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
ECO-SPIRITUALITY IN
AUGUST
August is alive and inspires us to reflect and thank God for
life in all its manifestations. We have moved through the
quickening of springtime and the first heat of summer. In July, we
focus on the others whom we must encourage in addressing their
talents and handicaps in order to help them to become good Earth
healers. Strangely, summer's initial lethargy now gives way to
introspection, for this is vacation time, a period of rest and
relaxation. How can we be instruments in inspiring others? How do
we sustain and increase our own enthusiasm for our mission? How
can we be model christs to all who need to become Earth healers?
The verdant growth of summer is a perfect time for the Feast
of the Transfiguration -- a feast of glory and Christ's exaltation.
When the heat slows us down and vacation season calls, we find less
compulsion for busy work and we discover something beyond, a
glorious Mystery. Maybe it is that first hint of autumn that makes
us see plant growth in its zenith, and so we celebrate the feast of
the Transfiguration (August 6). No mortal thing, no matter how
glorious, lasts in its present state, and so a focus returns to the
passing of time; what is green today will soon be yellow and gold.
And for us, consolation is needed for the tasks of harvest still
ahead, and thus the means to sustain our enthusiasm. Spiders build
cobwebs; migratory birds are clustering together with their
chatter, and mornings and evenings are less harsh than in July.
Subtle change is in the air; and we need to harvest and heal.
August invites us to look about and see, and so we turn within
ourselves and consider our source of inspiration, the enthusiastic
drive to assist others, the interior workings of the Spirit and the
sharing of experience with others. This introspection leads us to
address our inner restlessness, which may be regarded as good or
evil. Does this call for a discernment of conflicting spirits? We
return to mystery as mentioned in January -- a mystery within, all
around, and beyond, all coalescing to make us who we are. That
Mystery beyond (my terminology) is a deep underlying experience of
God's presence, which may approximate what Karl Rahner calls the
"mystical moment," namely the awareness of God touching us even
though there is no explicit reflection on that experience. In
fact, this Mystery as person is influencing and communicating with
us, when we open our hearts to others and especially to the God who
is the absolute or holy Mystery, incomprehensible and impenetrable.
August, this month of the Transfiguration, is a perfect time
to consider resting in the glory of created comfort. Is this not
when we ought to consider where mystery fits into our lives? In
this precious moment of rest are we moved to confront our personal
interior environment that contains an inherent restlessness that is
needed to drive us forward? Is our interior balance retained or
threatened by this restlessness? How does this differ from comfort
levels sought by many others who are environmentally conscious?
And will this expanding endeavor sustain and strengthen the mission
to which we find ourselves engaged?
A. Experiences
We always begin with our own experiences for we are sensitive
to the seasons, and August tells us so much. We sense the
unfolding of God's creation in the natural world, in insects and
wild foods, in fields and foliage, and in kitchens where summer
flavors are preserved. We are enraptured by mid-summer's nights
and days. And we utter a word of thanks, and in doing so find the
energy to carry on in acts of sharing love. This interplay through
prayer is both inspired and inspiring; inspired by the Spirit,
inspiring for us to move to deeper levels of involvement in our
wounded Earth and hurting people.
1. Fascinating Insects
Idler, go to the ant;
ponder her ways and grow wise;
no one gives her orders,
no overseer, no master,
yet all through the summer she makes sure of her food,
and gathers her supplies at harvest time.
(Proverbs 6:6-8)
After a nice summer rain in August the fields truly exult. I
always regarded the middle of this month as the height of summer
growth: the hayfields are again greening for the last cutting, the
corn is tasseling and verdant, soybean pods appear, woodlands are
aglow with greenery just before their dying phase next month, and
tobacco is ready to be cut and "housed." God's own divine color
must be green. From my earliest youth, I always wanted mid-August
to last forever, but it always passes by so very soon. Gradually
it becomes evident that we are hoping for the eternal.
They toil and work, whether ants, or tumblebugs, or "waspers,"
or yellow jackets. They make us aware that time is a precious
commodity and we also must "make hay while the sun shines." Life
is short for these insects and they know it in their own
instinctive ways. And they teach us to be equally aware of the
shortness of our days. August's shortening days and cooler morns
and evenings remind us that summer is not endless, for subtle
changes announce that autumn is coming. The hot weather softens;
plants come to seed; deep green foliage has a hint of a golden hue;
even the crickets' sound is a little different.
To observe busy insects is to gain wisdom from their story-
telling; there's meaning to their apparent nervous busyness. They
are part of communities, of anthills and hives, all working
together for the good of the whole. We learn from them to overcome
our self-centeredness and think of the whole community; for one
time of the year, we observe insects closely as they do their own
thing; they obey their natural calling to conserve energy and
prepare for winter's needs; their individual end is near and yet
they contribute to the survival of the group. The monarch
butterfly flits from milkweed bloom to bloom in deliberate
preparation for its upcoming two-thousand mile migratory trip to
Mexico. The hummingbird seems even busier with wings fluttering
faster than the eye can see; the methodical bumblebee moves from
one flower to another. Each insect has a sense of mission.
2. Engaging in Nature's Conversations
Let the heavens be glad, let earth rejoice,
let the sea thunder and all that it holds,
let the fields exult and all that is in them,
let all the woodland trees cry out for joy.
(Psalm 96:11-12)
A lazy day in summer in the hot field allows us to hear the
crickets' chorus and see and hear the corn grow. Nothing has ever
been more harmonious for me than the high summer sounds. It is as
though the trees really do shout out to God with joy. Here we
detect the harmony of all creation and allow these sights and
sounds to penetrate the depths of our souls. Is it distant thunder
or do we even hear the sound of the Big Boom still resounding
throughout the universe? Sights are harmonious and sounds even
more so, all contributing to a feeling of well-being and
exultation. Now is the moment to stop and look and listen.
The fields and trees also tell profound stories, but these are
filled with mysteries that constantly challenge us. Fields exult
in the soft misty haze of morning, the intense blaze of noonday
glory, and in the lengthening shadows of evening. Even in the
night when the subtle, creepy voices of nature are detected by a
well-tuned ear, a story is being told; at night we can hear the
corn growing, as blades unfurl with their creaking sounds -- a
truly mid-summer sound. We tone down the distracting conversation
of everyday life and attune our senses. Fish splash in the creek;
leaves rustle in the summer breeze; a varmint moves ever so
quietly; birds flutter about. Listening brings on nature's
symphony, and we are privileged to be part of the audience.
Nature's varied voices in the summertime of our lives move us
to converse with them. Why not? It's natural to speak to and
among the creatures of nature. My Aunt Toots, the green-thumbed
gardener, once asked, "Is it wrong to talk to plants?" "Why not?"
I responded. "They are looking for a good conversation when
happy." Many people talk to their pets; some speak to the wildlife
as well. I once overheard a Jesuit on his morning prayer walk
saying to a begging squirrel, "I'm sorry little fellow, I haven't
got anything to give you." He was mistaken -- he was giving the
creature his love in response to the animal's invitation.
Our keen observing and listening during this glorious month
floods us with creation's innate joy. God speaks through all
creatures and they, in turn, invite us to converse. And when we
respond freely, we show that we appreciate the great gift of their
presence to us. In doing so, we enhance creation's act of praise,
and we join in one great act of re-presenting the divine presence.
3. Visiting the Summer Kitchen
Yahweh smelt the appeasing fragrance...
(Genesis 8:21a)
We hungry youngsters were always drawn to Mama's kitchen,
especially for supper. During summer, it was especially a favored
time because that was when the strong sweet smell of the day's
canning pervaded the steamy environs. Looking back, we didn't give
full appreciation to those who made the atmosphere so pleasant.
Only after they are gone do we realize how they were our
inspiration.
August was food preserving time. The super-abundant fruit --
cherries, plums, blackberries, peaches, grapes, and summer apples -
- were made into preserves and into juicy cobblers for the night
dessert. Mama was proud of her day's work and, while we ate, she
showed us the jars lining the marble counter top, which were
cooling before being taken to the cellar storage area. Her
collection would include sweet and dill pickles and relish, pickled
pears and watermelon, mincemeat made from green tomatoes, as well
as strawberry, grape, and blackberry jam and jelly, and apple
sauce. And plum marmalade, which became the basic ingredient for
her famous Christmas puddings.
During those pre-air conditioning days we hardly thought about
how uncomfortable preserving food by canning actually was. When
the steamers or "boilers" were used for "cold packing" beans and
non-acidic produce, the place became even more heated. That heat
was the reason why in anti-bellum homesteads summer kitchens were
separate from the household proper. We didn't have that luxury,
and so Mama endured her purgatory on Earth -- and it was also her
sacrifice to give us good home-cooked, summer evening meals. I
don't think non-cooks ever show adequate appreciation for the
efforts it takes to cook and preserve food. We indulge in the
fragrances that whet our appetites and we eagerly sample the
finished products, but do we truly thank the cook? Too often, we
take summer's bounty for granted, and the people who make it
appetizing even more so.
4. Delighted by Wild Plums
They demanded food, God sent them quail,
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven;
God opened the rock, the water gushed
to flow through the desert like a river.
(Psalm 105:40-41)
There was a small cluster of trees along the side of the
lonely road on which I jogged in the Rockcastle River Valley. Only
in August did this woody cluster become important, for here wild
plums grew and brightened the green foliage. My favorite summer
taste! I know no taste more exquisite, but that is somewhat like
beauty in the eye of the beholder. You have your favorites too.
Nature's exceedingly wide variety of wild foods invites us to
sample the many unique tastes: fruits, nuts and seeds, berries,
greens, herbs, saps, edible mushrooms and flowers, all out there at
some time in the growing year for the sampling. These wild things
are the "manna and quail" of our age, naturally present and, if we
accept the divine invitation, ready to be discovered and sampled.
Why should we deprive ourselves of such wonderful creature comforts
on rare occasions? So often, just a single taste is enough for the
year lest we become gluttons.
The lesson of the Book of Exodus demonstrates an exercise of
Divine Providence in our collective spiritual journey. These wild
provisions are to be taken to the degree needed and not more; we
should not become greedy, for these are provided for our simple
enjoyment; they invite us, in turn, to share a sample with those
unable to go and gather nature's bounty, and thus the enjoyment
extends to others as well. Then will God's saving grace flow like
the waters from the desert rocks to points beyond. By harvesting
wisely we ensure enough wild plants and wildlife for all to enjoy.
5. Appreciating the Foliage of Summer
No longer are you to be named 'Forsaken',
and your land 'Abandoned',
but you shall be called 'My Delight'
and your land 'The Wedded';
for Yahweh takes delight in you
and your land will have its wedding.
