The Revelation of God in the Natural World
To honor the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (Oct 4th) a group of us gathered to pray, discuss, share and contemplate how we deepen our respect and care for God’s creation and what actions might help us explore Eco- spirituality both individually and as a faith community. Exploring the revelation of God in the natural world and our relationship to creatures, animate and inanimate, as our “brothers and sisters” helps shape our response to “the cry of the earth” and “the cry of the poor”. Ecological Spirituality is an opportunity to strengthen and deepen our faith. It connects us in our spiritual journey with the beauty, wisdom, and goodness of our Creator to be discovered as we “Behold God in Everything”.
St. Francis felt this call to “behold God in everything” deeply in his life. That is why he felt called to care for all that exists. His disciple Saint Bonaventure tells us that “from a reflection on the primary source of all things, filled with even more abundant piety, he would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name of ‘brother’ or ‘sister’”.[20] ...If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled.” Laudato Si
We are reminded how interconnected our life is with the whole of creation and how God imparts a sacred imprint on each creature and relationship. Rev. Dr. Lawrence Jay offers a Franciscan contemplation exercise, based on Lectio Divina, for the “divine reading” of nature as a way to know God and connect with the Creator engaging our whole self, head/heart/hand for creation care.
One of our participants offers this reflection from our evening in community:
“God is in everything - if we're willing to slow down and pay attention. I've always believed that all creation is connected. God speaks to us in many ways, as we are all unique creations. He's not a God who goes by a "one size fits all" approach. Rather, He reaches out to meet us in our desires, interests, and in those things that cause us to pause and wonder at their beauty. God is in every nook and cranny of our world. He waits for us to notice Him, so He can embrace us in His love.
From the age of five years old, I discovered a love for hiking. Nowadays, I hike year-round. It's my first choice for exercise and rejuvenation. I find the activity refreshing for my body, mind, and soul. It's not just the motion that invigorates me; it's also the quiet stillness I'm invited into. While on the trail, I take time to observe my surroundings and let myself be awestruck by creation. As my mind stills, I'm moved to pray, particularly to listen rather than to speak. What I hear is, "I love you, I love you, I love you!"
When was the last time you slowed down, stilled your mind and body, and invited God to speak His Love Message to your soul? Such a profound experience doesn't need to happen only on the hiking trail. Go on a walk in a park, watch the sunrise or sunset, or simply sit outside and listen to birdsong. By surrendering to these little moments, we come to understand that God really is in everything.” Melissa Ann Schmid
Another of our contemporary saints, Saint John Paul II would call for a global ecological conversion.[5] At the same time, he noted that little effort had been made to “safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic human ecology”... . It presumes full respect for the human person, but it must also be concerned for the world around us and “take into account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an ordered system”.[8] Accordingly, our human ability to transform reality must proceed in line with God’s original gift of all that is.[9] Laudato Si
St. John XXIII uplifted the importance of recognizing other religions. We learn from the respect and dignity shown to our intimately connected creation in Native and Indigenous Peoples’ ways of honoring the sacred in all God’s creation. At the same time we lament what we have lost in living separate from creation rather than within, interconnected as a partner in humility with all creation and creatures.
“...Human exceptionalism cuts us off from ecological compassion and sets the living world outside our circle of moral responsibility...Despite our ecological and genetic intertwining with other species, we are plagued with an epidemic of loneliness. We suffer a deep estrangement from the other beings on the planet, a phenomenon that has been called “species loneliness.” ...We crave belonging, but in our human exceptionalism we are left, instead, with only longing... we endure the burden of estrangement from the ones who give us everything we need. The price of this estrangement seeps its way into our behaviors—overconsumption, self-absorption, obsession with power and violence—filling the space where relationship might be.” Robin Wall Kimmerer on "Species Loneliness"
Other reflections from our evening in community:
Engage youth in care for creation, it is the world we are handing on to them.
Blessing of our new garden space as a parish.
Bring food before a celebration to be Blessed and taken home.
Nature Activity cards for families and inviting others to join.“Forest bathing” as healing, engaged in together.
Tree planting as a community.
Awareness and connection to other community events (Assisi Heights, RNeighbors, Revolutionary Earth, etc.)
Discussion to wonder and ponder after any of our community events.
Mary Vlazny
Director of Social Action