Judith Russenberger

Lamenting our shortcomings

18th October 2025

The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading: Psalm 10:1-6, 12

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,
those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, ‘God will not seek it out’;
all their thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’

Their ways prosper at all times;
   your judgements are on high, out of their sight;
   as for their foes, they scoff at them.
They think in their heart, ‘We shall not be moved;
   throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.’

Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
do not forget the oppressed.

Response based on Daniel 9:4-10

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have sinned and done wrong:

our greed has made paupers of those we should love,

our desire for more has taken away even the little they had,

we have despised and oppressed our brothers and sisters.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have acted wickedly and rebelled:

we have carved out our paths

and ignore the ways of your creation

leaving behind us a trail of devastation.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have turned aside from your commandments:

we over-grazed the land, over fished the seas,

we have decimated the forests and polluted the waterways,

we have taken more than we can restore.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have not listened to your prophets, who speak in your name:

we have ignored the wail of the sea birds,

the gasps of the rhino

and the disappearing drone of the insects.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

shame falls on us:

we let islands drown and ice sheets melt,

we let the tundra burn and rivers dry up,

we let cities flood and fields whither.

Lord our God,

to you belong mercy and forgiveness,

reform and redeem us,

renew a right spirit within us,

that all your creation may be treated

with love and care.

Amen.

The Grace.

Counting on … 167

17th October 2025

CNN described Pope Francis as “the fiercest climate and environment advocate in the church’s history.”

His 2015 encyclical Laudato Si connected the care of the environment with social justice, and was a radical challenge not just to the church world wide but to all humanity, that now is the time to recognise that we share a common home, and that only together, by radically changing the way we live can we hope to secure a safe future for generations to come.

“The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish.”

“Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years.”

“We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us.”

“The idea of infinite or unlimited growth, which proves so attractive to economists, financiers and experts in technology … is based on the lie that there is an infinite supply of the earth’s goods, and this leads to the planet being squeezed dry at every limit.”

“Yet all is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.”

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

Green Tau: issue 117

16th October 2025

What are the problems with plastic?

Is plastic simply a litter problem?

“Plastic is a useful everyday item but has grown to become a global problem. Every year the world produces over 460 million tonnes of plastic, 90% of which pollutes almost all areas of our planet, it can be found at the bottom of the ocean, and on our tallest mountains. This pollution can cause harm to habitats and wildlife, impact livelihoods of people around the globe, and carries growing risks to human health. At the current rate, global plastic pollution could triple by 2040 unless we act now” – a quote from WWF. (1)

Could the answer be ‘more recycling’?

Yet last week an article in the Guardian reported that “in the past two years 21 plastic recycling and processing factories across the UK have shut down due to the scale of exports, the cheap price of virgin plastic and an influx of cheap plastic from Asia, according to data gathered by industry insiders.” (2) The UK now exports 600,000 tonnes of used plastic – making it the third largest in the world. Rather than being recycled within the UK, this plastic ends up in countries with neither the infrastructure nor the legal safety constraints to ensure that it is recycled without injuring either the environment or the local populace. The plastic is typically either burnt or allowed to build up in huge waste heaps where it invariably finds its way into rivers and oceans. Much of the UK’s plastic waste is exported to Turkey where, the Guardian reported two people are crushed, ripped, or burned to death in this work every month.

A combination of legislation to end the export plastics waste and taxes to discourage the use of virgin instead of recycled plastic is clearly needed. Rather than letting them close, recycling facilities should be seems as essential parts of the UK’s infrastructure: “If we were to stop exporting plastic waste, and we were to meet our increased recycling target of a 65% recycling rate for municipal waste by 2035, we would need to build 40 new factories across the UK – 20 of them would be sorting facilities and 20 would be processing facilities turning the material back into products,” said an industry source.

Or could the answer be ‘make less plastic’?

Earlier this year, an international gathering sought to agree a global plastics treaty. Work on this treaty began back in 2022 when growing scientific evidence highlighted the risks posed to humans (and other living organisms) by the toxic chemicals that can leach out of plastic as it breaks down. The ambition was not merely to ensure higher levels of recycling, but to to curb in absolute terms the amount of plastic produced globally each year. Plastic production had risen from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 475 tonnes in 2022. However the treaty was successfully opposed by the large oil-producing nations and members of trade associations representing plastic producers. (3)

What if plastic pollution is a health problem too?

This week there was another newspaper article this time reporting on the spread of plastic into our bodies. “Microplastics have been found almost everywhere: in blood, placentas, lungs – even the human brain. One study estimated our cerebral organs alone may contain 5g of the stuff, or roughly a teaspoon.” (4)

What are micro plastics and where do they come from?

