As we become increasingly aware of our relatedness with all of creation and our total dependence on it for sustaining life, we are also witnessing serious ecological crises on all fronts. Unwittingly or not, we who are so intrinsically woven into the life-giving fabric of creation are also destroying it.

In our time humans have devastated wooded plains and valleys, polluted the waters, deformed the Earth’s habitat, made the air un-breathable, upset the hydrological and atmospheric systems, blighted green spaces, implemented uncontrollable forms of industrialization, humiliating the earth, the flowerbeds that is our dwelling. These are not the words of some deluded, anti-progressive naturalist but of Pope John Paul II speaking to Catholic Christians in a 1990 New Year’s message. His words are as relevant today as they were more than two decades ago.

In 1993, a UN sponsored international monitoring group published a report, The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, backed by 1,360 scientists from 95 countries. This report contains what the authors call “a stark warning” for the entire world. They are words that make one think and think seriously, about the future.

These dire warning cannot be cast aside as hysterical, exaggerated claims of environmentalists. The research of more than 1,300 scientists can’t be dismissed. Other scientific studies corroborate these statements with statistics, regarding the destructive impact of climate change on island nations and other species. Today, no one denies climate change on our planet, although opinion about causes may differ!

In this 21^st century, disputes continue over increasing demands for fresh water, even to the point of violence and the possibility of wart. The natural right to fresh water for all is being increasingly contested by major companies. Another area of concern is the depletion and over-harvesting of fish stocks.

Fish catches are merely one percent of what they were before the advent of industrial fishing. Some species of fish have been reduced to the point of extinction. In these examples of overuse and misuse of the world’s vital resources, Americans have to be reminded that we who represent five percent of the world’s population also consume twenty-five to thirty percent of the world’s resources.

These realities are not exaggerated, nor are they meant to make us feel guilty. They are meant to make us more aware, to think, and hopefully, to act.

In light of such statistics, the reasons for caring and nurturing creation become obvious. If people like ourselves do not become more conscious of what is taking place here and now on this Earth that is our home and gives us life, who will? If we do not become more responsible and concerned about sustainable resources for the future, who will? If we as Catholics do not recognize that these environmental crises are religious concerns and give rise to moral issues that call for action, who will? If we do not take active, responsible steps in our own personal lives toward a better care for creation in the future, what kind of an environmental legacy will we leave for our children and our grandchildren? Will they bless us or curse us?

Questions for Discussion:

1. What ecological crises or problems have you recognized in your own surroundings? What steps did you take to deal with them? Were your actions effective?

2. What societal forces do you recognize that would prefer to turn a “blind eye” to environmental concerns in our society? How do you engage those who see no present problem with the health of the environment?

3.In what ways are you able to take responsible steps for the care and nurture of human and non-human creation?

In the past 40 years the Church has increasingly expressed concern about the care and preservation of the environment. This concern was first articulated by Pope Paul VI in an apostolic letter written in 1971 marking the 80^th anniversary of Rerum Novarum (which is Latin for “About New Things”). He said that humanity is becoming more aware of its ‘ill-considered exploitation of nature” and that we risk destroying it and becoming victims of this degradation. 

This cause was re-asserted by Pope John Paul II, and even more so infrequent statements made by Pope Benedict XVI. “If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.” (World Day of Peace, January 1, 2010. And in Benin, Africa, in 2012, he said “creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works, and its preservation has now become essential for the peaceful co-existence of humankind.”

Pope Francis has written an encyclical in 2015, Laudato Si, and notes “the ecological crisis is a summons to profound interior conversion … and ecological conversion.” (LS217) Watch videotapes exploring Pope Francis’ encyclical, in depth, here.

But the Church’s concern for the preservation of creation and fears about its exploitation was not always so clear and forthright. One of the major reasons is that since the time of the Reformation in the 16^th century, the Church’s primary focus was on questions pertaining to the relationship between God and humankind, e.g. “What does it mean to be saved?” What is the relationship between faith and good words?” “What must I do to merit eternal life?” These took center stage. The role of the created world was not abandoned, but it was neglected.

Then too, with the advance of scientific observation, people like Copernicus and Galileo were probing the heavens with a newly-developed instrument called the “telescope.” Their finds revealed that the Earth was not the center of the universe but merely one of the planets revolving around the sun. 

To Church authorities of that time, such a proposition was unacceptable, even bordering on heresy. In the 19^th century, Charles Darwin proposed that in the evolution of the universe, all species of life evolved through a process of natural selection, not by a special creation of God. The Church rejected his thesis because it seemed to deny God’s providence and also appeared to be inconsistent with the biblical account of creation as found in the book of Genesis. Science appeared to have trumped Church teaching; a long period of mutual suspicion and defensiveness ensued.

Since the middle of the 20^th century, major advances in space technology, astronomy, evolutionary biology, and physics have yielded new information regarding the origins of the universe its ongoing expansion, and evolutionary enfolding toward greater complexity and unity. In light of these developments, scholars from both sides have begun to recognize the value of dialogue, as long as the goals and principles of both are respected. Religious scholars are recognizing new ways of speaking about God’s ongoing, dynamic spirit in creation, the evolution toward greater communion on all levels, and the incredible network of relationships that make up Mother Earth.

