“Environmental issues call for a spiritual response, inspired by the belief that creation is a gift that God has placed into our responsible hands, so that we can use it with loving care. The human person’s attitude toward nature should be one of gratitude and gratefulness to the God who has created and supports it.”
This last commandment reveals what is lacking not only in dealing with issues on the environment but also in all of life’s issues. The easing out of God has led to a lot of complications and abuses in life. Bereft of God’s presence and guidance, many run like headless chickens. As the Author of Life, God knows what is best in life. No matter how intelligent and advance many have become, the truth is, the world continues to be helpless in so many ways in so many fields. The parable of the iceberg says a lot. The tip is but a very small part of the whole. Seeing the tip should not make us believe that we have seen everything.
The episode during the UN meeting on climate change in Bali, Indonesia is worth mentioning again. The UN does not include God or any Supreme Being in their affairs. But during the heated and critical deliberation on the call to action to fight climate change, a Spanish gentleman from an observer NGO stood and spoke these words, “The issue is not political. The issue is not economics. The issue is spiritual!” It was received with complete silence, at first. Everyone seemed stunned. Then a clap…and another clap…and before long, everyone was clapping. In fact, it was a standing ovation. I felt glad. Though God was not mentioned, it was obvious when the spiritual was recognized.
The words of Pope Benedict XVI during the World Youth Day in Australia in 2008 still echo:
“The task of witness is not easy. There are many today who claim that God should be left on the sidelines, and that religion and faith, while fine for individuals, , should either be excluded from the public forum altogether or included only in the pursuit of limited pragmatic goals. This secularist vision seeks to explain human life and shape society with little or no reference to the Creator. It presents itself as neutral, impartial and inclusive of everyone. But in reality, in every ideology, secularism imposes a worldview. If God is irrelevant to public life, then society will be shaped in a godless image. When God is eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose, and the “good” begins to wane. What was ostensibly promoted as human ingenuity soon manifests itself as folly, greed and self-exploitation. And so we have become more and more aware of our need for humility before the delicate complexity of God’s world.”
Pope Benedict also pointed out that there is a relation among man, himself, Creation, and God. These relationships determine harmony. Only when man is in harmony with himself can he enter into harmony with nature. The possibility of that harmony happens only when man is in harmony with the Creator, the Supreme Being, who designed both man and nature. The analogy of Jesus on the vine and the branches clarifies this. In the same way that branches depend on vines for existence, man and the whole creation depends on God. In all of these, the recognition of our giftedness is essential. That recognition graduates in to gratitude. In other words, more than anything else, gratefulness should be our prevailing conviction as far as God is concerned.
That is our spiritual response. God loved us so much that He gifted us our lives and the support necessary to live it fully. Rather than dwell on the many things we think God had not given, we focus on what He had provided and say, “Thank You, Lord!” Let us be awed by creation. In our joy at having them, let us be inspired and moved to preserve, care, and cultivate them. Let us glorify our Creator by appreciating and making significant His creation. Let us never forget that we are part of that Creation. Whatever we do with Creation, we have done to ourselves. Worse, we disrespected our Creator.
Let me end with this poem, which was taught to us when we were children. It has a simple message but it captures much if not the whole of God’s generosity and the beauty of His gift.
ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.
The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
He made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.
The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day.
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
Author: Cecil F. Alexander, Hymns for Little Children, 1848
Photo credit: EUintheUS.org