE.   (From BECOMING ECO-FRIENDLY FAMILIES).For all of us believers, Christians, or members of other religious faiths, even if our life and our particular situation seems hopeless and we are or feel helpless, our trust in God can sustain us.  Practical help does come from somewhere, from God, our sense of community, and often our family members as the first recourse.   How can the effects of climate change be so devastating for us and our family? Have we given up hope? Weather related conditions can be slow torture or quick devastation. Drought and heat are a slow creeping disaster, with the constant hope for rain to bring relief.  Hurricanes, typhoons and tornadoes can bring wind, excessive rain and floods bringing sudden, even unexpected destruction. Hope for things to change and for relief remains, and help is provided by private, community or government resources.

Reflect, share, act. Scripture: Jesus gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases and he sent them out to preach the Kingdom and to heal. “Take nothing with you,” he told them.”  Luke 9:1-6.  Pope Francis in his message for the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, spoke of signs of hope. “In every age, the Church has the responsibility of reading the signs of the times and interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. In this way, in language adapted to every generation, she can respond to people’s persistent questions about the meaning of this present life and of the life to come, and how one is related to the other.  We need to recognize the immense goodness present in our world, lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence. The signs of the times, which include the yearning of human hearts in need of God’s saving presence, ought to become signs of hope.” Signs of the times should be the desire for peace, enthusiasm for life and readiness to share it, concern for prisoners, migrants, the sick, the poor and the young.  He concludes, “All of us, however, need to recover the joy of living, since men and women, created in the image and likeness of God cannot rest content with getting along one day at a time, settling for the here and now and seeking fulfilment in material realities alone. Care given to those in need is a hymn to human dignity, a song of hope that calls for the choral participation of society as a whole. SNC7-9. Eco-tip:  Healing the damage to the world demands changes in behaviour. Discuss, adopt and promote Reuse-Reduce-Recycle not just as a practical campaign but as part of a prayer campaign for the care of creation in one’s wider community.

DAILY FAMILY PRAYER from Season of Creation 2026.  May God our Father, who brought water from a rock, sustain us in the desert. May Christ our Lord, who is Living Water, refresh us for the work of restoration.  May the Holy Spirit carry us on currents of grace until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amen. St Francis guide and inspire us on our way.