(Isaiah 62:4)
The thought occurs often when I am hiking in the wilderness
that now is the time when the green foliage of summer and the blue
skies meet in utter triumph. What is more sublime in all of God's
creation than the intensity of August color touching the heavens.
Here truly a wedding of sorts occurs when Earth meets Heaven and
Heaven meets Earth in a vow-like exchange. This is an opportunity,
a prime moment of inspiration, when God's gift is perceived in the
act of being given, when a hint as to the nature of Giver, and the
act of giving becomes know to us.
A wilderness retreat is a prized period of the year. We
don't get the opportunity too often and the seasons do not always
afford such luxuries. What intensity and yet what short duration
that make the gift all the more appreciated. Here and now the
Giver's gifts are experienced; here and now we can reaffirm with no
pressure from others, only in the utter moment of freedom from
which it springs forth, that what God has given is good. Here a
contemplation of love is possible, a realization that the Giver is
revealed in the intensity of the gift, and that by appreciating the
gift we are drawn through love to the Giver. We realize also that
even the capacity to receive the gift is also a gift. Our natural
response must be one of deed, of giving back through thanksgiving
and of extending appreciation by serving others. It seems so
simple, yet it takes a lifetime to initiate with a sincere heart.
B. Reflections
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life...
Nicene Creed
We consider our interior life in the plentitude of this
season, so we can become more balanced in assisting others in the
awesome task ahead. We focus on the Holy Spirit, the giver of
life, our guide, consoler who rushes upon us from the mysterious
depths of the beyond, inspiring us to come to know ourselves. We
ponder what Karl Rahner calls God's "self-communication" or a
fundamental element of human existence. In a truly Ignatian sense
of finding God in all things, we look now into our own interior and
are drawn to the great works of the Spirit and how they speak
directly to us and what we are about.
In the light of what was said of Jesus in our previous months,
we now see the sending of the Spirit and the unfolding of the
Mystery of the triune God -- the Father, Son and Spirit. This
Mystery is "hidden by the veil of faith and enveloped, so to speak
by a kind of darkness" (Vatican I terms) and yet we are called to
discover the light (Vatican II's Lumen Gentium). Our primary
inspiration is to know more about this Mystery, so that, through
understanding, we can be of greater service. Thus we should speak
of the fundamental development in history, the revealing in time of
the triune God or "salvation history," while reflecting more on
history of the community of faith in the coming months.
Inspiration expresses itself in our interior enthusiasm, a
response fraught with human limitations but undertaken with courage
and trust in the Spirit. Yes, this enthusiasm is a gift, and every
great gift reveals the Giver. If I appreciate the gift of
enthusiasm, I must delve into the meaning of the God within.
Returning to January one finds a focus on space (HERE), time (NOW),
and the community in which WE are engaged. The first two involve
single linear dimensions radiating out from the center or self,
whereas the third is multidimensional and embraces the relations I
have with many others. The "Mystery beyond" has a special place
for, when made more explicit, it divides Earthhealers into those
with explicit belief and those without. Can and will we work
together? It is a philosophy/ecumenical theology in the making.
We can look again, not so much at inner thought processes in
themselves, but at the manner through which people work. We
discover in these workers an inner harmony involving a basic
creativity, an actualizing through their hands, and a movement of
sharing with others coming from within -- the harmony of hands,
head and heart. The believer gives a special quality to all work:
art, craft and science both theoretical and practical. Lastly, we
look at Earthhealing itself as a harmonious and extremely important
activity, a reestablishing of healing and balance of this wounded
Earth. The triune God is our model for reestablishing this
harmony; this is a "global mystical moment," and we are called to
bear the Good News.
1. The Spirit as Source of Inspiration
...and God's spirit hovered over the waters. (Genesis 1:2)
In the autumn of 1964, while studying theology at North
Aurora, Illinois, I saw a tornado that was whirling in the air and
then dipping down near St. Charles (a few miles away) and then
rising back up with building parts flying all about. I had not
realized the power of the wind, its suddenness, its ability to do
$20 million damage in a few minutes. Such was and is the wind!
The mighty Spirit, ruah (translated breath, air, wind and soul)
moves about the world from the first moment of creation when God's
spirit hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2). As Yves Congar says,
this word "ruah" appears 378 times in the Old Testament and means
in various places: the wind or breath of air; the principle of life
and the seat of knowledge and feeling; and the force by which God
acts and causes action at the physical and at the 'spiritual'
level. (Reference: Yves Congar. I believe in the Holy Spirit:
Vol. I, The Experience of the Spirit. New York: The Seabury Press
and London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1983, pp.3-12).
In the New Testament, the Spirit enters as a messianic gift in
the conception (Luke 1:35), baptism (Mark 1:1ff.), and activity of
Jesus (Congar, pp. 15 ff.). The Holy Spirit completes in Mary all
the preparations for Christ's coming and God gives the world
Emmanuel, God-with-us (Matthew 1:23); Jesus, as befits his true
and full humanity, grows in wisdom and favor with God (Luke 2:52);
he is inspired by the Spirit throughout his human maturation; the
Spirit leads him into the desert to be tested (Matthew 4:1; Mark
1:12; and Luke 4:1) as to his obedience to God. The Spirit of the
Lord has been given to me (Luke 4:18a). Jesus works marvelous
deeds and successfully battles the powers of the evil spirit
throughout his ministry: God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit
and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about
doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the
devil (Acts 10:38). At the end of his life he offers himself as a
spotless victim through the Holy Spirit.
This Holy Spirit comes to the disciples and those gathered in
the room at the first Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) as Jesus had promised
(Acts 1:5, 1:8) and at the Last Supper (John, Chapters 13-17). And
finally, in our own time, the Holy Spirit comes to each one of us
at our baptism and confirmation. Like Jesus and his disciples, all
believers down through the ages receive the Holy Spirit in their
lives. The Church is the place where we know the Holy Spirit: in
the Scriptures, in Tradition, in the Church's Magisterium, in the
sacramental liturgy, in prayer, in charisms and ministries, in the
signs of apostolic and missionary life, and in the witnesses of the
saints (Reference: Catechism of the Catholic Church. Ligouri, Mo.:
Ligouri Publications, 1994, #687-88 -- hereafter Cat.).
Titles of the Holy Spirit include: Paraclete (consoler), (John
14:17, 26, 16:13) (see Congar pp. 53-57), Spirit of promise
(Galatians 3:14, Ephesians 1:13), Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15,
Galatians 4:6), the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9), Spirit of the
Lord (II Corinthians 3:17), Spirit of God (Romans 8:9, 14; 15:19;
I Corinthians 6:11; 7:40) and Spirit of glory (I Peter 4:14) (Cat.
#692). The Holy Spirit is described through the use of symbols:
water (of baptism), anointing with oil, fire, cloud and light,
seal, hand, finger, and the dove.
What we know and understand in our maturing spiritual life is
that we cannot lock up the Spirit whose freedom and unanticipated
movement is like the moving air. The Spirit breaks through our
self-made shells and softens our hearts returning always with that
same first freshness each time we respond. God's love enters the
openings in our hearts and circulates throughout our beings as an
inspiring force giving us new life. And in these matters we
experience the Holy Spirit within.
Characteristics of the Spirit's inspiration for each
individual believer include: unlocking the closed doors of our
hearts and penetrating our beings with their flimsy walls of
supposed security; coming as a great and restless wind in power and
suddenness to give us a prophetic spirit to encourage us to speak
and act boldly; descending on us as tongues of fire showing the
uniqueness of the gifts each person is given in the Spirit;
impelling us to speak publicly to others in a manner that allows
them to understand (a gift of tongues) through the gift of personal
communication; healing and consoling us and thus manifesting the
compassion of God; and urging and empowering us to perform uniquely
forceful deeds (see Spiritual Discernment below).
Inspiration. Many people are inspired in writings, art,
science, exploration, homemaking, and in many other ways. Carl
Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-88) was so inspired when he played music
that he would go until 11:00 at night without taking an
intermission. Natural inspiration is known to us all and is not
limited to those who receive the Spirit in baptism/confirmation.
Inspired creativity is part of human history and of virtually every
human being as well. We are often inspired in an instant and,
though totally unexpected, energized to do or make something.
Inspiration for good is through the Holy Spirit whether we
advert to this or not, and even when the gift is hardly appreciated
or recognized as being of divine origin. This type of inspiration
is a grace-filled instant in time, a striving to break out and be
public, to be appreciated, to be loved. Inspiration seeks
communication; it is risky when freely undertaken, for the inspired
artifact created or service rendered may elicit rejection, for
there is no guaranteed acceptance, though deeply sought.
Good and evil. The Holy Spirit hovers over this broken world,
touching it with Love. Each person who is filled by the Spirit,
testifies to that Spirit among us as another christ, a
manifestation of God speaking and extending love in this troubled
world. Inspiration is more than a rare occurrence; it is the very
soul of who we are, the fresh air needed for our life, the part of
what gives us uniqueness. Inspiration is the Spirit's presence in
our soul seeking to penetrate more deeply and catalyze a radical
sharing of love with others. But on this high note we must still
act with great caution. That is because not all inspiration, yes,
not all, has the Holy Spirit as its source.
Through experience we realize the struggle between good and
evil involves different spirits; Jesus engages in this struggle
throughout his ministry; so do the apostles; so does the Church
down through the ages. The new undertaking of Earthhealing has the
same struggle from corporate misadventures to greedy individuals
seeking profits at the expense of the Earth and its resources. The
battle continues between the good Spirit and those of evil.
(Reference: Joseph F. Kelly. The Problem of Evil in the Western
Tradition. The Liturgical Press, 1989.)
Born again and growth. Through prayer, discernment and the
sacraments we come to realize the good Spirit that is at work
within us. This recognition has decisive moments of acute
inspiration (special events), but it is also a long process of
maturation in faith. In due time we recognize the Holy Spirit is
our life, our power, our coming to be who we are, our gift. With
time, our appreciation grows; we are born physically at a specific
time; we are reborn in baptism and confirmation at further specific
times in our lives; but the recognition of the importance of these
great events takes a lifetime. With each good deed, this
recognition of the Spirit allows us to grow in wisdom. The events
do not stand alone as though independent and beyond or divine or
human effort. Otherwise, we would be guilty of "presumption" or a
sin against the Holy Spirit, either to save ourselves without help
from on high, or hoping to obtain forgiveness without our
conversion or glory without our merit (Cat., #2092).