To recognize how the human species is inter-connected with the created world and how dependent we are on it for our continued life and existence is recognizing an astounding truth. For example, take a reflective walk through any supermarket and begin asking yourself where each product comes from (e.g., the bread, cheese, spaghetti, vegetables meat, fish, ice cream, etc.). Then ask yourself how many people are involved in bringing all those products to the shelves of the supermarkets (e.g., farmers, ranchers, fisher people, harvesters, truck drivers, packagers, grocers, shelf stockers, etc.), then you begin seeing in a very small way how interconnected we are with creation around us.

A major area of possible fruitful dialogue between science and religion comes from the mutual concern about the abuse and destruction of countless species and other vital resources of the created world. Unless representatives from both sides come together in common effort to provide information, data, and support for preserving the environment, we will endanger the promise of future sustainable resources for our children and grandchildren and the children and grandchildren of all living species. 

It is also becoming clear that the lack of respect for life extending to all forms of creation is almost always to the detriment of the poor, the powerless, and the disenfranchised. They bear the major brunt of our environmental destruction. The Church must speak out on these issues which are religious and frequently moral and ethical. Now it is clear to most scientist and to the Church that human activity is severely damaging our environment – air, land, water, living organisms of various kinds, and animal life – and this degradation is having a profound effect on human life, especially those living in poor communities throughout the world.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Is the Church a key player in the environmental movement today? Should it be?

2. Do you think the issue of the “environment” has become too political and polarized in our times?

3. What do you think are the primary environmental issues that the Church should raise up to the consciousness of the faithful?

It is important that the Church of the Presentation be a “green parish” because our parish is the sacred ground where we gather together to hear God’s Word, to break bread together as a family at the Eucharistic table, and to grow into a community of faith. This community acts in response to the promptings of God’s Spirit. It is where we are nourished by the sacraments and animated by a variety of different spiritual and pastoral opportunities. Presentation is our “spiritual centering place,” where we are nurtured and sustained to act with compassion and love for one another and for all creation.

Our parish is a place for us to study, pray, and act in ways that reflect our Catholic values. It, then, is an ideal context for becoming aware of what is happening in our environment and the resultant impact on us, others, and all of creation. Presentation can be a model of how ordinary, concerned people are contributing toward a spirituality of “Caring for the Earth” by doing what we can to make this a healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable world for the future. 

We have already taken steps in this direction with the formation of the St. Francis Ministry and, more recently, with the parish participation in the Green Faith Certification Program. Our parish has taken “greening steps” by installing solar panels on the roof of the church providing eco-friendly and energy-efficient bathrooms and providing guidelines for recycling and using more environmentally appropriate materials in our parish life.

Our initiatives toward the “greening” of our parish provides an example or model of what can be done to create a more sustainable future, one which is more consistent with God’s intention for a created world, our home, that was once judged to be “very good.”

Questions for Discussion:

1. What positive values do you see in our parish becoming a “green parish?” What are the challenges?

2. Is raising the consciousness of parishioners about environmental concerns a legitimate Catholic issue? Please explain.

3. How can we improve the effectiveness and outreach of the environmental mission in our parish?

Care for the Earth is a Christian responsibility because we believe in a Creator God of “heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.” We believe we are created “in the image and likeness of God,” and that our Creator God looked upon us and all creation saying, “it is good, very good.” We believe that we and all of created reality – each in our own unique way – represent God’s design for good order, fruitfulness, and sustenance of the Earth.

We are not separate from the rest of creation. In fact, insofar as we all come from the same source, we are kin with all created reality. As such, we have a place within the community of creation, of which we are living threads in a web of intricate relationships. As with all of creation, Earth is our home, our household. We depend on its resources; we are blessed with its abundance and fruitfulness; we marvel at its beauty.

To understand today what these words mean, we have to interpret them in their original historical, cultural, and religious context. The meaning of the word “subdue” is not to destroy the Earth, but to cultivate and to care for it as wise and caring stewards. It is not a license to exploit any creation. Rather, it is a directive to reclaim the Earth for what it was intended, to transform it to its original sanctuary, where God could be properly worshiped.

“Dominion” in its broader biblical context, does not mean domination, as if we control it and can do anything we want with it. On the contrary, to “have dominion” is to be concerned about the continued development of other living creatures. The term speaks of an inherent relational interdependence of humans with the rest of creation. Even the oft-used expression “Responsible Stewardship” does not quite capture the meaning of “dominion,” as do the following words: The root cause of our violence with one another and the increasing destruction of all of created reality is our lack of proper respect for life. Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation (emphasis added)

– Pope John Paul II

Questions for Discussion:

1. What responsibilities do we have to Mother Earth in light of what the Bible tells us about creation?

2. How do you understand the notion “that we are kin with all created reality?”

3. Please comment on the words of Pope John Paul II (The root cause of our violence with one another and the increasing destruction of all of created reality is our lack of proper respect for life. Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation (emphasis added)