An eco-spirituality through the seasons
By Al Fritsch, SJ
CONTENTS
* Table of Contents
* Introduction
* January
* February
* March
* April
* May
* June
* July
* August
* September
* October
* November
* December
* Appendix
APPENDIX
Note on Genesis Account
and Eco-spirituality
Some critics fault Christian philosophy/theology as the root
cause of the environmental crisis due to the misinterpreted mandate
in the Genesis account of creation on the sixth day -- God blessed
them, saying to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and
conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of
heaven, and all living animals on the earth" (Genesis 1:28).
Lynn White, Jr. in "The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic
Crisis" (Science, Vol. 155 (Number 3767), March 1967, pp. 1203-
1207), perhaps the most requested reprint in scientific literature,
said that Christians found in that passage a certain mandate to
subdue our Earth. He adds that "wilderness" occurs approximately
three hundred times in the Bible, and all its appearances are
derogatory. Some who accept the challenge of a new eco-
spirituality based on better understanding of Earth think that the
newer revelation of science (a Teilhard de Chardin concept)
includes science-motivated cultural adaptation and that new
understanding leads to better care for our Earth. What they have
done is praiseworthy, especially in seeking to address
misinterpretations. But they over-concentrate on the intellectual
struggle and fail to see that compassion is a struggle of the will.
White's arguments certainly had merit in so far as the
misinterpretation goes. My initial reaction back then was one of
expected disturbance, but I liked the fact that White mentioned St.
Francis as a model of good environmentalism. While he was focusing
on the justification by Western explorers/exploiters (same word in
some European languages) for the conquest of Earth, what was
lacking was an exegesis of the words "mastery" and "conquest." It
was like describing the scriptural passages used by slavers to
justify their practices without considering those passages in
context. Conquest or subjugation (literally putting one's foot on
the neck of another), was a difficult passage for centuries. Even
in Old Testament times the Genesis account was highly nuanced and
"control" meant responsibility over what was entrusted.
My personal resolution is to see the peaceful Jesus not as
conqueror in a worldly sense, for he plainly disappoints his
disciples for his lack of military and political ambitions. Jesus
transforms "mastery" from control over another, through his washing
the feet of the disciples, to one of loving service to those
looking on him as master. This interpretation of Jesus has lasted
throughout two millennia, and that includes throughout the age of
explorers and exploiters. As we know, as concerned Earth healers,
we must give loving service to fish, birds and living animals on
Earth. Farmers know the difference between those who exploit
livestock out of greed and those who love and care for their
domestic livestock; it takes no course in biblical hermeneutics for
the Christian peasant to treat livestock properly. Unfortunately,
academically-driven eco-spirituality writers focus too much on
early intellectual battles and forgot about the role of greed and
its aftereffects on the human psyche.
Preliminary Introduction
The eco-spirituality presented in this text is founded on
compassion for the wounded Earth and is presented as emerging
through the seasons of the year; it is different from other
popular eco-spiritualities, but maybe that is the way it ought to
be -- conditioned by who we are, our place of residence, the time
of writing, and the liturgical and other communities with which we
are associated. In essence, this is an environmentally conditioned
spirituality.
My spirituality is flavored by my having grown up on a farm in
rural Kentucky, by 36 years of environmental work including
environmental resource assessments at two hundred locations in
North America, by the study of chemistry on graduate and post
graduate levels, by the Ignatian method of prayer as practiced for
my adult lifetime, by an epistemology that is grounded in the way
the human being comes to know and applies knowledge (the thought of
B.J. Lonergan as taught by his student, Joe Wulftang), and by a
quarter of a century of grounding in construction, alternative
energy, and gardening projects at a public interest demonstration
center near Livingston Kentucky. No, I never took a course in
environmental studies (a more recent phenomenon).
The differences among eco-spiritualities go further: my reason
for formalizing this eco-spirituality is that I am convinced that
we must challenge the insensitivity of our people (a lack of a
proper harmony among and within ourselves that is related to our
emotional and affective life); it is not primarily an intellectual
exercise (learning something new or a reinterpretation of the
Genesis account in Scripture) . It is more a question of willing,
not just knowing. Greater attention must be given to our sense of
mystery, the movements of our soul to our particular callings, and
the perception of harmony in our total environment. In order to
become good healers we must focus on the movements of our soul,
which are seasonally sensitive especially in the summer and autumn
of eco-spirituality. Thus this treatment regards eco-spirituality
as encompassing the total human experience with our Earth, the
intellectual considerations and prayerful reflections on what has
been experienced, and the process of coming to find the Holy One
who is present in this wounded Earth.