Our rebirth in the Spirit is more than the single event that
has been so utterly important in launching us on a lifetime
journey. We are constantly being inspired through a lifetime
process, wherein the Spirit is received in gratitude, and the
Spirit is shared with others. This recognition of a long-term
mission is part of the process of sharing, a feedback mechanism,
for the more we appreciate, the more we share, and the more we
share, the more we appreciate the Spirit within us. We partner
with the Lord by expressing this appreciation through evangelized
word and deed. Without ongoing divine inspiration we are not able
to continue and to assist others in finding an inner gratitude for
the gifts they have received. By discovering this enduring Gift of
Spirit within, we can better understand why the sending of the
person of the Holy Spirit after Jesus' glorification reveals the
fullness of the mystery of the Holy Trinity (Cat., #244, John
7:39). From this understanding we can see the first glimmer of the
inner dynamics of this profound Mystery.
2. The Trinity as God's Self-Communication
How rich are the depths of God -- how deep his wisdom and
knowledge-- and how impossible to penetrate his motives or
understand his methods! Who will ever know the mind of the Lord?
Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything
or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by
him and for him. To him be glory forever! Amen.
(Romans 11: 33-36) Quoted from the Liturgy for Trinity Sunday.
We were hiking in the dense rain forest of British Columbia
when we came upon massive wet footprints. I was no expert on
animal tracks but I knew wet when I saw it, and that meant
something really big just up ahead on the path. My vivid
imagination pictured -- a possible bear? As we rounded the bend we
saw a large St. Bernard wagging its tail and wanting to jump up and
greet us. The mystery was solved.
Some mysteries are natural in origin and can be unraveled;
others are never even known except by the revelation of the
Almighty. And divine mysteries may gradually become clearer
through an eternity of reflection. Such is the Trinity, the big
boom of mysteries -- but maybe far more approachable than even a
St. Bernard. We stand in awe of Mystery known only by Divine
Revelation. Yes, our concepts and words fail us. Karl Rahner says
that God is a mysterious Being who is incomprehensible apart from
God's self-communication to the world. But from an activist
standpoint, could we manifest our appreciation of this self-
communication through deed rather than word? Isn't this difficult
subject fraught with perils of inadvertent (or deliberate) heresy?
However, ought we not to buck up our courage and find in
formulations the limits and road signs on our journey of faith?
But a driving force, an inspiration, says "go on," and so we
plunge amid spiritual consolations to see the nobility of the
calling to heal the Earth, precisely because it is so close to and
even identified with the work of the Triune God. All God's people
are created in God's image and called to be part of God's family;
Christians have a vowed partnership with the Lord through baptism.
Being created in God's image does not mean to "lord" over creation
as a tyrant (see introduction). Since our enthusiasm (next
Section) and our work dynamics (the following section) are gifts
from God, then to act as God's image in a godly manner requires
that we reflect more deeply on how God acts. We do this so we may
know more about the Giver and the manner gifts are given or shared
(as "community" in September's treatment).
In the Ignatian tradition we read from Ignatius of Loyola's
autobiographical memoirs:
He had great devotion to the Most Holy Trinity, and so
each day he prayed to the three Persons separately. But as he
also prayed to the Most Holy Trinity, the thought came to him:
why did he have to say four prayers to the Trinity? But this
thought gave him little or no difficulty, being hardly
important. One day while saying the Office of Our Lady on the
steps of the same monastery, his understanding began to be
elevated as though he saw the Holy Trinity in the form of
three musical keys. This brought out so many tears and so
much sobbing that he could not control himself.... As a
result, the effect has remained with him throughout his life
of feeling great devotion while praying to the Most Holy
Trinity. (Reference: Luis Goncalves da Camara. A Pilgrim's
Testament: The Memoirs of St. Ignatius of Loyola, trans. Parmananda
R. Divarkar. St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1995 p. 28.)
Ignatius' spirituality is thoroughly trinitarian, and that is
why he is a master planner and organizer. A single insight into
the Mystery of the Trinity becomes the deepest spiritual
illumination in his life (at the River Cardoner near Manresa in
Spain), and this has been the subject of many reflections
(Reference: Saint Louis, Mo., Studies in the Spirituality of
Jesuits, Vol 1-38). Ignatius experienced the divine
"circumincession," the total self-giving and indwelling of the
Divine Persons in one another, and this gave him intense joy.
(Reference: Robert Sears and Joseph Bracken. Self-Emptying Love in
a Global Context: The Spiritual Exercises and the Environment.
Eugene, Oreg.: Cascade Books, 2006, p. 42.)
Image of God. Activists start in the possibility of acting
better and more effectively. The knowledge we seek here is not for
its own sake (a major and persistent problem for me for over fifty
years) but in order to move us to greater works (John 14:12). The
trinitarian knowledge sought is to assist in the actions we must
undertake in the coming years as godly people created in God's
image. Yes, speculative truth may be good in itself in an eternity
with the luxury to speculate, but we have a job to do and that is
to heal this wounded Earth. We must transform a speculative
theology of the Trinity into a moral theology of godly action.
Being made in God's image is enough to make us reflect deeply as a
prelude to action.
In the Book of Genesis God says, Let us make man in our own
image, in the likeness of ourselves... (Genesis 1:26a), in a
resemblance that marks us off from the animals and involves a
general similarity of nature: intellect, will, authority. The
human being is a person who shares in dignity through the union of
the physical and the spiritual in one nature. In the atmosphere of
love for us and in a desire to have us close, the almighty God
creates us. If we do not believe that God's love is almighty, how
can we believe that the Father could create us, the Son redeem us,
and the Holy Spirit sanctify us? (Cat., #278.)
"He gave the power to become children of God" (John 1:12).
In the atmosphere of creative love we can raise our voice freely
and praise God for such a privilege, but is that enough? Even this
praise can not be removed from the mission we are given as godly
people. As adopted sons and daughters of God we are invited into
the divine action in this world, especially to saving and healing
this wounded planet and assisting in the creation of a New Earth.
Authentic Earthhealing strives to be godly and thus must be
creative in its methods, redemptive in addressing ecological
misdeeds, and holy in its preparing for the New Heaven and New
Earth. The love Jesus expresses in his farewell address (John
13:33 to 17:26), gives us an insight into the love of Father and
Son, and the love that makes us friends of the triune God. But we
must act lest we stop at a speculative smugness of greatness. The
critics of Judeo-Christian misapplication of the image of God (as
tyrant or overlord) haunt us -- and rightly so, for exploitation
has come too easily for our people. Rather God's love and mercy
are shown in a creative act in which we are invited to serve
others.
Restraining our restlessness. Activists know we can burn out.
We share the enthusiasm of the disciples and thus look to Jesus for
words of wisdom and direction, but it is hard to steady the course.
The master model of ecology, our redeeming Lord, shows us how to
conserve our physical energy (pray always, work in teams, don't
encumber yourselves with excess baggage, shake off the dust when
rejected, etc.). Jesus promises the Spirit who inspires us and
invites us to focus our attention on the task at hand. Called to
be contemplatives in action we discover our own restlessness, which
has benefits and liabilities: a restless enthusiasm is good;
expending energy where less useful is not. How do we convert this
restlessness to effective work? St. Augustine says that our
hearts will not rest until they rest in God, and Earthhealing can
be godly work leading ultimately to final rest. We are called to
move beyond a consoling knowledge to meaningful action, an
authentic Trinitarian Spirituality that encourages harmony and
balance in our work and service.
One God, Three Persons. Christians are baptized in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28).
From early times they realized that this is the heart of the
Trinitarian Mystery. Jesus declares an equality with the Father
in a solemn manner before a hostile audience, I tell you most
solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I Am (John 8:58). His audience
knows full well what he says and they turn away in horror. The
trinitarian affirmation was generally accepted by the time of St.
Paul (Yves Congar, p. 73). Origen, the great second century
thinker, reflected on the oneness and threeness in God. Irenaeus
during the same period expanded this affirmation into a confession
of faith: That is why, when we are born again, baptism takes place
through these three articles and gives us the grace of new birth in
God the Father by means of his Son in the Holy Spirit (Reference:
Dem. 7(SC 62. p.42).) "In the name of" .... Pope Vigilius (537-
555) said not in their names (DS 415), for there is only one God,
the almighty Father, his only Son, and the Holy Spirit: The Most
Holy Trinity (Cat., #233).
The early Church struggles with a formulation for this deep
mystery but, surprisingly, the word "Trinity" is not found in
Scripture. For some in different ages, Sacred Tradition could go
no further than what is scriptural but, on second thought,
Scripture, being inspired by God, is a product of the early
Church's Tradition (Christ's promise to always be with the Church
until the end of time). Incidentally, Scripture takes its final
canonical form in the fourth century A.D.. "Trinity" as a doctrine
emerged from the ongoing reflection of the Church coming to know
herself. The credal formulation is the monument and fruit of that
struggle to understand and to translate understanding into action.
A major controversy arises over the Arian position prevalent
in the fourth century (Jesus is an exalted being but not of the
same substance as God). Athanasius argues that Christ has to be
divine in order to cause our divinization. (Reference: Thomas
Bokenkotter. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. Image
Books, 1990, p. 48.) In his De Incarnatione, Athanasius states
that "The Son of God became man so that man might become God."
(more on this concept later). After much reflection he,
Athanasius, settles on the term homoousios which means "identical
in substance" rather than "of like substance." God is unique and
indivisible and yet the Persons are distinct. Augustine in great
detail discusses how these three Divine Persons are of the same
substance. (Reference: Saint Augustine. The Trinity. Brooklyn,
N.Y.: New City Press, 1991, Book V, Chap. 2, pp. 195-96).
The manner of expression differs in the East and West. The
Greeks think in terms of the one God and Father, the Father is "the
God," the one and only principle of the Godhead, which he also
gives to the Son (God from God and light from light) and finally
also the Holy Spirit. They are like three stars one after the
other; each gives the light to the next, but we only see one
((Reference: Hans Kung. Great Christian Thinkers. New York:
Continuum, 2000, p. 91).
The early ecumenical councils of the Church (both East and
West) -- (Nicaea (325), Constantinople I, Ephesus (431), Chalcedon
(451) and Constantinople II (553)) -- strive for trinitarian
clarity and precision. From these massive undertakings emerges a
basic formula or creed along with an articulated system of
trinitarian doctrine that becomes the core of our trinitarian
theology. From an activist standpoint we could say that this
struggle of coming to an understanding of three-in-one is
ultimately a conservation of spiritual resources leading to action.
