Lent is a major event in the annual life of the Christian community. It is a time when many people want to do something “more.” Churches overflow on Ash Wednesday. Attendance at daily Mass increases. Parishioners are generally more inclined to participate in retreats or missions during the Lenten season. Restaurants often adapt their menus to accommodate the Catholic practice of abstinence. Church fish fries are a defining feature of Lent for many school kids and their parents.

Lent 4.5 is a program of conversion which educates Catholic communities on issues of sustainability and social justice from a faith perspective, inspiring them to take practical steps in caring for God’s creation by using only their fair share of the Earth’s resources. It offers a faith-based response to the injustice, inequity and devastation of creation caused by rampant consumerism. It honors the good intentions Christians have to do something extra during Lent and directs the focus toward a conversion of heart that is concerned about environmental sustainability, social justice and spiritually fulfillment. Caring for creation and living more simply are an essential part of faith for those who follow in the footsteps of Jesus today.

Why 4.5?

Through a measuring tool called Global Footprint, we are able to assess the impact of various lifestyles upon the Earth. It is a complex process, but a simple formula. At present, there are approximately 6.5 billion humans alive on the planet. If we divide the planet evenly so that each of us receives a fair-share, every person would be entitled to 4.5 acres.

From that 4.5 acres each of us would have to find the wherewithal to cultivate our food, the space and materials to construct our home, the energy to heat and cool it, the water for our lawn and toilets, a place to dispose of our wastes, the timber or plastic to put together our furniture, the fibers to produce our clothes, the metals to manufacture our appliances and cars, the petroleum for our transportation, and anything needed to make our gadgets and stuff. 4.5 acres would be each person’s fair-share.

The Global Footprint accounting tool enables us to measure how much the productive land and sea of the planet is used by any given segment of a population. We can use it to calculate how many acres it takes to support the lifestyle of an individual, an industry or a country. According to 2009 data (www.footprintnetwork.org), Africans living in Tanzania need 2.6 acres to support their average lifestyle, while the portion of the planet used by someone living in the Egypt is 3.5 acres. Iraq needs 3.3 acres; Saudi Arabia requires 8.6 acres. The average person in India only takes 1.9 acres, while those living in Columbia ask for 7.4 acres to sustain their lifestyle. The Japanese come in at 10.2 acres; France 11.4 acres; Italy 12.2 acres; Mexico calls for 8.0 acres; and Canada demands 14.2 acres. In the United States of America it takes a staggering 22.3 acres to support our average lifestyle.

Regardless of our personal habits of consumption, anyone who lives in the United States benefits from the infrastructures, food choices, travel options, medical advantages and conveniences of a standard of living that demands 22.3 acres of the Earth. If our fair share is 4.5 acres of the planet’s resources that means others must do with less so we can maintain our level of affluence. This disparity gives an entirely new meaning to the Biblical admonition: “Thou shalt not steal.”

For a long time, many wanted to believe that justice meant working to lift others up to our standard of living. We now know that is impossible, given the spatial restrictions and limited resources of the Earth. Estimates suggest that it would take four or five planets to accomplish that elevation in lifestyles. And of course, we only have one. There are not another four Earth-like planets anywhere in sight.

We have a huge global problem. We Catholics in the affluent United States have a faith problem. Anyone who follows in the footsteps of Jesus Christ cannot remain distant or indifferent to the consumption habits of our country. How can we share our planet with another 6.5 billion human beings in a way that enables all of us to live with dignity? Specifically, how can our observance of Lent 2010 make a direct response to global poverty and manifest our Catholic position on justice for all human beings? “If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation,” advised Pope Benedict in his 2010 World Day Peace message.

One reason the environment is in serious peril and many of the planet’s eco-systems are near collapse is due to the habitual and daily choices we humans make. For the most part, we think of the Earth not as a sacred endowment, but as pre-manufactured material. God’s creation is typically treated as a resource for our consumption or a place to toss our waste. This consumer mentality drives our economy and personal lives. Given the prevailing mindset in our country, we are seemingly willing to exhaust the Earth’s resources and deprive future generations in order to satisfy our ravenous desires.

In this materialistic culture everything is designed to make us consumers. Lent 4.5 tries to be honest with what Jesus said about simplicity. It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Lent 4.5 offers Christians practical ways to be different from this greedy consumer society. Simplicity does not mean moving to a cave or eating berries. Living simply means setting limits that reflect our faith values by taking only what we need – not hoarding or taking in excess. Good stewardship of God’s creation results in a life that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich.

Lent 4.5 is a new program initiated and designed by the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center. You can learn more about Lent 4.5 and download the material by going to http://www.earthandspiritcenter.org/lent45/.

“I invite all believers to raise a fervent prayer to God, the all-powerful Creator and the Father of mercies, so that all men and women may take to heart the urgent appeal: If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.” – Pope Benedict XVI, 2010 World Day of Peace