This eco-spirituality is not meant to be a critique of the
writings of other writers in eco-spirituality, for their insights
and work will stand on their own merits. Critique is neither my
expertise nor my style. Rather, this treatise is pro-active and,
while considered to be inspired by the Spirit, draws from the
rhythms of the Earth itself. It is a searching reflection on these
movements in an atmosphere of compassion and a joining of forces
with guests and friendly healers of the Earth to help in planetary
restoration. These healers may come from different but converging
religious, cultural, and spiritual persuasions, but all are invited
to participate.
Invitation to an Initial Audience
We shall suggest actions and practices for each month. At
the same time we shall invite dialog with interested parties with
specific eco-spiritualities and their own slate of needs for
healing the Earth. It would be unfair to avoid differences in
these discussions; what we strive for collectively is the saving
of the Earth, not that our particular outlooks conquer or prevail.
I think this particular call for creating and refining eco-
spirituality is worth feedback, especially at the beginning of the
treatment. The urgency of the current condition of the Earth makes
worldwide collaboration necessary and that is why I am introducing
the subject over the Internet. On our non-profit, incorporated
website <earthhealing.info> we have as of the first of 2006 some
40,000 visits per month from 60 nations.
You are invited to help by reading and critiquing my text;
hopeful results may include: the reader could be encouraged and
stimulated to develop his or her own eco-spirituality and/or adapt
workable aspects of the one emerging here; positive remarks may
help me to refine the reflections in subsequent portions of this
book and could hasten conclusion of the work; and readers may wish
to contact others thus expanding the network of parties from
various nations.
This website is automatically translated into a number of
languages but the translation is far from perfect. My editor, Mary
Davis, and web manager, Janet Powell, have been quite sensitive to
foreign readers and attempt to keep me from playing on words with
multiple meanings. This may not prove perfect for the non-English
reader. Furthermore, it appears that writing before the eyes of
the world could be quite risky: if readers take this effort
seriously, dialog could extend the time needed for completion, ; on
the other hand maybe no one will come. It could open up the
possibility of negative comments, which could dampen my enthusiasm;
it could lead to the introduction of alternative views of eco-
spirituality, which could detour attention; and it risks comments
from rather strong-willed and persuasive persons who may strive to
rewrite this text to make their own book. Also electronic
communications are not the best media to discuss emotionally-
charged complex issues, which are better handled by face-to-face
conversation or even more thoughtful written correspondence.
On the other hand, collaboration has many benefits on a broad,
even global, level. Granted some detours may occur, but that is
inevitable and they can be shortened by good editorial judgment
calls; we expect to spend time and energy even though they are
always in short supply; face-to-face and telephone conversation
are better but not always possible. Your thought is important if
long-term healing of the Earth is to be done on a global scale in
a more democratic fashion; improvements will be part of the process
and worthy of joint celebration; clarity is a prized jewel and
others could be helpful in giving good direction and reasons; and
finally the wounded Earth is worthy of our collaborative endeavors.
Past Efforts
I have started a book on eco-spirituality several times but
not with total satisfaction. Down-To Earth Spirituality (Sheed &
Ward, 1992) lays down some of the most elementary terms that will
be introduced again in the early parts of this treatment; however,
that book was somewhat reactive to things I disliked about other
emerging eco-spiritualities without specifically developing a total
eco-spirituality. These difficulties led to a shorter essay given
at the World Congress on Religion at Chicago in 1992, dealing with
the Elements of an Authentic Spirituality now found in the "Special
Issues" section of this website.