In the West further refinement occurs over time. Kung writes
of the "higher mathematics of the Trinity." The Church speaks of
how the Father, Son and Spirit are distinct from one another and in
the Lateran IV Council (1215) (after the Greek cleavage) states, It
is the Father who generates the Son who is begotten, and the Holy
Spirit who proceeds. The divine unity is triune (Cat #254). These
Divine Persons are relative to one another, but everything in them
is one where there is no opposition of relationship. There are
four relations: paternity (Father generates the Son), filiation
(Son is generated by the Father), spiration (Father and Son breath
forth the Holy Spirit) and procession (of Spirit from Father and
Son). These relations are what constitute the distinction between
the Divine Persons. They cannot be distinguished by any absolute
attribute, for every absolute attribute must belong to the infinite
Divine Nature, and this is common to the Three Persons. Whatever
distinction there is must be in the relations alone (Reference:
The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1912,
Vol XV, p. 56.) Confusing? Not exactly, when looked at calmly,
only when in panic. But isn't this too theoretical -- tempting one
to an increasingly demanding intellectual speculation? Do we agree
with Kung, who says the real issue rests with "belief that God the
Father works in a revealing, redeeming and liberating way in us
through his Son Jesus Christ in his Spirit"? (Kung, p. 92)
The temporal component. Does our merciful God reveal this
divine Mystery in the fullness of time or maybe through time?
Events (the Incarnation and Pentecost) and process (ongoing
salvation history) will occupy us for the remainder of this book,
for much depends on our notions of history, evolution and human
anthropology. Certainly we know that the Trinity is revealed in
time and thus is connected in some way with history.
Gregory Nazianzen, the fourth century Patriarch of
Constantinople, talked about this gradual revelation of God to us
over time: The Old Testament preached the Father openly and the Son
more obscurely, while the New revealed the Son and hinted at the
deity of the Spirit. Now the Spirit dwells in us ... (It was much
more suitable that) by gradual advances and, as David said, by
partial ascents, moving forward and increasing in clarity, the
light of the Trinity should shine on those who have already been
given lights (Reference: Orat. XXXI Theol. V. 26.)
Processions. Revelation of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is
definitely a historical "procession" for the Son comes among us in
time and then sends the Spirit for our enlivening work. Thus time
enters into our understanding of the eternal Mystery. St.
Augustine deals with the process of human knowledge as trinitarian
in its very nature and writes on this subject especially in his
major opus, The Trinity. The very movement of the mind -- memory,
intellect and will -- could be described as through a temporal
sequence. As Kung comments, Augustine begins his Trinity
reflection with the one divine nature or substance, the one divine
essence, glory, majesty common to all three persons. "This one
divine nature [is] for him [Augustine] the principle of the unity
of Father, Son and Spirit, within which these three differ only as
eternal relationships (these are the foundation of life within
God): the Father knows himself in the Son and the Son in the
Father, and proceeds from this as the personified love of the
Spirit" (Kung p. 91). Saint Augustine highlight the extent of this
procession that has divided the East from the Filioque now found in
the Western Creed that the Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the
Son" [bold added]. Through a sincere theological discussion in an
ecumenical atmosphere differences could most likely be resolved.
Thomas Aquinas and other medieval scholars adapted and yet
expanded beyond Augustinian insights or theo-psychology of the
soul. Aquinas utilized insights from Greek, Pagan and Arab sources
and developed a theology of the analogy between eternal Begetting
of the Word and Breathing forth of the Spirit and human knowing and
loving. Thomas' mystical experience of God towards the end of his
life was so profound that he was tempted to abandon his major
works. He writes that "the ultimate human knowledge of God is to
know that we do not know God" (Reference: Thomas Aquinas. Summa
Theologica. trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province, 1947,
available at <http://www.ecel.org/a/aquinas/summa/home.html>.)
Divine works. Yahweh is the Creator. Jesus comes among us
as our Redeemer. The Spirit sanctifies us. Yes, all these
statements are true, but we still must exercise caution. Father,
Son and Spirit; creation, redemption, spiration; uncreated Love,
begotten Word, overflowing Spirit. And we say, following the
Second Council of Constantinople, "One God and Father from whom all
things are made, and our Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things
are, and one Holy Spirit in whom all things are." The Father, Son
and Spirit create, redeem and inspire together truly a "community"
action. Thus the whole divine economy is the common work of the
three Divine Persons. The Trinity has only one and the same nature
and thus only one and the same operation -- the Council of Florence
(1431-45). "Each Divine Person performs the common work according
to his unique personal property......It is above all the divine
missions of the Son's incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit
that shows forth the properties of the divine person" (Cat., #258).
Differences: Assigning exclusive operations to the Divine
Persons could smack of tritheism and omit the oneness of God. But
Karl Rahner makes an additional point when he says that, despite
their orthodox confession, Christians are, in their practical life,
"almost mere 'monotheists.'" (Reference: Karl Rahner. The Trinity,
trans. Joseph Donceel. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Co.,
1970, p. 10 -- hereafter Trin.). However, some in academic circles
argue with this critique and focus on the question of whether the
Son was the Person who had to become incarnate (Rahner affirms he
was). Further, there is controversy with Rahner's treatment of the
economic/immanent Trinity; Rahner holds an identity between the
economic Trinity (the divine persons as they are revealed and act
in salvation history) and the immanent Trinity (the divine persons
with respect to one another) (Trin., p. 22).
Furthermore, Rahner says many spiritual writers dismiss the
classical "vestiges" and the "image of the Trinity," as possibly a
collection of pious speculations, unobjectionable once the doctrine
has been established, but telling us nothing, either about the
Trinity itself or about created reality, which is not already known
from other sources (Trin., p. 14). However, our eco-spirituality
seeks to reemphasize the trinitarian nature of our own actions and
that our motivation is normative and pious: in reflecting on the
presence of the Trinity in our midst, we discover that our work has
a profound trinitarian character that colors how we are to act.
New advances. In the twentieth century, in the spirit of
Vatican II, an impetus to move away from traditional trinitarian
treatments has emerged. Some regard the classical trinitarian
formulations as similar to structures and boiler plates -- but both
skeletons and steel sheeting are lifeless. Karl Rahner calls for
distancing ourselves from a more isolated scholastic trinitarian
treatment and finding a "liberation" using more modern approaches
and concepts (Reference: Karl Rahner, "The Mystery of the
Trinity," in Theological Investigations," Vol. XVI, trans. David
Morland. New York: The Seabury Press, 1978, p. 256).
For Rahner, human history is the event of transcendence (a
characteristic of all human beings). For him, only within this
condition of human transcendence are we able to experience and
receive God's self-communication through historical mediation, that
is "salvation history." Christ is the prime expression of our
Triune God, the divine self-communication. Rahner says that God's
self communication is necessarily triune and constitutes salvation
history to be what it is. This is the domain of God's self-
communication, specifically God's self-revelation and activity
through Christ and the Spirit (Trin., p. 5). This is the total
offer of God's self through Christ to the human being who is
created as the recipient of the self-communication of God, and who
is made capable by the Spirit of receiving God's free gift.
(Reference: Trin. p. x. Intro. by Catherine Mowry LaCugna).
Gutierrez holds that a profane and a sacred history are not
juxtaposed but are one single history assumed by Christ the Lord of
History; the history of salvation is at the heart of human history
and the salvific action of God underlies human existence
(Reference: Gustavo Gutierrez. Essential Writings. New York: Orbis
Books, 1996, p. 79). Rahner, however, holds that the history of
salvation and the whole world history are co-existent but not
equated because there is a corresponding history of guilt in world
history. (Reference: Joas Adiprsetya. Karl Rahner "Jesus as God's
Self Communication in History," see <http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/mwt/
dictionary/mwt_themes_800_rahner.htm>.
The association of secular and salvation history proves quite
attractive, especially in light of the emerging Earthhealing
mission that is so closely tied to social justice for the poor --
and which must have its own triune character. As Ignatius has
insisted, all contemplation on the loving Triune God leads to a
refinement in our own action -- and we desperately need assistance
from our Triune God in the Earthhealing task that lies ahead.
3. Enthusiasm: The God Within
I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me
will perform the same works as I do myself,
he will perform even greater works
because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
I felt impelled to write down my inspiration. It was a sort
of a prayer triggered by the running brook on that August day while
walking in the Newfound Mountains in North Carolina. I had no
pencil and paper so I tried to memorize the inspired thought,
something quite difficult since my stream of consciousness marched
on. How can one capture the inspirational moment -- or is it
fleeting by its very nature? And more so, what exactly is it?
Our call is to do Christ's works and even greater works. No
more formidable housekeeping task has appeared in history than to
heal our wounded Earth, for it is an urgent and a global
undertaking and requires the good will and cooperation of vast
numbers of people. Promoting this program requires inspiration;
continuing it towards completion demands enthusiasm; in order to
persevere we must turn to the Almighty and seek divine assistance.
Now is when we focus on this enthusiasm -- the God within -- so
that we can better use our opportunities.
The primary philosophical problem, "the one and the many,"
springs up as a challenging problem. We Christians wonder whether
the Trinity, the one and three, is at the core of this wonder, a
beckoning by our Triune God to seek more questions in the realms of
hidden Mystery. Even this beckoning is a gift from God the Giver
of all good gifts, including that ultimate gift, Jesus our brother.
Every gift and the act of giving says something of the giver.
My being here on this Earth at this moment is a gift as is the
environment that surrounds me, the ability to do work, and the
community that supports this work. Thus the revelation of the
Triune God looms as the greatest offering -- and beckons my
appreciation and thanks. This atmosphere, in turn, becomes the
opportunity to experience the triune God at work here and now in
our midst. We step beyond faith seeking understanding and move out
to faith seeking to serve generously and effectively. That I can
serve is enough; to do so at this place and time is additional
favor; to do so with enthusiasm is a most favored status.
Enthusiasm. People can get enthusiastic about a special
project, activity, goal or prospect. This means an intense or
eager interest, a zeal or fervor. When founded in the sense of
mystery, this enthusiasm takes on the character of supernatural
inspiration -- a coming from a mysterious source attributed to God,
thus making enthusiasm -- the God within. This intrigues the
searcher for truth, for just how can one describe the condition of
spontaneity or the springing forth from a source within, a motion
that is often unpredicted and unexplained? The enthusiastic
condition is full of energy or the capacity to get something
accomplished, and is the opposite of a lethargy or sluggishness and
failure to move about -- that has many reasons, excuses and causes.
Enthusiasm is expressed through facial features, body language
and words, and is almost impossible to keep hidden. Generally,
though not always, it can be directed to the benefit of others,
though malefactors and the demented can operate with a certain
eagerness as well. Enthusiasm seems so natural, but is it so?