Microplastics are fragments of plastic that is between 1 nanometer and 5 millimetres wide. They come from two main sources:-

plastics specifically manufactured as microbeads which are added to face ashes, shower bells and other personal care products – they make the liquid both smooth and sufficiently thick that it does run off like water. Think of the difference say between an antiseptic hand spray and an antiseptic hand-gel. These are known as primary microplastics.
Plastic particles that derive from the disintegration of larger plastic items – eg plastic film and wrapping, takeaway containers, synthetic clothes , care tyres, paints and plastic turf etc.. These plastic particles may be shed as drinking from plastic bottles and take away cups (more plastic is shed when heat is present such as with hot drinks or microwaved food), from wearing and washing clothes, from friction between roads and tyres etc. These are known as secondary microplastics. (5)

Both types of microplastic can pass into water systems, can be present in the air we breathe, and can pass into the food chain and so into the food we eat. Microplastics are to be found all over the world – from the hops of mountains to the depths of the oceans and everywhere in between.

Nanoplastics are even smaller – less than 1,000 nanometers in diameter, or 100 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. They are small enough to slip through the walls of the cells in our bodies and can be found in our blood, lungs, brains, bones, the placenta and breast milk. (6)

Do these pieces of plastic harmful?

We don’t yet know whether having such buts of plastic in our bodies is good for us (unlikely), neutral or harmful. Nor do we know whether there is a limit below which they are not harmful but above which they might be. It is possible that they may aggravate complaints such as asthma, dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancers etc. (7) The issue is further complicated as plastics contain toxins such as bisphenols (BPA), alkyphenols, and phthalates and dioxins etc, which are also thus passing into our bodies.

It is not just human bodies that maybe adversely affected. Micro and nanoplastics are already known to be adversely impacting the health wild life – eg damaging the gut biomes of seabirds, increasing the number of pathogens present and reducing antibiotic resistance. (8)

Should we panic?

No. We don’t yet know enough to know how dangerous, or not, micro and nanoplastics are. We don’t know whether or not our bodies have a way of eliminating such particles from our bodies. And realistically there is no way we can avoid ingesting these particles given their presence in very part of the environment.

In many instances using plastics can be lifesaving with benefits outweighing the – as yet unclear – disadvantages. For example the use of plastic syringes to give vaccines, plastic pipes to provide clean drinking water, plastic bags for collecting blood donations, waterproofing coats that keep us warm and dry.

But we could cut back on our use of plastic

We can reduce our exposure to plastic particles by reducing the amount of unnecessary plastic we have around us and by adjusting how we use those plastics. For example we might use a reusable water bottle and a reusable cup when out and about (and often cafes give discounts when you bring your own take away cup). You might use glass or metal dishes for storing food and wax wraps or foil instead of cling film. You might use wooden spoons and chopping boards rather than plastic one; metal colanders and metal washing up bowls etc. Equally you might avoid body care products with microbeads and use solid or liquid alternatives. You could try a milk delivery service and get milk in glass bottles rather than plastic cartons. And following that line of thought, you may have a local refill store that allows you to buy various food ingredients and household items without the need for lots of plastic packaging.

There are plenty of guides on line about switching to a plastic free life. eg https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics/living-without-plastic and some of my earlier blogs have explored this topic – https://greentau.org/tag/plastic-free/ and https://greentau.org/2022/01/27/eco-tips-zero-waste/

However we should remember that not everyone can afford the plastic alternatives – a metal drinks bottle can cost more that a plastic one. A sliced loaf in a plastic bag will be cheaper than it paper wrapped alternative.

What about changing the system?

If we are going to be fair for everyone and everything – wildlife, ecosystems, future generations, then the whole system needs to be changed.

Nations need to agree on a workable plastics treaty that will cut the amount of plastic produced. The plastics industry needs to develop alternative safe and sustainable substitutes. Governments need to implement a combination of legislation, taxation and investment to ensure that the changes needed do actually happen.

We can advocate for change by supporting groups like Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, and we can raise awareness about the issue by talking with others – particularly if they are intrigued about the efforts we are making to reduce our use of plastic!

Counting on … 166

16th October 2025

Vanessa Nakate also began her journey as a prophet as a solo protestor standing with a placard outside the Ugandan Parliament in Kampala. From here she has inspired a whole youth movement, drawing support from across Africa. Addressing the delegates at the pre-COP26 Youth Summit, she highlighted some uncomfortable truths: “In the past few years, I have seen more and more of how the climate crisis is affecting the African continent. Which is ironic given that Africa is the lowest emitter of carbon dioxide emissions of all continents, except for Antarctica… Many Africans are losing their lives, while countless more are losing their livelihoods.”