Three times I prepared a draft of follow-up materials. The
first was called Apocalypse (1995) and was a look at the path the
inhabitants of the Earth will most likely take, if we continue
current environmental practices; it included ways to change. This
attempt proved to be too pessimistic for initial reviewers, and I
am inclined to agree at least in regard to the title. Therefore
the project was put on the shelf for a few years while I engaged in
a multitude of other activities. A second book I prepared in 1998
while holding a chair at Marquette University for one semester
where my work included teaching an environmental philosophy course
and performing an environmental resource assessment of the school;
this book was based on a movement from recognition of the wounded
Earth to a process of recognizing the human will to change -- a
spiritual retreat approach. The publishers found little sales
potential without major reworking, so I set it aside for a new
shorter or more enticing format. The third draft attempt was made
in early 2003 while doing pastoral ministry at Somerset, Kentucky
and involved a "journey of faith" approach, a more interpersonal
reflection but with introduced materials, which I will incorporate
here.
I now see that the weakness of the three preliminary
approaches was that the entire thesis was far-ranging and hard to
digest; what was lacking were shorter reflections written while
the thought process proceeded over time, the process being as
important as the result. A greater sensitivity must be given to
time, place and human interactions at the time of the writing. In
all three cases, though I was near and among people, I did not
invite them into the process from start to finish; they were
called only to look over the finished product and never to become
involved in intermediate feedback.
You who share a desire to develop an eco-spirituality are
asked to participate to whatever degree possible. If your own
works are already well developed, they need to be publicized --
though that service is beyond my current abilities. I am most keen
to hear if you base the work on first hand experience rather than
on textbook knowledge, if you regard the work of healing the Earth
prayerfully, and if you are committed to challenging all personal
and communal forces of disrespect of the Earth in the form of
wanton consumerism.
Assumptions
For the sake of transparency in this development the following
are some assumptions, with many of which the reader may concur.
That is to be expected. The choices of and limits to these
assumptions are what I find define my eco-spirituality at this
moment. With time these will most likely be modified.
The January of eco-spirituality -- All of creation involves
mystery. All of the world around us is a mystery, seen much in the
manner that a child, upon taking the first steps, sees all objects
as worthy of examination. We can focus but not become so overly
fixated that we miss the majesty of all creation. We are awestruck
by the mysterious creation unfolding before our eyes -- the forests
and flowers, the mountains and rivers, the people who are creating
their worlds, artifacts, ideas, and communities. Revealing these
basic mysteries is a genuine puzzle, and that is the only type of
puzzle I care to spend my time doing (Lifestyle Index in the 1970s,
Ethnic Atlas of the United States starting in the 1980s, My
Lifetime Relationship with Tobacco in the 1990s). And these
puzzles have taken more than the decade indicated. But to
formalize an emerging eco-spirituality that starts with the mystery
of creation itself is a puzzle of immense proportions. What makes
this all the more enticing is that the puzzle involves a call to
help heal this wounded Earth, and how we go about it is doubly
puzzling. If it is a godly act, we certainly must be called to act
in a godly manner. My father anticipated an eternity for learning
what he was unable to do in this life; that is what this puzzle
will lead to as well, an eternal unfolding. But within our limited
time we can start the process by delving into the quest for
Mystery.
The February of eco-spirituality -- There is an urgent need to
heal the Earth. An eco-spirituality may be an academic exercise to
some, with little or no urgency involved; they may want only to
spend time methodically studying the matter. Others may approach
the overwhelming environmental crisis by denying the seriousness of
the situation, or by seeking to escape through drugs, alcohol,
television or a multitude of other allurements; or they may excuse
themselves through false humility and leave matters to the experts.
Even though ways of avoidance prevail, something must be done.
Scientific evidence points to a host of existing or pending eco-
disasters: a drastic extinction in plant and animal species in the
past hundred years; increases in asthma among many urban residents
and especially children due to air pollutants; a worrisome
greenhouse effect resulting from increased carbon dioxide levels
through human activities; a flood of invasive exotic species
through increased mobility in movement of goods; and possible
epidemics that can spread through more rapid transportation
systems. The negative narrative turns many off. But we must make
hay while the sun shines. The crisis exists; we seek consolation
amid the desolation of environmental disasters so that a strong
eco-spirituality makes us beacons of hope, not harbingers of doom.
The March of eco-spirituality -- We demand an authentic eco-
spirituality. No one starts from a spiritual tabula rasa; all
people have a spirituality of some sort. Saying that some
spiritualities are good and some bad may be overly judgmental.
