Reflection
The challenges facing Earth require the human community to develop new ways of seeing, thinking and interacting with the larger web of life. Our existence, survival, and well-being depend on the life-support systems of our planet. The wonders of earth, sky and sea and the diversity of life forms delight our senses and stimulate our imaginations. Yet, we know that natural habitats and the species dependent on them are destroyed daily by our interference. As people of faith we believe that creation is a revelation of God and a sacred trust. If we reverence the One who creates and sustains all life, how can we not act less selfishly and more responsibly?
Prayer
Gracious God, all creation reveals your glory and love. Give us the desire, the will and the imagination to preserve and protect the integrity and beauty of the Earth community.
Action
Take time to think and pray about how you can actively contribute to the care and harmony of the Earth community. What problematic activity can you discontinue?
Suggested Readings
O God, how glorious is your name in all the earth!
Who are we that you should be mindful of us.
yet you entrust us with the work of your hands to care for all your creation.
Psalm 8:1,4,6
Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars.
Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.
Now think.
What delight God gives to humankind with all these things….
We are to work with it. For without we cannot survive.
Hildegard of Bingen
All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.
Pope Francis, Laudato Si
There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.
Mohandas Gandhi
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
Native American Proverb
We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.
Aldo Leopold
It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.
Ansel Adams
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.
Chief Seattle