In 2022 she addressed Africa’s People’s AGM on EACOP. “It is evident that there is no future in the fossil fuel industry. In regards to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, many people think this is a way of [creating] jobs and economic development. But we know the impacts on our food. We know the impacts on our water. We know the impacts on our livelihood.”

“The International Energy Agency has made it very clear that if we want to [limit global warming] to 1.5 degrees Celsius, then we cannot have any new fossil fuel development. But even at 1.2 degrees, we already seeing the effects of the climate crisis on the African continent … the latest IPCC report projects that 700 million people in Africa will be displaced because of drought.”

Many of Vanessa’s contemporaries have been arrested and imprisoned for taking nonviolent direct action in opposition to the building of the pipeline. (You can read more in this Guardian article – https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/jun/12/uganda-oil-eacop-pipeline-protester-stephen-kwikiriza?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other)

To be a prophet is not necessarily to be respected or applauded: people do not like hearing uncomfortable messages – especially when they are truthful.

“Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels. Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness.” UN secretary general, António Guterres, April 2022

Counting on … 165

15th October 2025

Modern day prophets include people such as Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Antonio Guterres and Pope Francis.

Greta Thunberg began her prophetic journey began with a climate strike. Rather than spending Fridays in school, she sat alone outside the Swedish Parliament with her simple placard – “Skolstrejk for Klimatet” – calling on those in authority to take action.

With her single minded determination, she took this message, in 2019, to the World Economic Forum: “I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. I want you to behave like our house is on fire. Because it is.”

And to the United Nations climate summit: “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. … People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you?”

Her words and actions drew – and continue to draw – widespread attention to the urgency and scale of the climate crisis. In the six years since her speech about house on fire, we have clearly experienced scorching temperatures, more frequent outbreaks of wild fire, as well as the first signs that whole ecosystems – eg the coral reefs and the Amazon rainforest – are on the brink of collapse.

In November 2014, UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent young climate activists this message: “You have every right to be angry. I am angry too,” the UN chief posted on social media on Thursday following his meeting with youth representatives and young environmental activists. “I am angry because we are on the verge of the climate abyss, and I don’t see enough urgency or political will to address the emergency.”

NB as an update on restrictions around protest and freedom of speech, here is an article from yesterday’s Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/oct/14/human-rights-official-urges-uk-to-review-laws-after-palestine-action-placard-arrests?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … 164

14th October 2025

The original meaning of prophecy was of a message about the future that was revealed to the prophet by divine inspiration and this is reflected in the root Greek word “prophēteia ” meaning the gift of interpreting the will of the gods. (1) Now – perhaps because fewer people place their faith in divine inspiration – prophecy more often means a statement or observation predicting what will happen in the future.

Prophecies don’t necessarily come with absolute certainty. For example Jonah was sent to Ninevah with a prophecy predicting that if the people did not repent of their wrong doing , they would be punished. The warning is taken on board, the people repent and Ninevah – much to Jonah’s anger – is saved. Indeed most of the prophets from the first half of the Bible, have messages that call on the people to repent lest they wish endure significant suffering and destruction – although sometimes they have messages which predict a life of peace and flourishing for those who honour God’s way.

Effective prophecy in these situations is prophecy that leads people to reshape the way they live.

There is very much a need for effective prophecy today; prophetic words – and actions – that can motivate people to turn away from lifestyles that are destroying lives and ecosystems, and instead to adopt ways of living that are caring and kind and respectful of the Earth’s planetary boundaries.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/prophecy

Counting on … 163

13th October 2025

Legal Restrictions on the Right to Protest

Legal restrictions on the right to protest have increased significantly in the last few years as a result of two new pieces of legislation: the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (“Policing”) Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023.

The Policing Act further restricts what forms of protest are permissible. Police may restrict or ban protests that cause more than ‘minor disruption’, that are noisy, that are within the vicinity of the Houses of Parliament, and/ or obstruct the highway. The police are also now given powers to restrict static protests and one-person protests.

The Public Order Act gives the police even more powers to restrict protests. . It expands police powers to stop and search. It gives them powers to ban people from participating in protests and limiting who they may associate with. It also creates new criminal offences for actions that might form part of a protest such as as locking-on, tunnelling, obstructing major transport works and/ or interfering with key national infrastructure.