However, my hesitancy to enter the eco-spirituality discussion has
been due to a reluctance to talk about the need for compassion,
which stems from my scientific culture . Medical students who are
developing a specialty often refrain from dabbling in alternative
medicine. My current activities mean that I often put eco-
spirituality on the shelf because of its hidden demands.
An authentic eco-spirituality is based in scientific evidence
and involves affirming the ecological principle that all beings are
interrelated, that the laws of conservation of energy extend to the
dynamics of human and planetary activity (no suffering is ever
lost), and that our actions must have planetary implications (see
Special Issues). An eco-spirituality that is
too narrowly focused on elites or specialties leaves out the total
environment and world community; one that dismisses suffering and
compassion is too insensitive to possess a healing potential. To
acquire and maintain our sense of authenticity we need models of
compassion; and none seems more perfect than Jesus, the incarnate
one, teacher and healer, prophetic and compassionate, the one who
identifies with this suffering Earth.
The April of eco-spirituality -- My eco-spirituality must be
sensitive to place, time and community (see Down to Earth
Spirituality, Sheed, 1992). In current and previous reflections,
books, essays, and Simple Lifestyle Calendar productions I speak
often about this sensitivity. I cannot ignore my agrarian roots by
ignoring weather, wind speed, time of sunrise and sunset,
temperature and general climate, and the humidity. The seasons
within our Northern Temperate Zone affect our moods; so do the
mountains and the forest in which I write. The liturgical "Prayer
of the Church" is seasonal and time-of-day sensitive and that
colors my spirituality as well. We deepen our relationship with
our wounded Mother Earth herself by dying to self in order to
become sensitive to planetary pain, and to expand our compassion
from our particular location to all of creation. But these efforts
require some willingness to sacrifice our comforts for the sake of
others and thereby strengthen our will power. In April, during the
Holy Week readings and liturgies, the mystery of the suffering and
death of Jesus takes on special significance.
The May of Eco-spirituality -- An Eco-spirituality must
involve touching the soil. In springtime, a time and space
sensitivity becomes most acute and demands immediate expression.
Someone may ask, why on Earth would you spend many hours of time in
gardening when the world is in such bad shape? The answer goes to
the heart of one's eco-spirituality. If we do not touch the Earth,
we can never feel its pain, gain the energy to do something, and
begin the process of healing the wounded Earth. From the Earth
comes the resurrection and from what is below comes an empowerment.
In taking the pulse of the Earth we ourselves are restored. If
we can restore the Earth on a small level, we will have the energy,
power and expertise to radiate out this godly work to distant
points of the earth. As with any catalytic enzyme, the beginning
must be a choice point of contact, and our garden becomes the point
of life renewal for our wounded planet. The Christian who believes
in the Resurrection of Christ sees this event extending out to
those who are associated with him and to the entire Earth arising
in the springtime to new life.
The June of eco-spirituality -- An appropriate technology is
needed to heal the Earth. Technologies that place a heavy drain on
natural resources (fossil fuels) will do further harm to the Earth
through the air pollution resulting from generation of electricity
and operating motor vehicles. Renewable energy sources (solar,
wind and some bio-related fuels) are more appropriate. We must
choose technologies that are environmentally benign, people
friendly, of lower cost, and beneficial within a given local
community. Appropriate technologists follow the principles laid
down by E. F. Schumacher in Small is Beautiful. Under God-given
powers we no longer fear the natural forces around us; we are
willing to work with tools to make changes, hopefully for the
betterment of the Earth and its people. With a spirit of
compassion we are empowered to bring about a re-creation of the
Earth in an even more wonderful manner, a transformation, which is
the completeness of the Resurrection/Ascension mystery. And we are
reminded of this empowerment each time we transform the bread and
wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord.
The July of our eco-spirituality -- An eco-spirituality must
be prayerful. Undoubtedly those of good will can find that this
specific understanding of eco-spirituality will resonate in a
variety of ways: we need to be committed to a method of centering
our lives, we need refreshment in our ongoing struggle to heal the
Earth, and we need to be hope-filled that our work is not in vain.
We must pray always; to pray this or that way depends on numerous
individual factors. The long hot summer tests our endurance and
fidelity to our calling. This is the time to see the importance of
continuing at the task even when we are tempted to abandon it. We
need always to be open, to be ready for what comes, to be thankful
for gifts received, and to strive to improve ourselves. Good
healers need this atmosphere of ongoing prayer -- this
contemplation in action.
The August of eco-spirituality -- We must be inspired people.
The Earth has little room for the dispirited, overly pessimistic,
and those with no future. On the other hand, we need to avoid an
unrealistic optimism or effervescence that can turn people off.
Inspiration involves discovering the God within, proclaiming this
in word, and showing this through loving deed. Our inspired
activities must be realistically based, a harmony that needs
practical experience, theoretical understanding, and meaningful
resulting actions. We probe more deeply into the revelation of the
Divine Mystery in our own lives and find in the activity of the
Godhead the structure of the proper actions that we are to take.
God is compassion and we are inspired to model that compassion
after that of our God. We accept our healing ministry with
enthusiasm. At times we must be prophetic, but we are confident
that the Spirit will lead us to speak and act as we ought.
The September of eco-spirituality -- Healers must be
collaborative. Lone rangers are not good healers no matter how
experienced. All need technical and moral support as well as
constant feedback through communications networks. Hospital teams
are essential in the emergency ward. What the "Church" can give at
this moment in history is a universal structure wherein people of
good will are able to work together for the betterment of all.
This is a model of what the wider world can do through the United
Nations, the European Union, or other regional or global
organizations. While civil strife is still all too rampant,
international cooperation on everything from famine relief to
tsumani warning systems is starting to function with some degree of
success. Church structures throughout the world offer ideal places
for initiating cooperative ventures provided they do this for the
good of all and not for selfish proselytizing purposes.
Interreligious and ecumenical linkages are growing and are healthy,
for what is at stake is the saving of the planet itself -- and that
must become a global undertaking.
The October of eco-spirituality -- Forgiveness is at the heart
of our attention. Global cooperation requires peaceful conditions
and that means a prevailing sense of forgiveness of past or current
wrongdoing. One answer to global discontent is larger standing
armies, but the militarization involved simply increases the scope
of the wrongdoing; the large military establishments consume too
much of the world's financial and physical resources, which ought
to be redistributed for essential needs of the human family.
Forgiveness of this wrongdoing involves a process of conversion of
heart. Thus global healing with all its political and social
implications becomes part of our resolution to lead a new life.
Through the sacraments we are invited (Baptism) to be courageous
(Confirmation) partakers within the Divine Family, confessing
weaknesses (Reconciliation) and nurtured on the Divine Life
(Eucharist). We die to self so we can rise with Christ and help
bring healing and peace to all the world, especially those parts
wounded by human misdeeds.
The November of eco-spirituality -- We will rise again. Some
people, when confronted with the vastness of the heavens or the
complexity of evolved life forms, are tempted to regard themselves
as insignificant specks of dust. But an alternative view exists.
True humility is not to focus on our small size in a vast universe
but to see that through no worthiness on our part we are invited to
become co-workers with the Lord in a New Creation. Our important
mission is not of our doing. We are partakers in the Resurrection
event but did not merit this dignity of human powers; God empowers
us through the Lordship of Christ to help change the course of
history itself from an apparent circularity to a linear movement to
a defined end, a New Creation, a New Heaven and a New Earth as
promised in Scripture. We are urged to help hasten the day of that
coming of the Lord, a quickening of life that goes beyond us human
beings to include the entire world around us. Rather than being an
insignificant part of the process, we now act in the manner in
which the Godhead acts. We strive to this end and turn to look at
the manner in which we strive to find clues to the way God acts in
our world.
The December of eco-spirituality -- The journey is one of
faith. Though the journey we undertake is difficult, the goal is
up ahead. The challenge is to set our hearts on eternal things and
yet continue on our journey of faith with eyes intent on things to
come. This journey of faith is presented in a new and descriptive
manner that summarizes our total investigation in travel terms.
Thus during this final period we reflect back upon where we came
from and ahead on where we intend to go. This becomes an advent in
our lives for the coming of the Lord is connected with the
rebuilding of our Earth; the two go hand-in-hand and we are the
heralds of the Second Coming of Christ. We need not paint bleak
apocalyptic images of what might be coming, but through a more
harmonious theological interpretation of Holy Scripture and
Tradition seek to find encouragement for those who are weary. Our
journey is patterned after the very way in which salvation history
occurs -- for our microcosmic personal journeys of faith mirror the
path of the entire cosmos. We need not speculate about the future
for we have no power to foretell, nor should we spend time trying.
We can reflect about our immediate past and purify our motives --
and that should make us better healers. Success will surely come.
Goals
At the forefront of this treatment are several goals, which
will be refined further during the coming months:
Ultimate goal -- To seek and find God in all things.
This Ignatian imperative is actually an elaboration on the purpose
for our existence which involves knowing, loving and serving God.
As stated, the goal exhibits a basic confidence that we will find
what is sought, that God is the one sought, and that we search in
an unspecified field of "all things" (the whole of creation). The
three areas have a relationship to an authentic eco-spirituality:
seeking refers to an openness to accept all being in the totality
of the human experience; God is the ultimate end and the one who is
compassionate and gives meaning to all things; and "all things"
infers the interrelationship of all creatures.
Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find;
knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks
always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who
knocks will always have the door opened to him. (Matthew 7:7-8)
We Christians know that Christ never goes back on his
promises; he will always reward our earnest searching with
something found, though it may come as a surprise to us. Thus
"seeking" involves "finding," and the discovery of finding
energizes us to hurry on the faith journey to new and greater
vistas. By seeking God in all things, we affirm that God is in all
things and yet beyond all things -- immanent and transcendent.
* Intermediate goal -- To authenticate an expression of eco-
spirituality based on compassion for the wounded Earth. The
proposed process of Earthhealing is a means of reaching the
ultimate goal. In the process of learning how to be healers we are
confident that we will discover increasingly how God works in the
world and we will become more godly by acting in the manner in
which God acts with compassion towards us. We will learn something
about the very nature of the Godhead. This discovery will not be
for personal benefit (though consolation will accompany our
involvement); it will be to assist others to discover connections
in their own life experiences, callings and goals. We shall
explore how people, especially women, are drawn to becoming
compassionate and how this virtue extends to the suffering Earth
itself.
* Immediate goal -- To articulate my personal eco-spirituality
through efforts that include a description of personal
environmental experiences, through maintenance of a prayerful and
spiritual balance throughout the current environmental crises, and
through a continued activism that is conditioned on the human and
other resources at hand. The hope throughout is that others will
share their experiences at the same time and that this process of
healing the Earth will hasten collaborative efforts on the part of
all people of good will.
Basic Methodology
The method chosen here involves writing monthly portions of
the book according to a general outline, based on an experiential
phase, a prayerful and rational reflection in order to come to a
formal understanding of an eco-spirituality, and a judgmental
phase, which extends beyond the intellectual pursuit of knowledge
and includes concrete actions to be considered by those striving to
be healers of the Earth.
* Experiential phase -- This consists of an Ignatian prelude
(St. Ignatius of Loyola in The Spiritual Exercises), bringing to
mind the time and place as a realistic setting in which a
reflection on mysteries may occur. The phase includes various
environmental experiences associated with the particular month and
place and focusing on sight, sound, taste, aroma, and touch.
* Understanding phase -- This involves a prayerful and rational
reflection on the basic experiences found in the assumption
sections using the twelve articles of The Apostles Creed or The
Nicene Creed and reflecting on how each sheds light on how we heal
our wounded Earth. Virtually all fit well within the liturgical
patterns of the particular month. The challenge at each step is to
translate understanding into loving service for others.
* Action phase -- Reflection cannot stand alone but must
always usher in concrete actions, which both verify the
authenticity of the reasoning process and become components of a
multiphase healing process. The action section for each month is
divided into three parts:
1. Environmental actions, which flow directly from the
reflections of the month including those of an individual or
cooperative political nature. These will be reaffirmations of
suggested and implemented environmental actions contained in many
of my writings over the past four decades. These are important in
any eco-spirituality as posture and preparation are to prayer life.
2. Intermediate actions involved with the prayerful portion of
the reflection. They will be more or less tried and true spiritual
hints to pray more meaningfully and earnestly.
3. Long-term actions, which involve spreading the word so that
it will be of ultimate help to concerned people who are committed
to growth in their own spiritual lives. These actions deal more
with suggestions for overcoming spiritual road blocks to the
healing process.
Integrated Summary
After the threefold monthly process is underway, a summary of
the findings will be presented in a more organic fashion -- an
unfolding of what is new integrated with what was said before. The
goal is to make this a systematic presentation of new lights
obtained during the month. The summary is not a rehash of what has
just been said, but an integration of all that has gone before;
this, in itself, should shed new light on the subject. While we do
not know fully where or how this summary will fit into the final
scheme of things, we think it will have a place. Thus after
January, each subsequent month's reflections will not restate what
has just been said, but rather will integrate new reflections made
that month with the previous summary. This will allow a more or
less fixed portion of each month's work to remain virtually
unamended (the experiences and reflections leading up to the
integrated summary) and provide for a more "mobile" portion that
will be built up with each succeeding month.
This exercise is like planning and developing an annual
garden. A gardener does not overly define the space and specific
crop for fear that excessive rigidity will discourage his own
creativity. An eco-spirituality must develop organically for it
deals with an organic Earth, that is, the bud or core of the book
is reworked and allowed to expand as the book develops. Writers
often rewrite introductions in the course of writing a book, and
this is possible here as well. However, I doubt that there will be
any major differences between the last iteration of the
Introduction from the first, but surprises are always possible.
Each month's writings will stand as a valid reflection of that
period; I hope that they will not be rewritten beyond the demands
of clarity and brevity, but evolution is often unpredictable. If
an expanded clarification of insights is important, I will note
this in a footnote to be appended to the particular section. In
keeping with the style of previous works, I may give a dated,
revised introduction or road map as this journey of faith becomes
clearer.
Note on Genesis Account and Eco-spirituality
Some critics fault Christian philosophy/theology as the root
cause of the environmental crisis due to the misinterpreted mandate
in the Genesis account of creation on the sixth day -- God blessed
them, saying to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and
conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of
heaven, and all living animals on the earth" (Genesis 1:28).
Lynn White, Jr. in "The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic
Crisis" (Science, Vol. 155 (Number 3767), March 1967, pp. 1203-
1207), perhaps the most requested reprint in scientific literature,
said that Christians found in that passage a certain mandate to
subdue the Earth. He adds that "wilderness" occurs approximately
three hundred times in the Bible, and all its appearances are
derogatory. Some who accept the challenge of a new eco-
spirituality based on better understanding of the Earth think that
the newer revelation of science (a Teilhard de Chardin concept)
includes science-motivated cultural adaptation and that new
understanding leads to better care for the Earth. What they have
done is praiseworthy, especially in seeking to address
misinterpretations. But they over-concentrate on the intellectual
struggle and fail to see that compassion is a struggle of the will.
White's arguments certainly had merit in so far as the
misinterpretation goes. My initial reaction back then was one of
expected disturbance, but I liked the fact that White mentioned St.
Francis as a model of good environmentalism. While he was focusing
on the justification by Western explorers/exploiters (same word in
some European languages) for the conquest of the Earth, what was
lacking was an exegesis of the words "mastery" and "conquest." It
was like describing the scriptural passages used by slavers to
justify their practices without considering those passages in
context. Conquest or subjugation (literally putting one's foot on
the neck of another), was a difficult passage for centuries. Even
in Old Testament times the Genesis account was highly nuanced and
"control" meant responsibility over what was entrusted.
My personal resolution is to see the peaceful Jesus not as
conqueror in a worldly sense, for he plainly disappoints his
disciples for his lack of military and political ambitions. Jesus
transforms "mastery" from control over another, through his washing
the feet of the disciples, to one of loving service to those
looking on him as master. This interpretation of Jesus has lasted
throughout two millennia, and that includes throughout the age of
explorers and exploiters. As we know, as concerned Earth healers,
we must give loving service to fish, birds and living animals on
the Earth. Farmers know the difference between those who exploit
livestock out of greed and those who love and care for their
domestic livestock; it takes no course in biblical hermeneutics for
the Christian peasant to treat livestock properly. Unfortunately,
academically-driven eco-spirituality writers focus too much on
early intellectual battles and forgot about the role of greed and
its aftereffects on the human psyche.