There are enthusiastic persons who do not regard themselves as
believers in the supernatural, but hidden way down deep is the
loving beckoning of God to each and everyone.
An authentic enthusiasm is open to new possibilities and
exists in a creative atmosphere -- one that holds new possibilities
for the taking, that calls out to the enthusiast to "create"
something new. For the Christian, that ground of possibilities is
found in the death and resurrection of God's greatest gift, Jesus
Christ. The plunge down and rising out of the waters of baptism is
a definitive event calling for the expression of appreciation;
this, in turn, becomes the fertilizer in an expanding arena of
service stretching out to the distant horizon. The believer is
keenly aware of being HERE, at this given place and period, the
privilege not afforded our ancestors of old who seem far more
worthy of such an honor; awareness grows with the NOW, whether this
is to last but one day or ten thousands. The interaction of the
HERE and NOW of one's individual life leads to an expression of
what is within and a call to sharing with others around about. As
a social being, the enthusiast cannot remain totally enclosed in
splendid isolation; the door is opened to share God-given gifts
with others, the WE, who are all about us yearning for cooperative
growth in the atmosphere of mystery. Searching a little deeper let
us examine that sense of mystery in all the dimensions of our life.
The HERE
The HERE is the way we perceive of our current place in the
world, how well we are conscious of our immediate environment, and
the manner in which we conduct ourselves at this location. As
mentioned earlier, many people overlook or show no regard for their
immediate environment, distance themselves from nature, and live
in a dream world of idyllic settings. In comparison to those who
are not totally here, must we move a step further and talk about an
enthusiastic HERE, one where the person is motivated to grow in
consciousness and expression of "hereness," while not losing the
ecological focus that is so necessary for addressing our wounded
Earth and its people? But this growing consciousness contains a
mysterious element that cannot be defined and simply is
acknowledged as present. Is this not the source of a restlessness
that underlies our enthusiasm, a phenomenon that we must address
and foster rather than deny, avoid or attempt to replace?
Mysterious characteristics: Our individual place in the
world, as well as our time and social relations, are not totally of
our own making, determination, or grasping. First, the mystery
around consists of a complex interworking of other beings with whom
we are interrelated and the degree of their influence on our
individual position is beyond comprehension and defeats our own
notion of self-sufficiency, which is ultimately a mirage. Second,
the Mystery beyond is up ahead, the hereafter, which draws us as by
a teleological force moving us from the present position into a
destiny; believers know in faith that this is incomprehensibly
divine. The very restlessness unloosens us from a rigid and static
position. But we also realize the impossibility of determining our
exact position, and thus we tolerate mystery impinging upon us.
From science we know we cannot measure the precise here and now
without the measuring interfering in some way; the same holds for
the HERE (an ecological Heisenberg Principle).
These influences and forces baffle us and can make us shaken
or inquisitive. We are tempted to become ever more introspective -
- and this removes us from the pressing matters requiring action
and could drain enthusiasm through an ever more consuming
introspective undertaking -- a possible temptation by the evil
spirit who does not want the Earth healed. Our confidence is
shaken and we ask whether or not a grasped or secure HERE is really
an idol. However, through inspiration comes another message: in
order to remain free from excessive introspection we each concede
that there is a mystery within, a given and a privileged gift only
affirmed through faith. The good Spirit speaks: "accept the
mystery within, be thankful, and move on." The internal word says
obey, and through obedience comes salutary action.
Here, caution is necessary and as at a railroad intersection,
we look both ways (except that the outlook is vertical as at an
elevator shaft). We look down and see the marvelous and still
mysterious created world all around; we look up above at the
infinite heavens towards destiny. Quo vadis? To look down we
become engrossed but always desiring to know more. To look up we
peer beyond the fleeting clouds and blue sky and feel a restless
beckoning to ascend above the confines of current space. Many
persons (especially believers in the long course of Christianity)
emphasize looking heavenward and the fleeing of this mortal domain
for a better place. Others, such as St. Francis (Sears & Bracken,
pp. 20-22), see the glory of God shining in all of creation and
find comfort in this immediate world of brothers and sisters among
animals and plants. But neither focus is perfectly satisfying.
We Christians regard heaven as home, a distant place or abode
of the just. We are presently here, not there. But should we not
be concerned about the Earth where we are currently located, which
includes the path on which we walk, and the immediate surroundings
that influence even the way we pray? The scene changes with time
and we wonder why a focus on the below is not totally satisfying.
"Life everlasting," the final eco-spiritual treatment (in
December), is out there. We may find ourselves immersed in the
green spectrum of environmental consciousness and argue that to
look up will cause us to trample on what is below and which seeks
and needs healing. However, to look down only, will cause us to
lose our bearing and fail to see the bigger picture. By looking
both ways we refuse to define an exact HERE and admit to mystery.
Maybe our mission is to establish mystery, not to unravel it. And
ironically the restless soul finds consolation.
Hereafter
|
HERE
|
Earth
The HERE at the mid-point may resemble Rahner's schwebende
Mitte or the person who is suspended between the world and God
"and this boundary line is the point of his [human being]
definition and his destiny" (Reference: Karl Rahner, Spirit in
the World, trans. William V. Dych. New York: Herder and Herder,
1968, p. 407).
Trinitarian quality. An overly constricted HERE of ecological
consciousness is devoid of the gifted aspects of external
influences, upward motion and internal mystery. A God-given
destiny may not be within the purview of green non-believers, and
their focus, while praiseworthy within its bounds, lacks a sense of
mystery -- a problem in our modern world. For the total ecological
"GPS coordinates" involve the WE and the NOW. An authentic HERE
demands growth lest the enthusiasm wane, and that means looking two
ways -- down and up. And in looking we must confront the mystery
within, the holy HERE, where the immediate and the distant are
distinct from the present position and yet are interrelated and
constitute a single whole. We do not discover this from pure
reasoning, but from faith seeking understanding. But is the divine
beckoning from a distance or is it within the heart? Destiny is a
divine invitation, a special gift, a way of making us more keenly
aware that Earth is a gift in flux.
Life's pilgrimage is grace-laden, a passage span rather than
a point in space. We are not static and isolated mystics focusing
on a God-and-me experience. We contain a restless wind that seeks
to break loose. An authentic mysticism is what Karl Rahner calls
an experience of Grace or the immense longing we experience in life
as a result of the inability of anything finite to really satisfy
us (Reference: Harvey Egan. Karl Rahner: The Mystic of Everyday
Life. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1998 p. 57.)
Note on an individualistic spirituality. Some may interpret
their HERE as isolated space and private domain. For them,
spirituality is a personal experience apart from others, even
though they may include special creatures (friends, associates,
pets, etc.) within that arena. Drug users would define their
spirituality completely within their heightened physical, mental
and psychic state apart from others around them or their past
experience and future destiny. Subjects of research into
psilocybin, the active ingredient of the natural "magic mushrooms,"
speak of how it is the "single most spiritually significant
experience in their lives." This narrow concept of spirituality as
an isolated individual experience is certainly not what is meant
within our treatment of "eco-spirituality," which must be
inherently and dynamically relational, that is, related to Earth
and especially to other human beings, and most importantly related
to our God; these relations are meant to grow and increase with
time and not remain static and for one's own satisfaction.
The NOW
Time has reality, direction, a past and a future. While we
live the present moment, we are moved both by past limitations and
future hopes of glory. Thus the NOW is more than an environmental
awareness of the rising of the sun, the time of day, and the
seasonal changes; NOW is composed of past experiences and memories
along with the aspirations that constitute a future destiny.
The past involves experiences and memories, some partly
forgotten and even falsely reconstructed, some forgiven, some still
vivid and unforgiven, and all these are part of the complex field
of psychology. Amazingly, we are not the total contributors of our
past and we are unable to totally forget it for it somehow makes us
who we are. We may cope with it but we cannot dismiss it. For all
intents and purposes it is part of the mystery around back that
brings us to this day, impinging on what went before this time. We
are again tempted to shift to a course of intense introspection,
but does not this distract us from our task at hand? Some
knowledge is good; too much makes us walk backward in history, and
that allows us to stumble all the more. Can we accept our past for
what it is, especially a forgiven past as part of the mystery of
divine mercy?
The future looms inviting for some and foreboding for others;
still others simply deny a future as part of their world or even
come to despair -- a sin against the Spirit. A past has happened
whether accurately recorded or not, but a future is indefinite as
to specificity and yet is truly different from the past. Here the
Mystery beyond emerges again and it cannot be dismissed, for
omitting it will risk allowing our enthusiasm to wither. And for
the activist that simply must not be the case. Thus, the way we
accept or deny our future, conditions the present moment. This
Mystery beyond somehow triggers our restlessness and challenges our
false comfort levels. To face death in the future is discomforting
and this includes an uncertainty. The more we try to figure it all
out and measure, the more the measurement gets in the way (again
the ecological Heisenberg Principle). Accepting an indefinite
future in trust is accepting further mystery. Grasping the future
as though it is already there is a form of security that is not
realistic. We can only hope in God's mercy.
The present is the coalescing of past experience and memory
with future destiny and hopes and becomes the moment of the holy
NOW, when faith and hope give way to love; this in itself is an
ever deepening mystery. Present time does not stand still, but
changes at each moment, as St. Augustine reflects upon in Chapter
10 of The Confessions. The immediacy of knowing climate, weather
and sunrise and sunset is part of the ecologically conscious NOW,
and is most praiseworthy but passing. It is not possible for the
mysterious elements of our past and the beckoning Mystery of the
future to be determined and fully understood. The present is given
direction and magnitude by the past and the future, source and
destiny, mystery and Mystery, three components, really distinct and
yet coalescing within one's being to constitute the holy NOW of
life's journey.
Past -------------- NOW ---------------------Future
Through faith and not reason alone, we become conscious of
time as God-given gift, and its appreciation grows with a
realization of life's fragility and brevity -- our life lasts for
seventy years, eighty with good health (Psalm 90:10). With aging,
mortal life is mostly behind and now only a fading memory; each new
moment is all the more precious. Some live in the past and neglect
the future; others see only the future and are equally
unrealistic. So some, even environmentally conscious people, see
a present divorced from the past or future. The holy NOW includes
an awareness that "my time" is not mine alone; rather, time is God-
given and can end in an instant, a heart attack, an auto mishap.
We are the Lord's, and our remaining time in this mortal span
involves an ever more precious stewardship, a concept encompassing
mortality, gratitude and responsibility.
Trinitarian Reflection. The Calvary event of 2000 years ago,
though liturgically made ever present in the Eucharist, makes the
past meaningful for the Christians. The definitive deliverance of
the Kingdom to the Father as we await the New Heaven and New Earth
gives meaning to the future. This linear trajectory from redeemed
past to eternal future crowds out theories of reincarnation or
total cessation of life and gives breadth to the NOW.
Enthusiastically, we see direction to our time, a gift from a
loving God. Now our restlessness takes on new meaning for our past
is forgiven and united to God, our time has been redeemed; when we
fully offer our future in trust to the Lord, we see our time as
God's possession. The monumental gift of time, given by the
Eternal One through a perfect Gift in a perfect and obedient act of
giving, transforms ecological NOW into the holy NOW, an invitation
to ever deeper Mystery, to a Mystical Moment.
Interrelations and the WE
Our total space includes our interrelationships with "others,"
which include the plants and animals of our world as well as people
close at hand and more distant. The entire planet is interrelated,
for we are not isolated individuals and the awareness of this is
one element of an authentic eco-spirituality. It is ironic that
these others help enhance one's own individuality, which will be
considered in greater detail later. This emerging WE is
multidimensional, for each one of us is related to another (a
linear relationship), and the two of us are related to a third (a
plane or two-dimensional relationship). This surface changes
through growing awareness of past and future states (a three-
dimensional volumetric relationship), and this "field" moves in
real time (a temporal dimension). Furthermore, growth of
interrelated groups or clusters form communities, and these may
overlap and form more encompassing communities as we will discuss
in September. Truly, the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts, and so the WE has a reality that exceeds the striving of
single individuals working alone, in pairs, or in small groups.
The WE also has a trinitarian character that touches once more
on the mystery within, the mystery without and the mystery beyond.
As individual persons, we confront our self-awareness of limited
time and place (mystery within) that can never be fully determined
nor secured by our individual resources. As social and historical
beings, we look about for companionship and support with others in
the vicinity (mystery around), and we are drawn as interrelated
beings to a collective future (mystery beyond). These elements may
resemble Rahner's philosophical/theological categories: 1. the
existential unity, 2. the historical dimension involving our
connection with space and time and 3. the transcendental knowledge
or experience of God (Vorgriff auf esse) Reference: Karl Rahner.
Foundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of
Christianity, trans. William V. Dych. New York: Crossroad 1987,
p. 52.) Rahner applies the transcendental character to human
beings, a concept worthy of fuller investigation.
Beyond
--- other ---
other --- WE --- other
--- other ---
The "others" in our lives are related to us on the historical
scheme of things; we are all distinct from each other, and yet we
are really bonded together in various degrees by established and
emerging relationships; these help constitute the WE, which is as
much a part of one as are the HERE and NOW -- and yet the WE is
shared with others; it is the domain of the ecological commons.
Also the bonds help enhance our individuality. The within, without
and beyond are part of one's social being, and as bonds strengthen
through communication, the person's individual unique enthusiasm is
strengthened. We are more familiar with where we are, and thus
HERE becomes a home; we are more aware of our time and our destiny,
and NOW becomes a mystical moment. We are freer to move about in
company with others, and the WE is destined to expand and deepen as
emerging communities of faith awaiting and hastening the coming New
Heaven and New Earth.
However, without a strong awareness of the beyond, the
environmentally conscious WE can shrink to a small group of friends
reenforcing its domestic comforts of home life and companionship.
Salutary restlessness is stifled, and an enthusiastic sense of
urgency wanes. It follows that at higher levels of comfort, the
beyond may fade to a greater distance and even the HERE and NOW
lose their sharpness. While the Giver gives the immensity of the
gift of Self in the person of Christ, the acceptance requires an
ever deepening commitment of faith on the part of receivers in
company with others. Such commitments involve an exercise of
freedom. Some say "yes" and some say "no," making the WE a more
complex multidimensional problem area (to be considered within the
role of the Church). The recurring question down through the ages
is how does the Christian draw another's attention to the fuller
WE, a question of evangelization. Is this done through word or
deed or both?
The Three as One: HERE, NOW and WE. The trinitarian imprints
are found in all dimensions that give rise to an expanded
environmental consciousness: HERE, seen through the eyes of faith,
has a creative personal Source and Destiny, who creates all and
draws all; NOW, experienced in hope, involves a past -- a
redemptive Calvary event -- and a future -- bringing all things
together and delivering the kingdom to the Father; WE includes
various parties with whom we are associated in neighborly love;
these help us find our place (home), define our time (mystical
moment) and improve our social quality of life. These three
components are really distinct and yet form a unity within each of
us as individual and unique persons -- and, more so, as inspired
persons enthusiastic enough to invite our God to break out in
celebration and dance -- provided we accept the final invitation to
receive a personal gift of divinization with enthusiasm.
4. The Triune God at Work in Us
Now we are seeing a dim reflection as in a mirror; but then we
shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is
imperfect; but then I shall know as fully as I am known. In short,
there are three things that last: faith, hope and love, and the
greatest of these is love. (I Corinthians 13: 12-13)
As a youngster on Sundays I would look up at the large west
window of our parish Church. Saint Patrick was standing tall and
with confidence holding a shamrock in his hand and attempting to
teach the heathen. Three-in-one. Yes, I could sign myself, but
what does it all mean? I never really abandoned the question and
find it looming ever larger before my mind and heart in old age.
How unexplainable the mystery! Can I show the Trinity at work in
the world around us without holding up shamrocks? How do we
profess before others this deep Mystery of Love?
The glory of the Creator and Source of all life is present in
all creation, from all aspects of the universe, from the artifacts
we produce, and the service we render. But artifacts require a
maker and services, a renderer. What we need to do is move beyond
our personal HERE, NOW and WE, which can be regarded as abstract
components of our enthusiasm, and focus on our personal work where
enthusiasm becomes our profession of faith in action, not just in
word. If God is pure Act, then our own actions are expected to be
godly and to express the God within. If this is a triune God with
the loving relationship of persons, then the divine harmony must be
seen as well in the work we perform.
Scientists tell us that the residual sound of the Big Boom
still resounds in the universe billions of years after the event.
More importantly, God's grace floods the universe with a sound
hardly perceived except by the prayerful ones, the listeners and
the compassionate. We hear music, perceive harmony coursing
through our body, take temporal pauses, and still experience that
timelessness. Isn't music the gateway to a Divine harmony revealed
in passing time, a moment of grace, a promise of future glory?
Recall that musical notes were the manner in which Ignatius
perceived the glimmer of the Trinitarian Mystery. If we seize the
moment, we may in God's good grace experience deeper Mystery.
Body organs work together. As created in God's image and
especially as adopted children of God, believers radiate godliness
by manifesting harmony in their individual lives. In one way, this
is achieved through a harmonious interaction of our body parts, all
distinct organs and yet making up one body and working together for
our health and well-being. The hands gather the clay, fashion
things that are planned and pondered through human creative powers,
and quicken the process that is inspired through the heart. The
head plans the use of hands, expresses the satisfaction of seeing
the artifact emerge or service rendered -- and manifests
satisfaction through smiles and expressions of joy. The heart,
that traditional seat of emotions, gives inspiration to head and
hands and triggers the revelation of the artifact to others to be
appreciated and even to have some practical application; human
works -- artifacts and services -- are meant to be shared.
These parts of the body do not operate independently of each
other, are not jealous of the other's function, and do not seek to
gain the separate limelight. They work together to achieve one
goal, one final outcome; they are coordinated and, if not, the
final product or service will be defective. If our mind is not on
the work, it will come out poor; if our heart is not in the
service, it will soon show. The total movement involves giving,
reflecting and accepting -- hands which give, head which reflects
and heart which goes out to others -- and it is the harmony which
yields the quality product or service. The harmony is all the more
manifest when the HERE and NOW of one's individual life are in
balance with the WE of social life, when the individual works to
the benefit of others. And even more so, when the balanced
individual attacks the disharmonies that plague our wounded Earth.
Harmony. Anticipated order or harmony is derived from the
Greek harmos or fitting. Human beings seek that which is fitting
and pleasing in art or other work and in the services rendered to
fellow human beings. Even disorganized people seek some form of
order or harmony in their lives. They crave agreeable relations
with others -- people, plants and animals. Harmonious action can
be seen as pleasing, can be pleasant to the ear, and can convey a
feeling of well-being to a community. Concordant notes, measured
rests and beats, and a sense of modulation of chords all create an
atmosphere that is most pleasing to lovers of art. This sense of
pleasure goes beyond music and includes dance, visual or dramatic
art, architecture, culinary delights, a good scientific
presentation, a well tended farm or garden, the practice of health
care, hairstyling, home decoration, yard care, administration,
liturgical practice -- just name it. Harmony is the result of
creative effort; it is appreciated through words of praise; it
leads to further expressive action. Harmony involves: a
production of work or service; a word of appreciation from those
who partake; and an expressive spirit of well-being and love by all
who benefit from it.
The impulse to harmonize. Through appreciating harmony, a
person is enabled to harmonize with others. To do this harmonizing
work, one is drawn into God's ongoing creative activity. Artists
become creators of artifacts through their talents and efforts;
organizers help create communities; gardeners create cultivated
space in growing produce; homemakers transform households into
homes; needy people call out and are cared for; healers make
environments in which victims of chaos are healed, hospice workers
fashion an atmosphere of support for those making the final
journey. Love of harmony begets its own expressed fruit of labor.
And these efforts do not go unnoticed. A certain catalytic effect
results with loving deed giving rise to more acts of love. Harmony
leads to further harmony.
Disharmony. The world is not perfectly harmonious. Even
amid all the harmonizing that we find, disharmony abounds and takes
the form of erratic conditions beyond our immediate control --
discord among families, communities and nations, selfishness and
failure to share essential goods and services, and addictions of
all sorts that result in discouragement and even despair. Hands
are idled or misused; heads are filled with false glory or greedy
plots; hearts are insensitive to the needs of others. The body
parts are functioning, but they are not working together. On the
other hand, when the hands, head and heart are brought back
together, harmony is restored.
Work of our hands. Jesus was a carpenter and regarded as a
carpenter's son. St. Irenaeus says in a figurative manner that
God created the world by the Son and the Spirit or "His two hands."
(Reference: Adv. Haer., IV, xx,1); if such was said of God two
millennia ago (in order to show that the Second and Third Person
are not substantially distinct from the First), why have the works
of the hands been neglected for so long? Were such works the sole
domain of servants, slaves, serfs and beneath the radar of
trinitarian thought by academics? Were such works so ordinary that
they were regarded as showing little of the Triune nature of God?
This neglect may not have been totally intellectual elitism or
academic oversight.
Earlier generations did not understand the power of technology
or the worth of practical work for transforming things for better
or worse. Mere tools were just that. But when seen as the work of
the hands, head and heart to assist people to have time to reflect
and pray, then the technology whether windmill or plow took on a
new and deeper meaning. Earlier times had no global communications
or transportation systems that could move ideas and materials
rapidly; the people could not see how practical applications could
have ecological consequences and be used for global works of mercy.
Patiently, over the past few centuries, technologists, industry and
world leaders (including church leaders such as Leo the XIII) have
emphasized the value, importance and even nobility of working with
one's hands -- a divine calling. In healing the Earth we engage in
sweaty, hard labor -- and that involves the creative power of our
accumulated experience through scientific, engineering, medical,
legal, economic and political efforts. Hands are essential for
spreading the Good News.
Work of the head. Medieval theologians following in the
footsteps of Augustine saw a trinitarian pattern in the human
thought process with memory giving way to understanding and
intelligible word and this giving way to willing acts. The brain
is meant to think, to engage in keen observation, to utilize
rational principles, to help test and design properly, and to form
words, which are uttered to the world. In the beginning was the
Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). We
create and sing songs of praise; we say healing words as well as
perform good deeds; we choose to pronounce what is just and right;
we proclaim the Good News through our voice sounding throughout the
world. We make use of our rational powers to extend the good gifts
given and do so as part of what the human being must do. Few
overlook the essential nature of our head in doing things.
Work of the heart. My heart is ready, God -- I mean to sing
and play (Psalm 108:1). The hearts of the concerned respond to the
urgent calls for help; they are moved by destruction of our
landscape, polluted rivers, endangered wildlife. If we as a
community of beings have been remiss in allowing injury to occur,
then we, as a people working together, must gather together and
rebuild the damaged social order. And the will to do so takes in
the heart. This is work that extends the love we have for God's
creation to those hurt by misdeed. In accepting our responsibility
to glorify the Earth we unite with others and show the power of
love at work among all of good heart.
If the works of the head are characterized as stemming from a
masculine mentality, the works of the heart are so intimately
womanly that most of us men must learn from those who do them best
-- the women of the world. Is the heart that the Holy Spirit
permeated with love so feminine that one could dare to call Spirit
a "she"? That may even allay fears of many feminists about the
Trinitarian Mystery. (The Hebrew Ruah is feminine and the Greek
Pneuma is neuter). Furthermore, Mary is the heart of the Earth,
saying "yes" to its redemption, the recreation of its "glory" as
God's dwelling, the "eternal feminine" (in Teilhard's words) who
delights in God -- and God in her.
Glorification as divine/human work. The interior harmony of
hand, head and heart does not remain in splendid isolation within
a balanced individual; it is a sound and sight that goes out to
all the world. Harmony is a product of enthusiastic work and that
effect catalyzes actions on the part of others to harmonize, heal
and restore. The artistic product or service of a harmonized
interior is Spirit-filled and has a power to renew the face of the
Earth -- and so God works by choice through us in building up a
more glorious Earth. Let's emphasize works. The process could be
done miraculously but that apparently is not God's way. We
perceive an urgent need for clear air, potable water, available
energy and affordable housing. Our heart goes out to endangered
species, to the struggle of those without sufficient food or
medicine, and to a people who are paralyzed by illiteracy. The
Spirit impels us to act, but we are impeded by weaknesses. To heal
ourselves, our bodies and soul must be in harmony, a holy
undertaking to recapture our interior Holy Land. This involves
overcoming personal limitations, knowing our disharmonies, and
being willing to be cured. Physician, heal yourself first!
When we work with ready hands, probing heads, and sincere
hearts, we act in a godly manner: we create something new; we
pronounce a knowing word; we show gratitude for gifts given by
loving service. Through harmonizing of diverse resources through
the powers of the Spirit operating within us, we help recreate a
damaged environment, heal a wounded Earth, and enlighten
discouraged victims. We rise as individuals and communities,
knowing the urgency of times and limitations in resources. The
Good News is that here and now we are energized by God's grace to
transform global challenges into opportunities.
Interior and exterior harmony. Each truth professed in word
must also be expressed in deed. The Spirit is part of our lives,
and we profess our belief in the Holy Spirit through the authentic
enthusiasm we show in our prayer life, in our work and in our
relations with our neighbor. Being godly means imitating the
action of our Triune God in this world: we are practical and
creative people and like to see that the works we do are good; we
verbalize what we do in our speech and external expressions of joy
and happiness; we move out in a spirit of love to assist our fellow
human beings and the world around us. Our deeds confirm our words,
and their imperfect performance takes us back within ourselves to
make correctives that will produce greater inner harmony and thus
still better external performance. The interplay of interior
enthusiasm and external expression is vital.
For Christians this inner harmony of creative expression,
spoken word, and loving heart reflects though imperfectly the
harmony of the three Persons in the Trinity, a dynamic of pure
love. Through our adoption we participate in the radiance of Pure
Love by loving God with our whole being -- the first and greatest
commandment. We testify to that love in our attitudes to our
neighbor, whom we must love as much as we love ourselves. But as
Christians we know there is a still higher calling in love; we are
to love as God loves us, but how is this possible? If we invite
and allow God to work in and through us, our love becomes God's
love -- our contemplation in action. We plan, we know we can do
something, and we do it in a heart-felt manner, our harmonious
godly acts. Thus the two basic activities of the spirit, knowledge
and love, manifest themselves in what we do.
Hesitancies. God the Father is "Source" and the Son is
"Offspring" or one may select more neutral titles such as "Lamb,"
"Light," "Logos," "Lamp of Wisdom," and others. Some Christians
hesitate to talk about the Trinity in order not to offend Jewish,
Moslem, or Unitarian friends. Through divine inspiration we
receive the courage to speak and act. Rather than hesitate, let us
make the Trinity the logo of our actions.
5. Special Triune Character to All Activities
The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father,
and the Communion of the Holy Spirit. (II Corinthians 13:13)
I was able to perform post-doctorate chemistry work at the
University of Texas with the late Professor Michael Dewar. While
he was a theoretical person by temperament, he had the genius to
appreciate practical science and encourage his team to do both. I
worked in both areas in my seventeen months at Texas, and he
supported my entry into public interest science. Though we never
talked theology I obtained some trinitarian insights through his
personal appropriation of all knowledge.
Truth can be proclaimed in many ways, -- softly,
deliberately, and courageously or self-righteously, defiantly, and
arrogantly. Truth needs to be proposed and not imposed. The truth
of the Trinity is proclaimed in a fervent sign of the cross and in
an enthusiastic showing of the love of God appreciated through
human service. The Spirit leads each of us to speak and act
publicly; this involves when to speak and what to say, how to
respond to sincere inquiry, and when and how to correct a wayward
person. Humble proclamation of the Triune God can produce results
for many -- but even this is not automatic when it comes to freely
acting human beings. All vowed by baptism are called to be
preachers of the word in homilies, sermons and personal
exhortations or through the living of the word in everyday deed.
The Worker. A migrant comes to this country to perform menial
labor by cleaning a house, picking up garbage, doing construction
work, working at a corporate farm, or operating a small farm or
business. This humble person is inspired to do a good job; he or
she is the real caregiver of a wounded Earth for each and every
effort has its own merit from an ecological standpoint. Every good
work is a harmonizing effort and no effort is lost in the Blood of
Christ, the sacrifice or suffering that includes all the noble
efforts of people throughout the ages. Worthwhile goods and
services lead to the benefit of all. God sides with laborers, and
this is especially true of homemakers serving as models for
Earthhealers; they remind us that Jesus has gone ahead of us to
prepare an abode for us in heaven (John 14:1-4). Earthly homes
(ecos) become examples of harmonious and loving work.
The artisan. A corn-shuck doll-maker with a generous heart
participates in the creator's work. As a craftsperson, this
artisan ponders, plans, prepares, promotes, mulls over and shows
the work, all done with enthusiasm. Materials are reviewed, advice
sought and sometimes accepted, public display is fostered and
criticism rendered. Artisans speak to themselves, to companions
and assistants, to the discerning public, to anyone who will
listen. For the artisan, the work takes on its own life, an
expression of internal inspiration; it is displayed, admired (or
dismissed), given to others, sold, insured as a valuable piece. On
rare cases, someone destroys or hides the work. Ordinarily, the
work is a self-communication of artist to the world. The process
reminds us that God creates, dwells with us and shares divine love
with us all. The particular artifact expresses the harmony of
making, verbalizing and sharing, the harmonizing of hands, head and
heart. However simple and primitive, the godly shows through.
Michelangelo tapped the statue and says "speak."
Scientists. If all created things are good, then all subjects
are worth learning about through discovery, research and further
development. Thus scientific discovery is Good News and
experimentation leads to the broadening of that news to other parts
of the world. The ones who advance science in all its fields --
physical, chemical, biological, geological, social, medical,
political and technical science -- are people who are inspired.
Authentic scientific research is directed to revealing the wonders
of creation and proclaiming truth. However, not everything termed
"science" is good, for all or a significant portion of science may
be used for destructive or possibly dangerous purposes (e.g.,
nuclear power generation, genetic engineering, etc.). Scientific
researchers and explorers are often like hungry children at a
smorgasbord with visions of resource exploitation, accumulated
wealth, planting the corporate flag or fort. Thus the confusion in
certain Romance languages between exploring and exploiting.
Exploration can easily become greedy exploitation, and even
scientific truth, which ought to be in the "common" domain, can be
copyrighted, hidden or retained as trade secrets. Globalizing
tendencies in areas of corporate control are a modern form of
colonizing, of converting the basic exploration into a form of
colonization. And some otherwise intelligent scientists can be
completely naive when it comes to practical application of their
work.
Theoretical and practical sciences are distinct but, when
properly directed, share a unity of ultimate purpose and through
coordination help sustain each other. By supporting such efforts
through taxes, all citizens participate in a godly work involving
creativity, articulation in scientific literature, and ultimate
application for the betterment of human beings and all creatures.
Scientific knowledge in our world of urgent need must ultimately be
geared to the benefit of all people -- and all creation.
Theoretical word is harmonious with beneficial application just as
the saving Spirit proceeds through and from the saving Word.
Earthhealing as special mission. We are called to address the
disharmonies of our wounded Earth, to heal ourselves and to attend
to the healing process itself. Believers have a special role to
play in helping to unfold the Mystery of an eternal and immutable
God at work in a changeable and temporal world. We are invited to
be thankful for the created gifts given and received, to recognize
Jesus Christ as greatest gift given and received in faith, and to
share with others generously and courageously, while insisting that
the saving work cannot be achieved without divine help. We do not
ask for miracles, only divine inspiration. While convinced that
healing the Earth can and ultimately will occur, we do not doubt
the "can" (the potential to do a certain task), but may doubt the
"will" within the foreseeable future. We have the tools (June's
treatment of appropriate technology). However, consumer greed and
comfort have dulled the sensitivity of the civic will power to
respond. The prophetic word needs to be heard in its conditional
manner, "If excessive carbon dioxide generation is not curbed, then
surely harm will come to the Earth." True prophets do not foretell
the future; they only see the conditional future with clarity.
Restorative steps can be undertaken. Will they be?
Trinitarian faith and the Earth's restoration. We Christians
do not possess a gnostic secret healing procedure or spiritual
knowledge about Earthhealing. While non-believers can contribute
equally or more so to the environmental work ahead through their
good efforts and expertise, Christians must show a profound sense
of care and caution for the task to be undertaken: that the re-
creation may be enduring; that improvements may be properly
directed to avoid greed and selfishness; and we must insist that an
openness be exercised in inviting all to participate, not an elite
few. Thus we ensure that a trinitarian healing process occurs that
involves both knowledge and love. We are concerned that, whatever
the specificity of the process, an authentic restoration includes:
a recognition of gifts beyond our own making, an awareness of the
possibility of greed and misuse, and a willingness to share the
benefits with all. The entire process must have a profound
trinitarian character involving both knowledge (work experience)
and love (sharing with other). Ultimately this is part of the
mystery of our divinization (in the sense expressed by St.
Athanasius), which impels us to go forth and heal the Earth.
C. ACTIONS
1. Environmental Actions: Doing Wilderness Retreats
Several decades ago, when traveling out west three of us
started a small evening campfire. No one had bothered about
checking on fire conditions and certainly all of us non-natives
were unfamiliar with fire dangers in Oregon. The dry thatch that
we used just about exploded when we lit it. Suddenly we realized
that camp fires can get out of control -- and we extinguished it.
Earthhealers must constantly make an effort to stay close to
the Earth. In February, mention is made of the need to make
retreats, and here the emphasis is on the location -- when and
where possible within the wilderness itself. This becomes a
getaway that calls out to heaven with joy -- and the retreat is
drawn into the natural celebration. Some purists oppose making
this suggestion to too many people for fear that the wilderness
will be overrun. Thus a word of caution may be in order, for
overly frequent penetration of wilderness areas comes at a cost to
the disturbance of wildlife and the total biosystem.
The simple rules for low impact camping apply here, i.e., no
littering, pack out non-degradables, campfires only in approved
areas and times, no digging up of wild flowers, etc. Not all can
endure a primitive camping or nature experience in public or
private park areas; some will use existing retreat facilities or
cabins and venture into the wilder areas during the daylight hours
only. Still others may be drawn to set up their own more permanent
facilities in their choice piece of wildscape (though not in
declared wilderness areas). Such cabin facilities should be
selected, sited and constructed properly without tearing out trees
and with minimum additional access road facilities (Reference: Al
Fritsch and Paul Gallimore. Appropriate Technology in Appalachia.
Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky, 2007, Chap. 18).
Some will note that wilderness retreats are wonderful but that
these experiences are beyond their abilities due to age, health or
temperament. Take it from me, an immersion experience may have to
be modified when camping becomes a chore. A partial experience is
possible when residing in more comfortable surroundings (retreat
facility or cabin in a natural setting or park with a gradation of
camping facilities). Here one can venture out on strolls or hikes
and return to the facility for sleeping.
A well selected site (a "sacred place") moves one to pray and
reflect. At such a site all the senses are activated: the sight of
the landscape, the sound of running water or birds, the smell of
the flowers and earth itself, the taste of nearby berries, and the
feeling of the breeze among the trees. People who need to come to
terms with themselves or with or through a close companion need
this ability to get away and find the consoling touch of natural
settings. What one regards as a special site, another may not find
so attractive, for much depends on one's tastes. As more and more
people come to value the outdoor retreat experience, the popularity
of the retreat cabin, especially quite simple ones, will grow.
Many religious communities are developing these hermitages or
retreat cabins for their own members and others. Such facilities
prove beneficial to the sponsoring agency when located in
undeveloped areas -- and they can certainly prove worthwhile for
the retreatants. Every Earthhealer should consider this experience
as part of renewing the personal internal environment.
2. God's Grandeur
The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell; the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things:
And though the last light off the black west went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs --
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ (1844-89)
3. Discerning the Spirit
I stood on my porch and saw two Carolina wrens busily
bringing food to their young in the nearby nest -- a sight to
behold! At first, I considered this a distraction and then on
second thought these flying creatures and their actions brought
joy; there I saw Christ looking up to me in life at its full, and
this was a wholesome inspiration.
Inspiration involves spirit, but how are we so sure that what
we have in this journey of life is the good Spirit or not? That
question may never occur to someone who thinks all spiritual quests
are for the better, or are too subjective to be judged by another.
But we also know that some inspiration may not be for the better,
or at least we use the term too loosely. Crooks may be inspired in
their planning and execution though we may be using the term too
loosely.
Ignatius of Loyola delved into the same problem area when he
reflected on the things of God in his life, especially while
recovering from a wound inflicted in fighting at the Battle of
Pamplona. During his illness he came upon the reality of diverse
spirits. When he thought about his aspirations of being a valiant
knight, he noticed that the thoughts did not last and only left him
with a vague and empty feeling. However, when thinking about the
saints he experienced a different feeling of joy that persisted
long after the particular thoughts. He perceived a real difference
and he came to gradually realize that these were very different
spirits, "one from the devil, the other from God."
(A Pilgrim's Testimony, p. 8).
Discernment of spirits. Decisive moments occur in all of our
lives but especially when making changes in life or lifestyle.
Effort to heal the Earth involves just such decisive individual or
community moments. Our rudimentary aspirations are not always the
best and can get quite confused with inspirations from diverse
sources. One may be moved to act through an impulsiveness and yet
the first direction may not be the best one. We need to stop and
reflect and focus our thoughts and reconsider our goals; this
means that the impulse to heal the Earth is a grand challenge and
has political, economic and social implications. But the
inspiration must be purified of detours that appear to be spiritual
paths as well. We must test the waters, reflect on the various
impulses, pray over the matter, and come to decisions about which
of several available options is the better
Review. We have mentioned discernment three times: in April
encouraging the victim to discern the individual and communal
nature of suffering; in May relating the understanding of power
with prayer and discernment; and in July speaking of the individual
discernment process needing the assistance of spiritual direction.
Here we repeat that some discernment is necessary to control our
over-enthusiasm and eagerness to do things to help others and to
eventually attain a goal of the Holy Land of a renewed Earth. But
we are conscious of our own limitations and so we must turn to
prayer in order to ensure the harmony needed to be a good healer.
Whether we call the disharmonies that we encounter the devil,
demons, or ill-spirited tendencies, we must regard them as not good
and coming from various sources that must be avoided so that God
can work through us. Many of us have seen enough evil in a
lifetime to attest that it is personalized and present to snare us.
All healers must realize this dark side to human existence -- too
much violence, murder, abuse and dishonesty.
Practical means are available to handle the particular
discernment that is needed. Once recognizing that some steps
should be taken, the person should seek good spiritual direction
(available from numerous sources) to identify the causes of the
disharmony and make an effort at removing them. My preference is
to recommend undertaking the Spiritual Exercises through a trained
and experienced director or at least to get advice before, during
or after some personal period of prayerful retreat even if that is
undertaken on one's own. Disentangling the conflicting allurements
in one's life and finding a way to a purer heart is not a magic
moment like the experience from a psychedelic drug. All spiritual
growth takes as much time as learning a trade or art. Healing the
Earth requires the harmony we have discussed, and that is the fruit
of discernment and accepting the good Spirit into our lives. We
will discuss communal discernment next month.
SUMMARY: Preserving and Enhancing Our Enthusiasm
In August, we establish what we are to do in pursuing a proper
Earthhealing process, and we discover that this process must be
filled with inspiration and enthusiasm. Thus we pause to look into
the recesses of our hearts and focus first on the Holy Spirit who
inspires us from within. In doing so, we look again and seek to
establish, not unravel, the Mystery that grounds our being, is our
destiny, and triggers our restlessness. Such an introspection is
necessary to give us a broadening view of our ecological HERE, NOW
and WE, all seen now through the eyes of faith. This, in turn,
helps justify our restlessness that is part of our enthusiasm and
stands in sharp contrast to the "comfort" levels sought by those
who retain a limited approach to the present conditions of our
world. A feeling of guilt in not resolving our inherent
restlessness could be the workings of the evil spirit, and lead the
environmentally conscious to linger in overly secure homesteads,
isolated like-minded small groups, and a flood of minutia that will
consume their time and energy.
Becoming better Earth healers means we realize the trinitarian
nature of what we are undertaking. We look to the Source of all
gifts, the Gift (Christ), and the Giving (the Spirit). And we show
our gratitude by our involvement, not only by words of thanks, but
through deeds. We are to enter in the making of salvation history
-- and this opportunity is gift itself. Our awareness is now seen
through a new light, and the result is not that we know more
information or a hidden secret knowledge that excludes others.
Rather, the consolation found in the presence of Mystery makes us
more restless like the wind and enhances our enthusiasm for action.
What we discover in our hearts lies beyond extensive rational
probing, scientific investigation, and time-consuming
introspection. Let Mystery be truly present; let us not excuse
ourselves from responsibility, deny the conditions of our world, or
seek to escape in comfort; let us glory in our restlessness, for it
is part of the divine Mystery within.
Herein lies the imperative to love and let its effects be
manifest for all to see and imitate. Enthusiastic action means
that a blessed state lies in a future, not yet attained, but deeply
desired; a blessed "process" involves our ability to share more
with others to reach that state. Each of the dimensions of our
enthusiasm contains threefold elements all contributing to the
whole and yet distinct from each other. The contributive action is
what is important and bears a trinitarian character. We discover
inner harmony in our particular work, in the sciences and arts, and
in the process of healing the Earth. And in reflecting on this
harmony we find that God is within, prompting us, guiding us,
directing us to give loving service. The more we seek to love, to
harmonize our interior lives, and to live in harmony with others,
the better we can work together. Thus we begin to see what
Earthhealing should be, and this is more than an expression of
piety. Earthhealing must be trinitarian because it is a major
component of our salvation history. More on this will follow.