For a more detailed analysis of these two Acts look at Liberty’s website. (1)

In the courts there has been an erosion of the legal defences that protestors may use to justify their action. The Campaign Against Climate Change gives this summary:

In 2021, the Court of Appeal, although it overturned the convictions for the ‘Stansted 15’, upheld the original judge’s ruling that the defence of ‘necessity’ did not apply to protesters.
In 2022, the Court of Appeal decided, after intervention from the then Attorney General, Suella Braverman, that protesters accused of ‘significant’ criminal damage cannot use as a defence their right to protest under the European Convention of Human Rights.
In 2024, after intervention from another Attorney General, Victoria Prentis, the Court of Appeal said the “beliefs and motivation” of a defendant do not constitute lawful excuse for causing damage to a property
The principle of ‘Hoffmann’s bargain‘ following a case in 2006, held that motives of conscience and intention to avert a greater harm would be taken into account and lead to more lenient sentencing. From the case of the Stansted 15 onwards, this principle has been lost.” (2)

Proper 23

12th October 2025

Reflection with readings below

The Victorian had differing views about the poor. There were the deserving poor – those who by ill chance not fecklessness had become poor and who wed good and honest people who,would make good use of your charity and would be eternally grateful. And there were the undeserving poor – those who had by laziness stupidity made themselves poor, who would squander any charity they received and would never utter a word of thanks. In fact that is an attitude that still exists today. In 2023, Jeremy Hunt, the then chancellor, spoke about ‘strivers and shirkers’.

Poverty arises for very many reasons, key among which are lack of opportunity – usually linked to inequalities of wealth – a failure to understand specific needs and the systemic failure of society. This week Pope Leo wrote of the “many forms of poverty: the poverty of those who lack material means of subsistence, the poverty of those who are socially marginalised and lack the means to give voice to their dignity and abilities, moral and spiritual poverty, cultural poverty . . . the poverty of those who have no rights, no space, no freedom.”

In today’s gospel we hear how ten lepers came to Jesus seeking healing. Jesus doesn’t question them to see which might be most deserving of his help. He doesn’t assess them to see which might make best use of his healing power. He doesn’t exclude from healing those who are not Jewish. He doesn’t even limit his healing to those who will be truly grateful.

Jesus’s healing is not limited to just some people some of the time, nor is it dependent on their righteousness or even their love of God. God’s love is offered to all without exception. To give, to share love, to desire the healing and wellbeing of all is the essential nature of God. Indeed God so loved the world that she gave her only Son for our salvation.

When we consider the poor in our own country, when we consider the poor in Gaza and in Israel, when we consider the poor in North Sudan – when we hear their cry – we are called to respond with open hearts and purses, not limiting our love to those who look and think like us, to those we think are deserving of our concern. Indeed if we thought about it, healing just some of the wounds in the world will be to leave ourselves with a damaged world in which we too may then become victims.

The passage from Jeremiah is God’s message to those going into exile. Don’t just be good citizens in your own homes, in your own country, but be good citizens where ever you are. Don’t be good citizens just when you are the ones in power, but whatever your situation, whatever your environment, be good citizens, for only then will you protect the environment that sustains you.

In the same way, not to care for the poor, is not to care for your own future and wellbeing. Yet so many of our economic and social systems, so many people (those in authority and those who are not) operate on the premise that hearing out for the cry of the poor – and the cry of the Earth – is not important, that spending the needs of the poor is a luxury when there is spare money, and that actually looking after number one is the key to survival. This is certainly not the gospel message!

To finish, more words from Pope Leo: “The dignity of every human person must be respected today, not tomorrow, and the extreme poverty of all those to whom this dignity is denied should constantly weigh upon our consciences. . . Either we regain our moral and spiritual dignity or we fall into a cesspool”.

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Psalm 66:1-11

1 Be joyful in God, all you lands; *
sing the glory of his Name;
sing the glory of his praise.

2 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! *
because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.

3 All the earth bows down before you, *
sings to you, sings out your Name.”

4 Come now and see the works of God, *
how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.

5 He turned the sea into dry land,
so that they went through the water on foot, *
and there we rejoiced in him.

6 In his might he rules for ever;
his eyes keep watch over the nations; *
let no rebel rise up against him.

7 Bless our God, you peoples; *
make the voice of his praise to be heard;

8 Who holds our souls in life, *
and will not allow our feet to slip.

9 For you, O God, have proved us; *
you have tried us just as silver is tried.

10 You brought us into the snare; *
you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.

11 You let enemies ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water; *
but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David– that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful–
for he cannot deny himself.

Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.

Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

With wisdom tend the earth

11th October 2025

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Matthew 6: 28b,29

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading from Proverbs 3:13-15

Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,

for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.

She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Response: