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
MAY
May is verdant, is filled with the sounds of buzzing bees and
chirping birds, the aroma of blooming black locusts, and the taste
of clover honey. The beauty, sounds, and fragrances should not
fool us into believing the month is gentle and delicate in every
aspect. While nature has its softer side, still there is hidden
power in this month of new life. A bud bursts forth suddenly and
its hidden power is unleashed in rapid growth. In our temperate
zone, a deeper look into May reveals a hidden power of growth
triggered by the warming late spring sun and the dynamic force
within to reach fruition. That springtime power reveals itself all
about: birds flying from the nest; meadows of short green grass at
the beginning of the month turning knee-deep by the end; the
changing from April's showers to a loud May thunderstorm.
Grace builds on nature. And God's grace allows us to turn
during this Easter season to those who hurt and experience their
pain; we crave to help give them new meaning and life. The burst
of springtime allows us to look with a new vision to see our
wounded planet -- nature's suddenness is matched by the urgency of
environmental needs to save what strives to simply live. This
urgency disturbs us, for our generous spirit is always colored by
seasonal perceptions: the sudden burst of power within the budding
plant kingdom; the radiance of dazzling sunlight which triggers the
prolific photosynthetic process; and the busy communities of
insects going about their business. May's verdant growth keeps
reminding us that this is Eastertime, the season of a New Creation.
Christ springs forth from the tomb, the radiant light of a new dawn
occurs, the effects reach out to all living creatures, and all are
renewed. May's beauty enhances Easter's glory. Winter no longer
has hold over us; high spring is here and prepares us for the
coming Pentecost event when eco-spirituality reaches maturity.
Within the sweet scents of May we seek spiritual connections.
We see the suddenness of new life now becomes the urgency to act in
an effective spiritual manner for the planet is wounded; we become
more sensitive and listen, and beyond nature's buzzing we hear the
cries of the impoverished, signaling no true peace unless we
confront the divisions among us. We sense uneasiness because
verdant growth is matched by the growing movement of peoples
arising not just pulled to floral dreams of betterment, but pushed
to escape the scent of their squalor. Learning from the
communities of working insects and wildlife, we seek companionship
among those attempting to better themselves, the true agents of
change, the poor. We are touched by the promise of a caring
Creator and the need to identify with the Risen Lord among the
poor. All of these points springing from May's bounty bring us to
the power of the Risen Lord, our model and our companion.
A. EXPERIENCES OF NATURE'S POWER
1.
Flowers: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
And why worry about clothing. Think of the flowers
growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin;
yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his regalia
was robed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28-29)
May is grave decorating time in Kentucky. My older sister and
I are the only ones of Grandma's 25 grandchildren (most were born
after her death in 1939) who remember her; her request was that "if
nothing more, put a few wild daisies on my grave." Each May, I or
my older sister decorate the grave -- I pick wild ox-eyed daisies
that carpet our Kentucky meadows. I've asked my younger cousin
Rose, who tends a floral garden as a hobby, to continue the
practice after I am gone. There's something gently significant
about the request and the desire to be remembered by loved ones.
The meadows clothed in passing glory call us to delve deeper
into nature's lessons. Jesus mentions the glory of the fields,
which are so often overlooked and always short-lived. Wildflowers
are vivid examples of a glory that we are unable to create on our
own, yet the meadows shine for the artistic hand of the Creator.
Look about: there are marvelous hills and streams and forests and
waterfalls. Saints, like Francis of Assisi, behold this glory in
all creatures by taking a grander view. For them, flowers announce
God's presence in floral color, shape, and freshness. While a
broader visual sweep reveals a grander creation beyond our narrow
concerns, a more focused gaze will show the magnificence of each
creature in detail. And wildflowers' beauty will soon fade.
Like wildflowers, our moments of glory are God-given and
fleeting. We are part of a landscape clothed in beauty, but it
lasts a short time, making it all the more necessary that we act
while our talents blossom. We have to make the best of what we've
got, and so do it now. We ought to accept the passing glory in a
light-hearted manner, with full attention, with widely open eyes,
and with thankfulness for gifts given at this moment. Looking a
little deeper we realize that we must act now in order to save our
wounded Earth for its vegetative and wildlife health are delicate
like spring flowers. The time is short and our energy will fade.
This is the acceptable time; this is the moment of salvation.
2. Detecting
the Sounds of May
Mountains and hills will break into joyful cries before you
and all the trees of the countryside clap their hands.
(Isaiah 55:12b)
When quite young, I had a favorite cove in the back field,
where I could retreat and listen to the sounds of spring. It was
relatively isolated, for in looking in all directions I could see
no buildings, only cultivated land. It belonged to our family and
I declared in a youthful way that I would defend it with my trusty
gun, if need be. Even if we must fight, it is ours forever. Such
were the foolish thoughts of that period of life. The cove was
peaceful and seemed enduring in the May sunlight. I could hear
crickets, crows, and elm leaves rustling in the gentle breeze, but
I didn't hear the distant earthmovers, which three decades later
would transform the land. Yes, the cove was beautiful -- and I say
"was." Today, the Alexander-Ashland, KY Highway 9, runs right over
the cove's location. And the sound of traffic at that spot is
deafening.
Spring brings on the added sounds of nature. Nature's
symphony is so pronounced in May with its swaying trees, chattering
migratory birds, and scurrying excited mammals feeding their young.
May has its daytime activities and nocturnal periods of quiet --
nature's sounds and silence, which punctuate our busy, cluttered
life. The resistance of the leafy branches coaxes the breeze to
speak in gentle ways. We stop and listen, and we make joyful sound
in response: animated conversation, hand claps, songs, and
whistling. We allow for pauses and create the rhythm of sounds and
silence, of movement and rests, of action and stops. Continuous
sounds do not convey the fullness of a symphonic movement; the
symphony needs both the movements and the rests.
Spiritual power is realized in pronounced seasonal sounds but
even more so in the rhythm that includes the quiet moments, which
delineate and accentuate the sounds; sound variation is like white
or blank space on a page that assists our attention in reading. By
taking our rest in transitory coves away from the noisy world
around us, we hear the faint sounds coming from a distant place and
a future time. We hear the cries of the poor and detect various
strains of lamentation: a cry of anguish, from those who appear
helpless, e.g. tsunami victims or those trapped by the high waters
of a hurricane; a cry of distress, from those who have lost loved
ones in human conflicts in the middle of which they and their
families are simply caught; a cry of despair, from those who in
present economic circumstances are unemployable; and a battle cry
of the poor, calling out to others to join their swelling ranks in
revolt against an oppressive system. Cries of anguish and distress
are easier to handle through charity, and despair through
counseling, but we seek to avoid the battle cries. Are these the
subject of empowerment?
3. Chancing
upon a Lively Vine
... and the blooming vines give off their fragrance.
(The Song of Songs 2:13b)
May is the season of floral fragrances, which draw me back to
the specific places where I detected the specific scents for the
first time. I recall precisely where I stood the first time I
enjoyed the scent of the black locust or the Japanese honeysuckle.
The same holds for the lily-of-the-valley, peonies, irises, bridal
wreath, roses, and black-eyed Susans. Even the later-summer grape-
like smell of despised kudzu is attractive and reminiscent of a
certain roadside. Aromas remain deep in our memory when other
details fade. It is the gentle power of attraction that includes
both place and time. Thank heavens nature's seasonal aromas secure
us within our respective homelands.
In our Appalachian region we find many floral fragrances that
trigger a variety of responses. Gentle aromas often exude from
powerful, growing vines, which can reach over or above the forest
canopy or choke the understory (multiflora rose, kudzu, Japanese
honeysuckle, or fox grape); the tenacious canes of blackberry and
raspberry on poor soil furnish some faint aromas as well. The
seasonal colors and fragrances of later blooming vines such as the
trumpet plant and wild potato extend "vine time" well beyond the
month of May. Vines are strong and powerful and, in the case of
kudzu, somewhat fearsome in their ability to overwhelm the other
vegetation and conquer the land.
What about more spiritual attractants? The Resurrection event
secures us in our world redeemed by the blood of Christ. Our
blood-stained homeland has been transformed in the power of the
Risen Lord, and we can detect this in ways too faint for non-
believers to comprehend. The women are drawn to the tomb on that
first Easter to add spices and perfumes. And, instead of perfuming
the place, they find there a rolled back stone and the scent of new
life -- all taking place in a springtime garden. We too are drawn
in a world to care for our wounded Earth but find barriers in the
way. We stoop down to catch the mysterious scent leading us to a
storehouse filled with past associations, present demands, and
future promises. It is the inviting fragrance of distant spiritual
power that assures us that barriers will be removed.
4. Hives of
Honey: Liquid Gold
Kindly words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the taste,
wholesome to the body.
(Proverbs 16:24)
I never like picking large quantities of strawberries in late
May, because the work is so hard on my back. To this day it pains
me to see migrants in a field doing just that. Fortunately, our
berries were picked in a few days and not in a whole season of one
type of work. But there are rewards to strawberry picking: the
first is the taste of a fresh vine-picked strawberry, for no
commercial produce on the store shelves can match it; the second is
watching the little "sweat bees" clamor about on the late blossoms
for nectar. It is an opportunity to observe nature's workers up
close.
In this month of wonderful smells and tastes we can't forget
the role of the bees and other pollinators busier than ever after
a winter's rest. These humble creatures operate as a community,
gathering the nectar, and telling other worker bees through dances
and motions where the floral source is located. Amazingly, they
work as one unit, and their product is the filled combs that
sweeten our world. We have much to learn from these quality
providers of our goodies. They may sting us if we get in the way,
but a closer reflection on their community doings tells us that
over the long haul natural processes are generally gentle, and
their cooperative practices worthy of imitation.
Solidarity, companionship, and cooperation become the
hallmarks of Earth caregivers. The Risen Lord teaches us this
cooperative spirit by cooking breakfast at the seashore for the
overworked (John 21), encouraging the depressed on the road to
Emmaus (Luke 24), and bringing peace to fearful, locked in and
isolated people (John 20). We too are called to busy ourselves in
healing a wounded world and to encourage others to teamwork.
Through his inspiration we can provide service, encouragement and
direction to the source of spiritual power, so that all can enter
into the cooperative endeavor to heal and save our wounded Earth.
5. Radiant
Light and Rainbows
See, I am establishing my covenant with you and your
descendants after you and with every living creature that was with
you...(Genesis 9: 8-15)
I look down at a dewdrop on a sunny spring morning and,
depending at what angle I look, see a sapphire, emerald, ruby, or
topaz. If we but praise God at that moment, our prayer gives added
value to the other trillion unnoticed dewdrops that formed that
day. This viewing makes us appreciate the dispersal of light into
its various colors. Look at an oil patch and you will see the
variation of light as well. Now on that rare day just after the
shower, I look out at the short-lived rainbow. It is something
truly special and is the promise of God that we will be well cared
for on this Earth. Beauty is spectacular and yet fades.
God's covenant with Noah touches the community of all living
creatures including our living planet, and is sealed with the
rainbow in the heavens. May seems to be the month when this
covenant is most pronounced. At this time the glowing beauty of
the rainbow shines before us all -- and what we find at its end is
a pot of gold. But isn't it better to think that the pot of gold
is the rainbow itself? This rainbow involves all precious life,
whether it be a fetus in the womb, a coyote pup, or a struggling
flower in the crannied wall. Its colors symbolize the web of life,
with each given its short-lived chance to shine forth for awhile.
Yes, our planet Earth may live (the Gaia Hypothesis), and God's
covenant with us is also with the living Mother Earth. "I will
never again destroy you." If we show respect or disrespect for any
individual creature, then that act or lack of respect carries over
to Earth itself. We need to make our godly acts as radiant as a
rainbow and let them be seen by all.
B. REFLECTIONS: THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF POWER
On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
--The Nicene Creed
Christ's resurrection takes us to a new level of Earth
healing. In March and April we become involved in the passivities
of suffering whether to endure them or to enter in with sufferers;
now we arrive at a deeper level of involvement, namely, the
responsibility to catalyze the lowly to arise from their poverty.
Can we also get at least a few of the wealthy to abandon freely
what belongs to all? Can we get the poor to take what is rightly
theirs? In January, we see creation as a divine call to open
ourselves to others; in February, we discover through that openness
the suffering of the lowly, poor people and poor Earth; in March,
we meet the model of compassion or suffering with others in Jesus;
in April, we confront our own need to empty ourselves further and
to elect to participate in a fundamental and preferential option
for the poor. Now we approach the heart of the matter, the
confrontation of deep-seated worldly power, prevailing
powerlessness, and stirring to a new-found power.
We are at the point of liberation, freeing ourselves to be
more receptive to the graces of the Resurrection. Empowerment
emerges, a message first detected in Mary's Magnificat and Simeon's
prophesy, confirmed in the teachings and healing of Jesus, and then
plainly visible to eyes of Faith in the role of suffering servant
in the Paschal Mystery. Now darkness is past; Easter dawns;
passing through the sins of worldly power and the dark night of
powerlessness, a new and undefined power emerges, and it involves
all lowly creatures in a special way; and we are called to meddle
in these affairs called to be catalysts of change. This spiritual
empowerment occurs to individuals and to the community and both
come from Another, though individuals may see it more quickly.
Quite often those entangled in their poverty think that power is
totally beyond them, and no struggle to relieve the status quo will
be successful. Christian believers bring another perspective: we
accept Christ, which is more than mere words: we suffer and die to
self-will in union with his suffering and dying so that we rise
again in the power of the Risen Lord. Power lies ahead; power is
for the taking only if we die with Christ.
This divinely-endowed empowerment process can be divided into
five moments, which we will presently present: Section 1 -- God's
overwhelming power in creation and in the sacred events of
salvation (power of the Creator and Redeemer); Section 2 -- our
idolatry or illusion of mastery and control over events and
persons, which are impoverishing (power over others); Section 3 --
our assertions of worldly power and signs of ultimate human
powerlessness (no power by ourselves); Section 4 -- our discovery
and identification through God's grace of the mysterious power in
the many types of experienced powerlessness (power in Another); and
Section 5 -- a spirit of cooperation within the poor community,
which can best be achieved through identification with the Risen
Lord within the poor (God's power in us).
1. The Risen
Christ: Power of the Risen Lord
It is about Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the
spirit, the spirit of holiness that was in him, was proclaimed Son
of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead.
(Romans 1:4)
My deepest sense of the Almighty power came in an instant and
yet included all the scientific training that preceded it. In a
micro-second, I too became part of the creative hand of God where
process and event are both operative. Why it was so humiliating is
that I was seated before an instrument that I regard as somewhat
undignified -- a television. This public television show of the
origins of the cosmos discussed the burst of activity in the first
pico-second of creation. The very structure of the atom was formed
at that instant and in the intensity of that fraction of a second
all of the succeeding billions of years of the universe unfolded.
One could not help but be caught up in the drama and the power of
that "Big Bang." Even if other theories should replace this one,
the awesomeness of the personal experience will remain in my
memory.
Jesus Christ, Risen Lord in power, bursts from the bonds of
death in the second Big Event, but this one revealed only to
believers is muted in divine dignity. Here the energy unleashed
initiates a New Creation, giving new vitality to a tired world
weighed down by human wrongdoing.
This first stage in the phenomenology of power is God's
manifested creative power at work in the world. We see that
creative power in the roar of waterfalls, storms or waves, the
multitude of distant stars, the sun's warmth, the wonder of
wildlife, and the fabric of community relations. God's power at
work is beautiful to behold. Sometimes human observers interpret
this elementary power level as distant and almost authoritarian,
and respond through an infant-type perception of parental
authority; they may even misinterpret the Creator as vengeful Gaia
figure (a goddess willing to punish those who mistreat the Earth).
A new creation. In Easter we experience God's power at work
again in a new and more wondrous creation -- the raising of Jesus
from the dead and the promise that each of us may be raised as
well. We know non-believers who ask, "Do you really believe in
life after death?" I remember how difficult it appeared the first
time I heard this from a friend. Paraphrasing the words of St.
Paul, I reply, "Why yes, it is the core of my belief system.
Without this belief there would be no Christian faith." We witness
to this new life with the stance of wonder of a child seeing
unfamiliar creatures. But Easter is far more personal and
participative than the first science lesson on creation: now we
accompany the holy women at dawn's light; we discover the empty
tomb and hasten back to tell the disciples, "The Lord is risen!"
We see confusion reign supreme; people hasten back and forth,
breathless words, fright, confusion. Resurrection is a new
category, and it boggles our minds. And so the Easter story
continues -- Mary Magdalene seeking to cling to him, Peter and
John's discovery, the locked assembly room and his appearance to
institute the sacrament of reconciliation, the second visit
including the doubting Thomas, the meeting of the disciples on the
road to Emmaus, the meeting with the apostles after their fruitless
night of fishing, the final coming together and departure. All
become part of our cherished story, because we are believers and
these events are remote to non-believers. Easter and faith gel.
Even so, we grasp for sure things that help us understand
this fullness of the Paschal Mystery. The various stages of
maturing eco-spirituality listed in the April eco-spirituality
"Degrees of Humility" come back to mind: seeing the need to save
wounded Earth; assisting all living beings to a higher quality of
life; coming closer through an effort at living model lifestyles;
finding solidarity with the poor as co-equal companions; and being
invited to identify with Christ among the poor. These various
levels invite us closer to Earth and to Earth's poor -- people and
all threatened creatures. Christ's resurrection becomes the
cornerstone of our Christian faith, the apologetic tool to arouse
others, the end of our struggle with powerlessness, and the beacon
of a mysterious power that can transform Earth through spiritual
healing.
First degree of humility revisited -- to see the Risen Lord.
Here one focuses on the Resurrection as a primary Christian event
and credal belief -- Jesus rises; we will rise from the dead.
Without belief in Christ's rising we risk our eternal salvation and
sink into despair. Easter occurs each year and also each Sunday as
a celebration of a credal truth that is paramount for the Christian
-- for without this belief in the Risen Lord there is no faith. A
fearful sense of need to do something more than utter words
prevails, and so we seek divine guidance.
-- to carry this belief to others. Resurrection as fundamental
truth becomes an apologetic tool to assist in evangelizing others.
One brings these distant unbelieving people to a level of the
evangelizer through proof texts, connections between the various
gospel accounts, and involved reasoning and moving another to a
decision. Easter still remains a spectator event, one where faith
is enhanced through reasoning and argumentation, and where the non-
believer is brought to the borders of belief though human efforts
and to faith by divine grace. The unbelieving world is out there
in its vast expanse and we are motivated to make our believing
experience known through giving of our own excess in a charitable
and volunteering manner. This our giving and faith work together.
Second degree of humility -- to associate more closely with
others. Resurrection becomes a hope of ultimate victory, a dream
that keeps believers moving forward even when not fully
comprehending the full impact of the Resurrection in their lives.
Easter is a chance to enliven and inspire others through
witnessing, and through being a living presence in their midst.
The believing homesteader professes victory over sin, the need to
be like Christ by living a more simple life, and the joy of the
Risen Lord. This becomes the level of social justice, and Easter
becomes the foundation of a New Creation, which we are called to
help establish.
-- to become companions with them. Resurrection now becomes the
initiation of a saving process through which we share Jesus's
glorification in this world and beyond. Now we seek opportunities
to reach out to all people for we are bearers of Good News. The
more we close the gap of separation of us from them, the clearer is
the proclaimed message. Easter becomes the opportunity for
believers to become companions with neighbors, and Earth to become
home for us all; living creatures become co-equals not objects of
our hope, our evangelization, our demonstrations. Solidarity and
deeper companionship are solidified through forgiveness. We recall
the words of the forgiving father in the Prodigal Son Parable --
"He who is as good as dead has come back to life." Easter becomes
a merciful and forgiving occasion when barriers vanish, and divided
neighbors come back into our lives and we into theirs.
Third degree of humility -- to identify with Christ in the
poor. Resurrection becomes a living experience magnified each time
we receive the Eucharist and affirm our oneness in Christ who is
present in our world. We are now willing to become identified in
the community of all beings, for here Christ is among the lowly in
a very special way and Earth is being renewed in the pattern and
image of the Risen Savior. Easter becomes for us the time when
divisions vanish and we work together in Christ.
Deepening meaning of Easter. For believers, Easter grows in
meaning as we travel along our road to faith: a credal formula of
an enormous event, an apologetic tool to take to the suffering
world, a demonstration of the Risen Lord in our lives for others,
an opportunity to establish community especially through
forgiveness, and as an identification with the poor and the Risen
Lord who is present among us. In the process of deepening our
commitment to be healers we edge ever closer, going from distant,
rigid, and formal believers to members of an ever-expanding family
of close associates -- "we the poor." As this proximity grows
through our efforts, class differences between people disappear so
that all are one in the Lord -- and we become more vulnerable as we
penetrate more deeply into the Paschal Mystery.
a) Easter is a personal and historic reality -- You are
looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who as crucified; he has risen, he
is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him (Mark 16:
6b). Easter transforms our lives and fills us with hope and
victory. Think of the Roman slaves on the galley or prisoners
today with little chance for physical freedom; suddenly a hope of
eternal life in a future free from bondage is proclaimed. Easter
becomes the mark of liberation, personally and deep within the
prisoner's heart where others cannot penetrate. Easter offer hope
beyond hope, when life will be better and misery left behind. The
sufferer does not see the total picture, but what is seen is enough
for salvation -- and this is a treasure to hold fast. But even the
liberated of heart have a nagging thought about nearby needy people
coming from the Letter of James, "Don't say goodbye and good luck."
A primary but urgent Easter message with the suddenness of the
Risen Lord comes to threaten one's faith-filled but splendid
isolation: We must go out to the poor.
b) Easter is sharing with others -- Peace be with you (John
20:19b; Luke 24:36b). Believers must always pause and suddenly
hear, maybe ever so faintly the cry of the poor. It may be the
radio airing a whimpering infant in sub-Saharan Africa; it may be
someone next door. What do we do? Disturbed believers know that
faith extends beyond mere personal experience and satisfaction.
Some peace of soul and comfort surely results, but the restless
cries of others cannot be muffled; the Risen Lord has redeemed all
living creatures -- not just a faithful few. Even initial efforts
are hardly enough for the power of the charitable purse is limited;
volunteer efforts, though purely altruistic, go only so far. The
chorus springing from the planet is great: no one is excluded for
the Risen One is Lord of all creation. How can there be a co-
existence today of 700 plus billionaires and one billion people
making less than a dollar a day and lacking necessities?
Inequality cannot continue, even if all well-meaning believers
become charitable to some degree; still more must be done. There
cannot be a peaceful world of haves and have nots. Unrest is just
below the surface and our restlessness seems healthy.
c) Easter is compassionate presence. Then they said to each
other, "did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the
road and explained the scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:22); Then they
told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had
recognized him at the breaking of bread (Luke 24:35). Jesus is
present with the people on the road to Emmaus, yet they do not
recognize him. Their hearts burn as he points to scriptural
references; they invite this traveler in as guest through innate
hospitality -- don't let the fellow continue on the road hungry.
He accepts and breaks bread with them; and they recognize him in
the breaking of the bread; Jesus disappears. Here the hidden
urgency in Easter and the impulse to share with others impel the
Emmaus witnesses to hasten back to Jerusalem where disciples are
gathered in bewilderment and fear; these Emmaus disciples are
driven to share and drawn by the needs of the Jerusalem brethren
for encouragement. After Pentecost, this push-and-pull dynamics
will be seen more clearly, when some are pushed to spread the Good
News and others draw them through a "magnetic" desire to hear and
share.
d) Easter is forgiving others. "For those whose sins you
forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they
are retained" (John 20:23). The power of healing extends on Easter
evening when in the utter powerlessness of isolated, frightened
human beings the message is planted loud and clear, "you have the
power to heal." Our hope is that this Earth healing process will
become a cooperative endeavor by both poor and the formerly
affluent; involve the more equitable distribution of resources and
halt luxurious waste; be done in a gentle manner with minimized
hardship on all; and involve the world community of believers.
Resurrection is the ultimate revolution, for the old natural
processes of life and death are now replaced by life, death, and
new life. This new order is unexpected though foretold by Jesus;
it is, like life, a gratuity from God and it comes with the power
to heal from sin -- even the power to heal the Earth.
Hypothesis: The Poor are the Primary Earth Healers. The
whimsical Creator/Lord manifests power through the powerless. We
find this in the coming of the Messiah, his manner of teaching,
healing and activism, in his being the suffering servant, and in
the manner the Risen Lord appears to the disciples and other
witnesses. The entirety of Scripture teaches us that God has a
preferential option for the poor -- Abraham, Israelite slaves in
Egypt, captives in Babylon, Mary, Christ. If our own calling is to
follow Christ, we resist the temptation to focus on perceived power
elites who falsely promise trickle-down resources for the
impoverished. Even so, we cannot deny that healing our Earth
requires the collaborative expertise of all people of good will,
including those with professional skills and experience; but some
sort of key is held by the poor -- and that we must find.
e) Easter is Christ's presence with the poor --If in union
with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him
in his resurrection (Romans 6:5). Why do we healers seek the third
degree of humility? Because we want to be present with Christ as
Lord and liberator, and he is especially present among the poor,
the witnesses to whom he gives special deference after the
Resurrection. He does not appear to the power elite to force them
to believe; rather, he appears and becomes present to those who are
shut away, despised, and persecuted. We are drawn to be near him,
the perfect ecologist, and to be one in the Divine Family. We vow
to die to sin so that we can rise with him. We seek to discern the
entire Earth healing process in all its social, economic and
political ramifications. Intuitively, we expect the healing
process to be a true empowerment in the Risen Lord. This means we
must strive to be non-violent to all, and that includes all living
creatures.
2. Power Over
Others and Types of Impoverishment
There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.
(Ecclesiastes 3:8)
I have learned much from Becky and Bobby Simpson in Harlan
County, Kentucky, for they are folks on disability (Bobby is blind
through a work accident); yet with help from relatives, neighbors
and about one thousand volunteers each year, they assist the poor
in Harlan County and neighboring Appalachian Virginia. They do not
feel sorry for themselves, only for other disadvantaged. And when
time and resources permit, they move their efforts into the arena
of social justice. Here they voice and organize opposition to
strip mining excesses and bad logging practices -- and they do this
with an equal flare of energy and concern.
Second Stage. This moment in the phenomenology of power
begins with dealing with an illusion of grandeur, of being masters
of a situation. It is the power of those who are affluent enough
to give in charity, as though the recipients or victims need to
express due thanks. Either givers or recipients may feel the goods
are theirs either by prior ownership or by right over ill-gotten
material. Is charity utter generosity or are there attached
strings, an exercise of power, a covert or overt control over
others, much in the manner of an International Monetary Fund loan
from the wealthy to the needy nation? On the other hand, is there
a hidden arrogance in the recipient that must also be addressed?
The Earth belongs to all, not to the rich (St. Ambrose).
This passage is quoted by Pope Paul VI in the encyclical "On the
Development of the Peoples," (U.S. Catholic Conference, Washington,
DC, 1967) when he writes that the early Fathers of the Church took
the obligation of the affluent to those in need quite seriously.
Merely hearing St. Ambrose's statement does not bring about change.
Through the Paschal Mysteries we know that all are redeemed in
Christ and through his radical sharing there cannot be things held
back; there cannot be haves and have nots; these real but unwanted
existing classes must be eliminated -- but that can't be done by
pronouncement alone. Rising poverty and expanding inequality make
the need for deed all the more evident.
Some ways to effect change have proven harsher than others:
external coercion in the form of financial depression, terrorism,
or authoritarian control; voluntary simplicity by the affluent
though seldom accepted; or revolution involving either the
initiation of the poor or both parties working together to bring
about profound change. Coercive options often degrade human beings
and produce inordinate suffering on the part of unfortunate
victims. Voluntary simplicity by addicted affluent people would be
virtually a miracle, and we cannot expect miracles in such a human
undertaking as our Earth healing ventures. More profound and
fundamental changes that are effective appear necessary. At this
second stage the budding healer of Earth realizes that power has
its weakness and one's use of it must be strictly discerned.
Can this power be exercised over another, as parent over child
or through an outmoded power elite over the slave, the colonized,
the unlearned pupil? Is this power exercised throughout our whole
economy: on the playing field, in the executive suite, through the
evaluative process of the work place, and even the objective media?
Sometimes this power is neutral, sometimes good for the sluggish,
and sometimes merciless and ruthless. Modern culture glorifies in
power, relishes it, champions it, and tries to bless and sanctify
it. Such power permeates America, the West, the world; it sweeps
up decision makers, silences critics, and overwhelms prosperous
nations in the illusion of ownership. Some retain this illusion of
power through superior intelligence, current wealth, or the gifts
of wise stewardship; for them controls and power are merited gifts
or the result of good luck, frugality and careful use of resources.
The rendering of deference to these pretenders of power, especially
by submissive recipients of gifts, enhances that illusion of power
and opens the door to power abuse.
Authoritarian power brokers can terrorize the world or
intimidate the gullible or ignorant. If existing political power
is democratic in origin and derived from the consent of the
governed, it is participatory power through which the electorate
exerts a certain control over the elected. Perhaps, within the
democratic system the illusion of power is less tempting than it is
in non-democratic systems-- provided the electorate is truly
participative and responsible; on the other hand, non-involvement
erodes the democratic process and creates new forms of political
power manipulation. Political power, though necessary, is fraught
with risks, for misapplying it leads to impoverishment on the part
of many. But who are the impoverished?
One facile response (that I have used at times) is "If you are
confused about who are the poor, that is YOUR fatal fault." Now in
gentler older age I find that answer misleading, for many sincere
people are genuinely confused about who are the poor; this may be
due to their own current social or spiritual impoverishment. They
may deny or minimize economic poverty, talk about misuse of charity
on the part of giver or recipient, or conclude that all people are
impoverished at least spiritually.
Our response may be that the mere lack of something does not
mean "impoverishment," especially if someone has the means to
overcome the deficit substance or service. Failing to see the
economically poor is a blindness, but it could be overcome through
a willing act. A lack of concern about the starving, the homeless
or the parentless is an "impoverishment," which could be remedied
but is certainly not the same as being hungry; "shopoholics" are
addicted to material allurements that desensitize them to real
world poverty, a condition in which the poor lack the freedom to
escape. Generally addicted affluent people have gotten that way
through others and find extricating themselves immensely difficult.
All are in need of improvement, but there are inherent differences
between gluttony and starvation.
All things said, five types of ecologically-related
impoverishment stand out: the impoverishing act of desecrating
Earth by those doing unjust and thoughtless deeds; the resulting
condition of long-term desecration -- that is, suffering people,
"the poor," and suffering Earth; the impoverishment when human
potential is not actualized and the Earth is not being improved or
healed; the impoverishment coming from discarding or dismissing
traditional ecologically-related spiritualities; and finally the
impoverishment resulting from a failure to share the Earth's
resources. In a general sense, those who permit or perpetrate
these acts need the healing grace of the Resurrection.
1. Acts of desecration -- The list of atrocities to the Earth
seems endless: urban and indoor air pollution, depletion of ozone,
destruction of plant and animal habitats, ocean dumping and
pollution, overuse of petroleum resources, nuclear and hazardous
waste disposal, acid rain, depletion of the rain forest, soil
erosion and poisoning by pesticides, and the disparity of wealth
among peoples. Being immersed in this ecological calamity makes
one pass rapidly over the eco-suffering as discussed in the
February of eco-spirituality because the situation is so
depressing. However, healers with an authentic eco-spirituality
accept the need to know the conditions and resolve to do something
about them. They may lack appropriate remedies and tools, but
their willingness to face misplaced social and economic forces and
corporate greed is praiseworthy.
2. Resulting social and ecological dimensions -- Those who
live near and endure environmental pollution are harmed and
threatened in health, safety, and quality of life. In some way
that is all of us, but the ones living nearer to pollution suffer
the extra impoverishment not witnessed by economically poor folks
living at a distance. Further impoverishment extends to all who
are hurt by the greed and selfishness and include all living plants
and animals. The widespread nature of air and water pollution and
the global warming effects that could submerge entire nations show
the ever more serious expansion of the environmental crisis -- not
its diminishment. The urgency has not receded, only grown worse in
the 21st century.
3. Unactualized Potentials -- People are impoverished by
alcohol, drug abuse, family troubles, unemployment, and other
social maladies such as excessive consumer goods -- a form of
substance abuse. Untapped human potential from those so addicted
is a massive loss within a society endowed with great gifts -- and
could even threaten its existence. Furthermore, instead of seeing
reformed victims of alcohol, family abuse, drugs and other
disorders as models for helping others overcome existing
addictions, we too often regard them as weak and too tainted to
assist. The 12-step people and those who have broken with our
addictive culture could become the job trainers and social workers
of an authentic Earth healing process. They are perhaps the most
unactualized human resource potential.
4. Culturally induced digressions -- If time is crucial to
Earth healing processes, then distractions and false starts cause
one to overlook opportunities, to spin wheels, and to misuse human
resources. Strangely, a certain impoverishment occurs when people
consume time and energy exploring new cults, sects, movements and
non-authentic spiritualities. A throwaway consumer culture extends
to the acceptance of an authentic eco-spirituality as well. I am
convinced that much under the category of New Age should be
critically evaluated to determine whether it is a distraction from
the more practical and down-to-Earth work that needs to be done
here and now. A conservationist corollary is that what is of
traditional value should be reverenced, cherished, and recycled
where possible; the new, especially within a highly addicted
culture, must be held suspect and subject to critical analysis. To
disrespect one's past is to become impoverished, and this applies
to those who are overly ready to dismiss their own culture,
parentage, and traditional belief systems. On the other hand, a
misinterpreted cultural heritage that tempts one to violent action
may become a digression and an impoverishment.
5. Spiritual Impoverishment -- Most people who minister to
wealthier people will recognize concerns about security, personal
health, and the cares of life, which bother their clientele.
However, we must be slow at saying that, since all people are
lacking in some way, they are "poor" in the sense of economically
poor. Yes, watering down the classification can easily become an
excuse for the lack of change called for in the Paschal Mysteries.
Announcing the "Good News" to the spiritual impoverished may
include the message to stop hurting their own health by over-
consumption or stop physically impoverishing others. Most of the
world's economically poor can generally distinguish between what
they have and what the affluent possess. An affluence induced
insensitivity should really be no excuse for not taking corrective
action -- but real addictions make us tread more gently. Mother
Teresa called the wealthy spiritually destitute. But are they
caught in the webs of allurements?
3.
Confronting Power through Power
Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
(Lord Acton)
When I returned from Washington, D.C., after seven years of
work there, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the slow pace of
Appalachian change even at the most elementary levels. The
temptation was certainly great to take matters into my own hands
and lead an Appalachian resistance movement and to ally with the
remnants of the 1960 radicals who tried unsuccessfully to halt
surface mining of coal. I recall a church-sponsored consciousness
raising program where the majority of us had rice and beans for
supper and a few had a steak meal. Being good Christians, a few of
us organized and went over and required the rich to share their
meal. Now we really became aware of what could happen if
Christians challenged the system.
Third Stage. This is the clear realization that some form of
equalization is necessary; yet efforts by the lowly to rise are
interpreted as a threat by those in high places (current rise of
the rural poor in China); the powerfully placed say the lowly
should hold their place unless sure of results -- which may mean
"never" to status-quo-holders who desire no action. The lowly
seek to rise from squalor or to a better future, which they often
regard as held by those in high places -- grass is greener on the
other side. But they meet cautious people in higher places who
caution moderate change or the need for more time to ponder over
this matter; this puts the lowly into deeper depression. How does
a Christian believer encourage change on the part of some or all in
the light of the Magnificat manifesto? (Reference: Rene Coste,
The Magnificat: The Revolution of God, Quezon City, Philippines:
Claretian Publications, 1988).
In protecting the rights of private individuals, special
consideration must be given to the weak and the poor.
(Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum)
The rising (exaltation) of the lowly. The powerful dynamics
of profound and radical change may have a dual motivation: rising
to escape destitution and being attracted to a better life; rising
from the Earth, drawn by a humble Lord to greatness. The Christian
contribution is not specifically to foment revolution, because this
movement comes from the lowly whoever they are. The germ of
liberation is in all human "grassroots" and springs up eternally.
However, the more impulsive of the lowly wish to strike out rashly
at those in high places, and history is replete with examples of
such undertakings. In non-democratic societies the powerless become
aware over time that they are the oppressed -- the cowed or beaten
down, those forced to live without legal recourse, the bone poor,
the homeless, those without tomorrow's bread. Often these lowly
have been convinced by those in higher places that there is no
hope. Christians are the yeast, the catalyst of the rising.
Acting as catalyst. Easter people bring hope. It is not
enough to settle down and await the eternal kingdom by being good
individuals; Christianity demands time to pray and reflect, and
thus the lowly deserve a higher quality of life. The preacher who
says "stay put" is simply a tool of those in high places. Jesus'
action say otherwise. The impatient and radicalized lowly see
their condition as in need of change now. They look for the
opportunity to strike back using the same power that has oppressed
them and their neighbors, playing a game of musical chairs or
worse, a Mao "Leap Forward" to a single monolithic class of
universal low-quality life. The lowly are tempted to rise with
blazing guns and awesome might bringing down the highly place in a
crash of what some see as self-deserved wounds. But where are
charity and respect for others? The awareness of failed and
misplaced historic precedents makes the Christian pause. If
impulsiveness has brought ruin, why be on the side of the lowly?
Isn't it better to be chaplains of those in high places to make
them see the need to change gradually through giving up their
insecure power? Won't they be better off and all live happily ever
after?
What side are we on? We believers are caught in a dilemma.
Quo vadis? To the lowly who risk moving in wrong directions? To
those in high places who prefer to advocate slow movement?
Amazingly, Scripture shows Christ on the side of the lowly in those
forgiven, healed, taught, and defended; he is our perfect
ecologist. However, do we focus on individual or group dynamics?
Do we couple with both secular and religiously or only religious
groups? Those tending towards materialism or only those motivated
by spiritual values? Those choosing non-violence or those seeking
violent options? Those that pinpoint current harm or those with
assured effective remedies? Really what side are we on?
Military power and materialism. We do not have to look back
too far in world history to find examples of military exploits
taken for fame or fortune or both. Examples are countless from
conquests of Alexander, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, recent colonists,
or Hitler. Some of these were blatantly materialistic and some
not; most are costly in live and modern ones also in immense
amounts of natural resources. Think of the countless millions who
died in internal unrest in the Soviet era after 1917 and the
Chinese Communist revolutions in the later half of the 20th
century. These possessed a materialistic ideology but they dreamed
that the oppressed would take matters into their own hands through
military means and produce a situation in which all would be equal;
and utterly oppressive conditions made that dream come true for a
period of time.
Military power and spiritual motives. One may look back to
the medieval Crusades or the millennia of conquests by Moslems
through the Middle East, North Africa and into Europe. Should we
go down fighting like the Byzantine Emperor on the walls of
Constantinople in 1453 defending his vanishing Empire? In this
modern age of American-led Gulf conflicts along with retaliatory
resurgence attacks, can all fit this category of military actions
with at least a gloss over of spiritual motivations : establish
democracy by one side and protect from the contamination of western
materialism on the other. The 21st-century pronouncements of
Iranian officials on their conflict with Zionists fit this
category; so do the Israeli and Palestinian struggles in the Holy
Land -- both sides coated with spiritual justification. All such
resorting to military action only seems to breed more armed
conflicts in a downward spiral of violence.
Slave revolts. Slave revolts such as the Nat Turner Rebellion
in Virginia in 1831 are the result of individuals or small groups
striking out desperately against oppression. While the master or
ascendant culture exists in an uneasy state of insecurity, the
desperately enslaved perceive a glimmer of hope. More hardened in
their willingness to sacrifice what little they have -- free
movement, relatively safe home life, or life itself -- for the sake
of a cause, the slave(s) may resort to conflict through desperation
or the hope that others will follow; striking out seems so simple
when possessing so little. Many others in similar conditions never
resort to revolts but passively resist the conditions through work
slowdowns, sabotage and even individual forms of destruction of
property. Where there is oppression there is room for conflict.
Modern terrorist attacks. Now connect the mentality of
revolting slaves with an ideology; and a powerful weapon is born.
Personal willingness to expend one's life becomes the trigger of
the explosive or weapon of mass destruction, and motivated youth
with little future are gullible. After 9-11, some princes in high
places and their followers see that this symbolic destruction of
the Twin Towers in New York City and damage to the Pentagon near
Washington, DC are a declaration of war. For modern terrorists,
power is shifting within a complex society where malcontents can
make themselves felt in a variety of ways including suicidal
attacks, airplane highjacking, and subway bombings. They may
champion a new world in which the infidel is either destroyed or
controlled. For many in the West, this way of thinking is foreign
and arouses fears; the enemy strives to destroy the current Western
economic system and to replace it with a religious state of their
own ideology.
Radical environmentalists. Like today's terrorists, radical
environmentalists are deeply dissatisfied with a society that
damages Mother Earth: they watch in disgust as valuable materials
are wasted by careless consumers -- the despairing act of a
blatantly material-addicted culture; they agonize over misused non-
renewable fuels, incinerator emissions, seeping landfills,
dangerous nuclear waste disposal sites, harmful air pollutants and
toxic substances, all wages of ecological sin; their agony extends
to threatened wildlife, virgin forests, wild rivers; some focus on
forests or the spread of urban sprawl; others champion animal
rights and target laboratory testing procedures. Like other
radicals, so-called eco-terrorists see the inherent vulnerability
of modern sophisticated systems that are susceptible to
monkeywrenching by people not willing to play the culture game:
one could only stop one 19th century express pony at a time;
however, a well placed monkey-wrench can stop a vast utility or
computer system today. Their basic respect for life restrains from
any violence to human beings. Furthermore, they see the weakness
of the affluent who won't take physical risks and are basically
insecure, a condition seen as directly proportional to wealth.
Spiritual power of aggressive assertion. The Christian is
torn, for radical options may appear inviting. Certainly being on
the side of the poor means "to take what is rightly theirs -- or
ours" through some effective means. Are we playing games or do we
catalyze true and authentic change? Do we refuse to tolerate the
current system of haves and have-nots? Can we achieve justice
through use of non-violent and/or violent means on an escalating
scale? Are we to include dissatisfaction on the part of the
disaffiliated and the un- and underemployed as part of our social
justice agenda? Don't we see that the Internet and modern
transport and communications systems open windows of opportunities
for change. Why aren't the current modern technologies for
furnishing essentials to needy people utilized fully? Why must
the have-nots tolerate a world game in which they are to remain
satisfied in their place for this short life? Can we learn
anything from the organized disrupters (terrorists or radical
environmentalists) of our culture? Isn't it time to really take
them seriously and at least equal their motivating energy, if not
their exact manner of acting?
Dark Night of the Soul. Catalyzing the lowly to rise has its
dark side. In Earth Healing: A Resurrection-Centered Approach,
(ASPI, 1994), I describe in detail how such a moment of darkness and
its accompanying light occurred at the destruction of our ASPI
garden in 1988. The pattern wherein the poor can find hope is a
pattern in which Earth healing is to occur. Healing through an
exercise of worldly power may at first seem to be a liberation, but
then there is the dark shadow of hidden bondage lurking in the
distance. Darkness descends when power proves ineffective or
ultimately powerless. Merely working with the poor makes one
vulnerable and affords a chance to experience powerlessness at its
depths. Realization arrives when precious resources are damaged
and apparent power evaporates. When the addict hits the wall, the
accused is convicted. This is the moment one turns to the Power
beyond: inherent limitation, approaching mortality, desolation,
failure, weakness, temptation, suffering, apparent ruin, burnout,
utter confrontation, deep embarrassment, apparently ultimate
defeat, divorce, final separation, terminal medical report. Like
a bad dream, one is encompassed in a bone-chilling fog.
"My God, why have you forsaken us." A hollow eco-
spirituality that does not believe in evil forms of spirituality
may be willing to cut and run, since wounds hurt so badly.
However, if one has come to reside in proximity to the poor, this
becomes a moment of hope, of mystery, a moment when Divine Power
reaches perfection in the soul. This becomes a precious moment: to
fall back to the allurements of the past; to deny the current
situation; to excuse oneself. Only falling down before the all
powerful Other can truly heal. This is to choose between darkness
or light, between the Source of all power or one's idols, real or
imagined. However in God's mercy this personal Good Friday is
generally brief, and Easter becomes a transcending event of
ultimate hope.
Compromises? People who become companions with the lowly may
want to enter as impartial associates and hesitate to influence the
course of the struggle. For them, compassionate presence involves
an acceptance of the struggle and its success and failure. A
distance from actual participation may allow some needed
objectivity. The rise of the lowly could take a variety of
approaches. Shouldn't the homesteader return to the affluent
former cohorts and exert persuasion through residual friendships
and influence? Amazingly, many Christians choose to move over to
those in high places and seek to build bridges between them and the
lowly, and regard this as the height of their Christian endeavors.
If both components of this process are not operative through a
spirit of cooperation, won't disorder reign? Does Earth healing
imply a true and just equalization of haves and have nots? And can
this be achieved only through a community of love on both parts?
Otherwise won't one or other side resort to violence?
4. Power
Within Powerlessness
We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to
make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and
not from us. ....always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in
our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too may
always be seen in our body. (II Corinthians 4:7, 10)
I got my drivers license and then understood what power meant in the
springtime of life. In fact, the power of an automobile is
overwhelming. A modern auto driver has ten times the power, at
his foot peddle, of a first-century Roman general with an immense
team of horses. We fail to appreciate the power we have because it
seems to come so easily. With age, I find that physical power is
very misleading and can even get individuals and groups into
trouble. We must understand the ramifications of power, if we have
the privilege of driving on the highways -- or the American golden
moment of being a superpower. Here reside the promise and the
peril of the 21st century.
Christ's resurrection gives us the spatial freedom to start
over again. Indeed, we can be forgiven for past mistakes and
through genuine repentance we can come to a new spring. The
Resurrection is the eternal springtime of human possibilities.
Just as the rising sun gives us a fresh morning and winter gives
way to Easter, so forgiveness ushers in a new beginning. Or are we
making some ecological marks that are indelible and cannot be
healed even when forgiven? Believers start to see the task of both
forgiving and healing and how they work together even though the
task is difficult. There emerges a need to enlist a discerning
critical mass of people to halt ecological damage and initiate a
genuine restoration process. This takes prayer and discernment.
Powerless within the modern world. The computer stops
functioning, the electricity goes out, the car stops in the middle
of a trip, the airplane sits on the tarmac awaiting a technician to
come and check out a part. We feel helpless and realize we are not
an expert in everything and, in our sophisticated society, in very
few things. When and where we depend on other technicians, we are
at their mercy. The 19th-century do-it-yourself world of kerosene
lamps and more trusty horses has given way to a sophisticated world
of interdependence. Are we able to still exercise even a little
independence? This modern sense of being at someone else's mercy
is an expression of powerlessness. Some examples include:
Powerless to persuade. We observe powerlessness in a free
democratic society when we try to persuade individuals or
institutions to change their ways. They may say "no" when we
desire a "yes," and we are powerless (without exerting physical
force) to convert them to our convictions; our own persuasive
powers are limited -- and this involves environmental matters on
both individual and institutional levels. Our limitations may
include lack of communication outlets, a consumer culture's
belittling our simple lifestyle models of change, or our lack of
proper language or style to draw and hold attention. Our
assumption that rational argumentation will bring results falls on
deaf ears. That may be because prevalent substance abuse (drugs,
alcohol, etc.) and other allurements including collection of vast
amounts of unneeded consumer products and overuse of fuel (also
addictive) greatly weaken rational persuasion. A few heroic people
may change their outlook on life, surrender wealth and live simply.
But many won't because they are attached to a materialistic culture
that must be challenged. Can changes occur only through
catastrophe and some think? We hope not. Thus arises the negative
insight: rational persuasion of addicts is no answer.
Powerless before God -- At this moment of negative insight we
come in prayer; with Jesus we passively accept our moment of
limitation in obedience to God's will. Jesus does not attempt to
compromise rationally with the powers of his day but remains silent
to their accusations. Is that what we must do, or something more?
In dying to self we are reborn -- the first hint of the dawn of
spiritual empowerment. If we die with him, we can surely rise with
him. This need not mean abandoning political and social
involvement to live isolated lives apart from the mainstream; we
accept our limitations, our growing self-knowledge, our utter
gratefulness that God is the one who blesses and empowers us. We
are thinking more like poor folks because we are experiencing a
type of impoverishment at least of former dreams of power;
paradoxically, we have a hint of something enriching in the
prospects of deeper companionship with the Risen Christ present
with the poor.
Good News among the poor. Christlikeness among the poor shows
in many ways such as their -- urgent desire for redemption,
dependence on God and interdependence with one another, security in
people and not in things, lack of exaggerated sense of self
importance, expectation of little from competition and much from
cooperation, lack of privacy needs, ability to distinguish between
necessities and luxuries, dogged patience born of acknowledged
dependence, interpretation of the Gospel concretely and as Good
News, joy over the promise of future salvation, more realistic
fears, and, when really poor, response to the call of the Gospel
with a certain abandonment. (Reference: Monika Hellwig, "Good News
to the Poor: Do They Understand It Better," Monika Hellwig, Tracing
the Spirit, Paulist, 1983, p.145). Through these characteristics
the poor are better prepared to meet the Risen Christ. Besides and
not totally through their own fault, the affluent in our consumer
culture are, for the most part, addicted and not prepared to make
sacrifices. A purely rational approach to change addicts is
impossible, and consumers' unacknowledged addictions are far harder
to treat than other forms.
Accepting poverty as a resource. By opting to stand on the
side of the poor we discover a cache of creativity, saving power,
and enlightenment to spread the Good News -- activities of the
Divine Family. And this occurs when standing with and among the
poor in a moment of utter emptiness. The Spirit inspires, the
Light enlightens, the Holy One grants creativity. Somehow a
whisper, an idea, a spark comes alive within the empty and naked
soul: the unjustly treated can be liberated, a democratic people
can arise, well-motivated political action can occur. But we need
guidance in how to proceed. From Jesus we hear, "fear not, you of
little faith." Fear transfixes the world of big business, enormous
military spenders, national leaders, high financial officials. and
all the power elite; it must not govern us. Excessive fear leads
to bad judgments, but sincere prayers -- always answered --
overcome fear, lead to a proper action, and throw us into the
embrace of divine love and mercy.
Fourth stage. The need for companionship and solidarity
motivates us to further action. We know that God's power
transforms human isolation and powerlessness, empowers us through
suffering sacrifice, and forgives our past weaknesses. The poor
seem to be mirrors and feedback loops for new companions and allow
a comfort zone of forgiveness, which the affluent do not seem to be
able to offer. Why should they, for people like us who are bent on
challenging their status? The poor are the ones we must turn to in
this time of seeking companionship for needed action. Struggling
to come to a decision on this deeper step to humility suddenly
takes on a moment of consolation; distance from the Power Source
narrows; Divine Love draws the soul to deeper levels of
involvement, now mesmerized by an attraction for the poor Christ
and an identity of Christ with the poor. And the poor are willing
to extend a hand of companionship. However, we may feel unworthy
of such a calling to deeper poverty; on reflection the experience
is not debilitating but the opposite when with companions who share
dependencies.
Sharing with our limitations. New-found empowerment can now
be recognized and shared through liturgical celebration. A worldly
conceived powerlessness is now seen as juxtaposed to a transcendent
Power stimulating, inviting and catalyzing former material addicts
to action (a Twelve-Step Program for the Earth healer). This
realized powerlessness before true Power surpasses acts of charity
on the second stage, though we need to forge alliances with second
stage persons all the while keeping differences in charity and
social justice in mind. The Good News is that the lowly are the
agents of change but that involves a multi-level world community,
However, lowly folks are not on the same social level as those in
high places; as John XXIII says, unequal partners are not capable
of coming to lasting agreements; and equality is necessary and
does not occur before the rising of the lowly. And holding an axe
over the head of the highly placed as in France's Reign of Terror
in the 1790s is no true catalyst of change.
Dawn of spiritual empowerment. Easter expresses power within
perceived powerlessness, lordship through the cross. When showing
our utter dependence on God, while working as though all may depend
on ourselves, spiritual power emerges. This is the heart of the
Paschal Mystery. God will roll back the stone of our lethargy but
we must do more than prayerful observance; we are empowered to
serve through obedience to the Divine Will, acceptance of the
invitation to participate, and behave in a humble manner. In place
of the "power of the mighty -- idolized self or other human" we
affirm the "power of the Almighty." Power within recognition of
powerlessness involves a paradox: we become empowered and creative
while humbly recognizing our limitations and our dependence on
God's power. Through obedience and sacrifice, we go down with
Jesus in suffering and death, to come up with him as companion in
new life.
New Creation. We approach the heart of the Easter message
realizing: our unworthiness before God; that this spiritual
empowerment is utterly gratuitous; that God favors working through
humble souls for they resemble the only Son. This is the pico-
second of regeneration, the instant when the dynamics of empowered
human activity remodel the first instant of the world's creation.
The Creator fashions the healer into a New Creation, a
participation in the Easter mystery. We overcome our addictions
and avoid allurements; we sense our nothingness and greatness
fusing together through Divine Power. We look at the innocent
Jesus who offers himself as a suffering servant and now affirms a
new spiritual power in and through the act of being powerless.
5. Spiritual
Power Through Us as Other Christs
During the darkest periods of history, quite often a small
number of men and women scattered throughout the world have been
able to reverse the course of historical evolution. This was only
possible because they hoped beyond all hope.
(Brother Roger of Taize)
In the fall of 1988 I gazed out of the train window on the way
to Delhi and saw a youthful goat herder out in the distance. Was
this the ultimate destiny of his life or could change occur to give
it more meaning? Would he ever unite with others who could seek a
better life? Should he remain so content? To bring that goat
herder to a fuller life it seemed to me that two forces must be
simultaneously at work: the rise of the destitute to a better
quality of life and the bringing down of the status of the super-
affluent and powerful. A question arose two decades ago on that
train ride while somewhat agitated, and to some degree it has
persisted: can the poor who are the primary agents of change be
effective in a non-violent manner?
The above quote from Brother Roger does not imply that a small
elite will transform and restore the Earth, only that the catalyst
will come from a small cadre of believers in a hope beyond hope
that a pandemic of righteousness will embrace all the world, and
the great multitude will follow. All natural catalysts start from
a minute and critical point; they spread their effects far and wide
and eventually lead to an immense change. Such effects are what
are expected here with the rising of the poor; it takes a
spiritually-empowered cadre to set fire to the world.
Fifth stage. One is drawn ever closer to Divine Mystery in
this final stage where spiritual power emerges, namely a power
founded in our dependence on God our Creator and Redeemer. From
the previous four moments we conclude: 1) that something must be
done to save our Earth, for these are critical times for all living
creatures; 2) that, if healing is to occur, the present world order
of haves and have nots cannot continue; 3) that the goal is to
reach a general global condition of equalization so that the basic
rights to all life are respected by sharing essential needs from
the vast surpluses; and 4) that this must be done through the
general participation of all, especially the poor and including all
living creatures.
Characteristics at this stage: We return to our sense of
wonder experienced on hearing the Big Bang -- at least its faint
echo. We experience our humble place, our unworthiness, our
limitations, and our dependence on God. We realize the New
Creation is radically different, not a public physical blast but a
mysterious whisper confided to believers. We know this event is
greater than the first because it includes the suffering and death
of Christ and also our sacrifices as companions and partners of the
Lord within the Divine Family. We acknowledge that this profound
restoration is required due to human wrongdoing. And we glory in
the fundamental manifestation of Christ's power as Risen Lord.
Political but non-violent. Another characteristic is
imitating Jesus in refusing to resort to military force. God works
within us in a non-violent manner. This does not mean that Earth
healers retreat from political involvement (as some Christian peace
groups may have done in the past). However, on closer look,
explicit peacemakers have taught us much about how to practice non-
violence as a method of resistance to bring positive changes in the
world, starting with Jesus and continuing through Francis of Assisi
and down to our days: the revolts against Britain's salt taxes by
Mohandas K. Gandhi and his followers after the First World War;
the 1950s bus and subsequent strikes led by Martin Luther King in
Alabama; the challenges to South African Apartheid by Nelson
Mandela and others.
To be like Christ does not mean non-participation in the
local, regional, national and international political scene;
rather, we continue to accept political actions such as educating,
citizen lobbying, communicating with legislators, and organizing
for needed reforms, all the while knowing our limitations,
constraints and dependence on God. Accepting political involvement
still requires discerning the types and the sources of resources;
we avoid funds from contaminated sources; we do not seek changes
through influencing power elites (this has proved costly in the
past); we refrain from any activity that might cause physical or
mental harm to those identified as the oppressive class; we extend
the area of non-violence to include animals and plants as well.
Some environmentalists dispute the idea that the arena of
"violence" includes corporate property -- a false "person" in our
current American judicial system. Much more could be said on this
subject, but I am unable to do so for various reasons.
The Magnificat: the lowly will be exalted. Mary's prayer
(Luke 1:46-55) is our prayer too: the lowly will be exalted; those
in high places will be brought low. Must one come first or would
it be ideal for both to occur simultaneously, a highly unlikely
occurrence. The hope is that the lowly take what is rightly theirs
gently and that the affluent let go of what they regard as rightly
theirs and do so humbly and contritely. The gentleness that
characterized the Violet Revolution in the Czech Republic at the
time of the Soviet Union's collapse is a model of what could be
done ecologically, but the Violet Revolution demanded far less than
what is sought here. The wishful utterance of a hope for an
equalization process does not mean it will happen. Wealth is
seldom surrendered without a struggle, and so we may not have time
to wait for a miracle to possibly occur. Responsibility rests with
the lowly, the poor, us -- and as primary agents of change we must
take the lead. All the while, we invite affluent individuals to
join our ranks on poor people's terms.
Realizing power in being poor. Isn't efficiency the important
issue, not the mere rising of the poor, but how fast it can be
achieved? Actually, when viewing history as gradual process, we
realize that changes that show that the poor and lowly can and do
rise to level of democratic participation have been occurring at a
steady pace over time, but not all at once. Rising can be
incomplete and require adjustments which can be costly in lives,
resources and time. The first French Revolution was certainly not
the last one in that land. Constant calls for conversion and
deepening levels of change ring out throughout the world, and thus
the focus turns more to how than to exactly when, though we
are
always aware of the urgency of pollution effects, starvation, and
global warming.
The Christian challenge is to guide the movement from below
upward as a grassroots movement. By opting for a preferential
option for the poor we need to focus on the taking of what rightly
belongs to the poor, not on some compromise for others to
relinquish what really does not belong to them. A surrender of
ill-gotten goods is always needed for forgiveness. Forcing and
accelerating that surrender may do a favor to both sets of people.
The ideal is to take non-violently and to give up freely and
without regret. Can this equalization be done to the mutual
benefit of all parties? Mere declaration is not accomplished
deed; the Declaration of Independence began, but was not, the
American Revolution. The Magnificat verses are a prayer, a hope
that God's power will be manifested through properly acting human
agents. Curbing superabundant consumption is one component; the
rising of the poor from destitution is another. We cannot wait on
over-consuming addicts to freely change their ways. Unfortunately,
many poor Appalachians suffer also from substance abuse. Lead
agents are still a small number, even from within the lowly ranks.
Equalization is a precondition for authentic healing, but
precisely how this occurs is somewhat hidden: voluntarily by
somewhat addicted people? through coercive measures such as taxes
and regulation? through natural disasters? through violent
struggle? A profound and fundamental spiritual change by both the
wealthy and the poor (truly revolutionary in the deepest sense)?
An escalated system of environmental actions initiated by the lowly
as agents of change and without the necessary consent of those in
high places? In an earlier work, The Contrasumers: A Citizens
Guide to Resource Conservation, Praeger Publishers, 1974, I argued
for a rising gradation of environmental actions running from
education, demonstration, research, citizen organizing, and
political action to nonviolent passive resistance, guerrilla
theater, and eco-activity of a more active sort. When actions at
a lower level do not work, it may be necessary to accelerate the
process by a movement to a more active level of involvement. This
basic action principle has historic grounding in traditional
Christian ethics.
Deep Power. We must look beyond the regular use of power to
effect change and enter a special cooperative venture with the
Divine in the work of saving our Earth and fashioning it into a New
Creation. This deep power should not be confused with deep
ecology, a term coined in 1972 by Arne Naess who rejected the idea
that beings can be ranked according to their relative value. He
regarded the right of all forms of life to live, as a universal
right which cannot be quantified; no single species of living
being has more of this particular right to live and unfold than any
other species. (Reference: Arne Naess, Ecology, Community and
Lifestyle: Outline of an Ecosophy, (1989); also Bill Devall and
George Sessions, Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mattered, Salt
Lake City: Peregrine Smith Books, 1985). This position has been
widely discussed and criticized as through the work of Murray
Bookchin, "Will Ecology Become 'The Dismal Science'?" from Which
Way for the Ecology Movement?, (San Francisco, AK Press, 1994).
While not wishing to detour into the deep ecology discussion,
we find some similarities, for deep power is no longer hopelessly
anthropocentric (which is where worldly power has so often been);
now it is to be returned to its rightful seat of Almighty power and
with us in sacrificing servant roles. We must go beyond seeing,
helping, and being a part-time companion of the poor as discussed
in the first two levels of humility; we must gain a sense of
solidarity with the poor through compassionate presence and
eventual identification of "we the poor." Thus our rank among
living creatures is at the lower end, for we are humble servants to
them. Through deep power we challenge the great disparities
between rich and poor that hinder our servant role; likewise we
challenge all elites, even deep and shallow ecologists, for elite
clusters break the unity needed for practicing deep power.
Deep power is established through the empowerment of the lowly
who urgently seek basic human needs to live a good quality of life;
it recognizes the need to eliminate the classes of haves and have
nots and to challenge political systems, which permit such classes;
it encourages the lowly to take what is rightly theirs and to do so
without waiting for others to relinquish their ill-retained goods;
it recognizes the importance of the human dimension as part of the
divine re-creative act of healing our wounded Earth. Deep power
rests with the Risen Lord present with the poor and bringing about
changes in a non-violent manner. This power broadens to Eco-deep
Power when the arena of attention extends to the damaged
environment and ecological restoration methods needed for an
authentic Earth healing venture.
C. ACTIONS
1.
Environmental Action: Growing a Garden
In the spring of 1988 I returned from a trip and found our
prize ASPI demonstration garden to be in ruins. This choice love
of mine had produce far ahead of traditional gardens because of
early planting and careful protection against late frosts; it was
meant for special display on River Day on the first Saturday of
June. Someone had deliberately come in and destroyed all the
growing plants. It struck me that my sadness is what God feels
about how we have deliberately harmed the Earth. But I resolved
amid all the hurt and pain that even though we could not proudly
demonstrate our garden, we could show fidelity amid suffering by
starting the restoration process and simply tell visitors what
happened -- and that is what we did. I think this approach yields
a better response from those who know suffering in their own way.
Though late, the garden did very well that year -- and we gained
valuable insights.
The conversion of ornamental yard space into a productive
garden is a form of Earth restoration. Land that was formerly
woodland or prairie is now "developed," and the space surrounding
buildings is in lawn. Restoration means changing urban, developed
land into food-productive landscape. Astoundingly, 86% of
vegetable and fruit producing lands, 64% of dairy, 39% of meat and
35% of grain producing lands in America are now in the path of
urban development (Reference Census of Agriculture, USDA's Economic
Research Service, 1997.)
Returning former agricultural lands, now urbanized, to
productivity is a means of countering this massive threat. Such an
undertaking would enhance the lives of residents in many ways:
furnish fresh nutritious vegetables and herbs that would be locally
grown under watchful conditions; provide an opportunity to practice
"organic" growing at low price and thus be free of commercial and
highly toxic chemical pesticides; be proud of the fruit of one's
own hands; have a better opportunity to recycle and reuse kitchen
and yard wastes; and offer the gardener the opportunity to become
a better conservationist.
Here are seven suggestions for the beginning gardener:
1. Start small: Taking on too much garden space in the
beginning is always a burden. Most individuals who are limited in
personal energy and mobility can handle a plot of about one hundred
square feet easily. Most of the work comes early on, especially in
the preparation of the bed itself. If someone is unable to do the
heavier work of preparation, ask able-bodied friends and neighbors
to assist. Generally, seeding, planting, weeding, thinning,
cultivating, and harvesting of such a small area can be handled by
one person.
2. Welcome variety: Nothing is more detrimental to gardening
popularity than to have too much of a good thing at one time and a
lack of resources to preserve the excess produce. Variety can
change all that for, when one gets just a taste and not too much,
it stimulates the gardener to grow a more varied garden next year.
3. Design placement: How one places the vegetables in the
beds, both as companions (some plants do not like to be near
others) and for growing space is important. Don't be overly rigid,
but still allow that which wants to bush out or climb to start in
the bed and overflow outward, generally in a sunny direction. A
pumpkin could take up the entire bed but, if directed out to the
lawn, would only require the immediate gardenbed area of the roots.
Put taller plants or vine trellises to the north end and smaller
plants on the south side of the garden.
4. Go organic: The absence of commercial pesticides is better
for the soil microbes, wildlife and general environment, as well as
for the individual health of those who eat the produce. Most pests
can be removed by hand and through mechanical means in small areas
as soon as they are detected. Plant known flowers that dissuade
pests from coming near.
5. Extend growing season: Spring and autumn vegetables should
be planted keeping in mind their tolerance to seasonal weather
changes. While certain vegetables can withstand early and late
frosts, they may not like hot weather and so the initial planting
is important. Using permanent or temporary seasonal extenders and
cold frames with plastic, paper, glass or cloth coverings will
increase the productivity and growing seasons.
6. Beautify garden beds: The inclusion of flowers, both to
curb pests and to add color and variety is recommended. A pleasing
garden is always one that beckons the caretaker to come and spend
more time both reflecting and working in it.
7. Keep records: Gardening invites growth in experience and
skill; keeping records of successes and failures is good for the
long-term growth in the experience and the ability to pass on
suggestions to friends and neighbors.
2. A Prayer
for Restoring Damaged Lands
My fellow Jesuit and one-time co-author,
Bob Sears, has an
insight that is worth noting: land suffers and remembers its
harsher moments, and thus is in need of healing and reconciliation
through prayer to God. A team of us went to the ghastly,
unreclaimed Black & White Coal Company's strip mine site in Laurel
County, Kentucky, about fifteen years ago and prayed over the land.
Though the site had been seriously damaged by an attempted coal
mining operation just prior to federal reclamation regulations and
thus was abandoned and left unrestored -- even after our own
attempts through the legal system to require its reclamation.
Interestingly, that prayed-over land did seem to reclothe itself
with vegetation and is now covered with first generation black
locust trees and other plants of various sizes and types. Keen
observers admit that it is coming back to life.
A revitalization of a resilient but wounded land will occur
through prayer. Begging God for a more profound healing initiates
and effects restoration. As we celebrate Easter every week of the
year, let's pray for our favorite tracts of wounded Earth that they
may be restored to good health.
O God, merciful and loving Creator of all things,
Look kindly on this landscape before us,
In past times it gave praise and glory to You
through its abundant vegetation and unique beauty.
See it today in the starkness of the devastation
that human greed and thoughtlessness has rendered;
Do not do what we humans so often do, namely,
turn away and deny what has occurred.
In the bleakness of the empty standing cross,
let us have the power to look and see
what devastation human beings have wrought,
that we now witness with profoundly heavy hearts.
We first ask pardon for human faults to You
and to the land itself in all its gentleness;
We beg forgiveness for it was a human family affair,
and perpetrators went their merry way.
Let this prayer of contrition be something more,
for mere words do not suffice for what has occurred;
Let us pledge to match word with deed
in the spirit of the Calvary event before us.
Now we stand as witnesses before the tomb
knowing full well what we have done,
If not in deed at least in omission
of our duty to care for all creation.
Here we make our pledge to repair as best we can
the wounded Earth around us
and to work for the needed regulations
to keep this from happening again.
O God, renewer of all creation and giver of new life,
Bring the graces of resurrection
on this harmed piece of Earth;
And allow us to be bearers of its Good News.
3.
Resurrection Versus Creation-Centered Spirituality
As youth, we would go to church and get a glass jar of Easter
Water, blessed on Holy Saturday by the Pastor. We would take this
Easter water from field to field on our farm and bless the land and
the livestock, all the while asking God's gifts of rain and health
on all the farm. And while we did this in daylight, we made no
public display out of the blessing, for the less Catholic portions
of the neighborhood would not understand. Easter gave us the
blessing of the Resurrected One and we sought to extend that
blessing to the entire environment in which we lived. Of all the
prayerful moments of youth, the blessing of the fields and animals
stand out as the most meaningful spiritual exercise, for somehow we
were empowered with the Risen Lord.
There are a variety of eco-spiritualities, which we could
survey as we strive to focus in on one more suitable for Earth
healers. We neglect to classify actual exploitation of resources
done by a secular or some so-called religious-based philosophy
(through a misinterpretation of Genesis Chapter 1 to mean that
people should act in a domineering fashion over animals and
plants). Rather, we ought to love, respect and care for them. In
fact, the only spirituality in exploitation is from the evil
spirit.
A naturalistic or animistic spirituality finds god(s) in the
natural world, and that world becomes alive in the spirits that
inhabit plants, animals and given places. A multitude of primitive
cultures fit into this category, all worthy of research and
discussion, for some have developed capacities to practice
sophisticated approaches to protecting the environment within their
religious cultic traditions.
A homesteading spirituality developed in recent times in North
America; this often involves unchurched settlers in rural areas
(though some attend churches), who have left more conventional
lifestyles but who are deeply involved in using correct
conservationist practices in home, garden, landscape, and their
selected simple lifestyles. These find delight in the natural
world, enter into the social and environmental affairs of local
communities and, to a lesser degree, into the broader education of
the general public. Their main thrust is to enter and be a part of
a given remote or more natural community and to scale back direct
involvement in the modern American culture.
These two just mentioned could be variants of a creation-
centered spirituality as introduced by Matthew Fox and others who
champion theirs as a reaction to more accepted variants of
redemption-centered spirituality. This latter type has found a
sizeable following throughout Christianity and tends to ignore the
importance of creation in spiritual life; proponents place
greatest emphasis on Earth as a mere passageway to our eternal
heavenly home with less attention to its current condition, and in
rare cases even showing indifference to destruction of resources
since the world is soon to end in fire. Many fundamentalist
Christians, who are quite concerned about redemption through
personal acceptance of Jesus, fail to have an explicit ecological
stance, though in this century a growing number of their leaders
are becoming more environmentally aware.
A creation-centered approach would essentially stop at our
January eco-spirituality with the majesty and complex forms of
creation, the diversity of beings and the community found in the
web of life on this planet. Advocates would deny a hierarchy of
being, be more feminist in orientation, and reject anthropogenic
tendencies of redemption-centered people. However, by posing
either/or choices these show neglect of the importance of the
personal Jesus in our lives as treated in our February through May
eco-spiritualities. Creation-centered people sometimes speak more
generally in cosmological and so-called non-theological terms
regarding creation as the primary revelation in distinction from
that revealed in Scripture. For some of them, one should leave the
Scripture on book shelves for awhile.
A redemption-centered spirituality emphasizes human sin, the
need for repentance, the saving power of Christ, and the importance
of the redemptive act of Calvary. The emphasis is on individual
salvation, and the spiritual traveler looks to God's merciful love
of all and the need for individual forgiveness. Both Creation and
Redemption spiritualities have good aspects. The former focuses on
our need to respect all creatures and the interrelationships that
include the community of all beings. The latter places emphasis on
the individual person and less on other creatures or the community
of these creatures. The first could tend to be overly academic and
secular -- "I'm one of many creatures"; the second, emotional and
individualistic -- "I'm saved, are you?" And both spiritualities
can be fundamentalistic though it comes as a surprise to some.
I agree with Bob Sears in promoting the term resurrection-
centered spirituality. We regard this as more inclusive, for it
accepts the good aspects of both creation- and redemption-centered
spiritualities through an utterly high respect for creation and
through identifying Christ, the Risen Lord, as author of a New
Creation. A more holistic creation and redemption (both/and)
approach affirms: the glory of God's love and mercy; the role of
Jesus Christ as redeemer with his blood touching our wounded Earth;
that we enter through compassion and co-sacrificing with Jesus;
that all creation, not a single portion, is redeemed in Christ;
that the pattern of Christ's redemption is repeated in our own
lives; that by uniting our sufferings with the Lord we become his
partners in the salvific work; and that Earth healing is a part of
the total redemptive act. Paraphrasing the Emmaus account in Luke
24:26: "Did you not know that the very Earth must suffer and so
enter into its glory?" The entry into glory, liberation from
human wrongdoing, and a radically new life is at the heart of
resurrection-centered spirituality.
Arthur Simon in How Much is Enough (Baker Books, 2003, pp.
157-158) tells of hearing a noted evangelist from India, D.T.
Niles, preach on John 3:16 and say that Christians are twice-
converted people. They are converted from the world to Jesus
Christ. Then they are converted again to the world, but now it is
to love the world through the heart and mind of Christ. I believe
that this is the direction of a resurrection-centered spirituality
once we see that Jesus dies for all, rises for all, and calls all
to renew our reverence for creation. With these features in mind
we can more freely enter into the awesome task of renewing the face
of Earth.
SUMMARY: BROADENING THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
The creation of the United Nations during the Second World War
was a world movement away from nationalism and towards universal
justice. In the 1940s an articulate ecological consciousness had
not yet emerged. Though today many of us take the UN for granted,
criticize it for being ineffective, or consider it either over- or
underfunded, we recognize that it has lasted longer and
accomplished much more than the short-lived League of Nations and
other feeble attempts at a broadly-based international political
forum. Looked at in the eyes of a May eco-spirituality, here is a
global voice for the aspirations of the lowly. But as our
ecological concerns mounted in the later third of the 20th century,
some wondered whether this body had the power to handle such global
matters as the Law of the Seas, ozone depletion in the upper
atmosphere, or the more worrisome greenhouse effect/global warming,
e.g., NASA reports that 2005 was the warmest of the past one
hundred years (four other warmest being 1998, 2002, 2003, and
2004). The host of political, economic, social and ecological
justice issues are intertwined.
Eco-justice. Our discussion of the exaltation of the lowly
focuses on some broad-based social justice concerns: Are they to
be addressed from the "top down" by political elites or from the
"bottom up" by the lowly grassroots in its own good time? Or from
both directions in some sequence or simultaneously? Just raising
these questions makes us painfully aware that United Nations social
and political issues and the environmental problems faced by local
communities throughout the world are far from solution. Authentic
Earth healing is a complex issue. Are ecological issues sub-sets
or an over-arching problem area called social justice? Is eco-
justice a part of social justice or social justice a part of eco-
justice? Social justice deals with a vast array of human concerns
(human rights, welfare, dignity of workers, etc.); eco-justice
embraces, as paramount, issues involving all living creatures
including humans. This all-embracing nature does not reduce human
participation or importance, but makes it all the more critical.
Earth-saving or healing operates by successive stages: seeing
the urgent need for saving our wounded Earth; recognizing that
justice is due to all living creatures; realizing that the lowly
must rise to take charge, and here lowly means human beings taking
a serving role for all the lowly threatened and endangered species;
finding the Risen Lord among the poor who are the proper agents of
change; and identifying Christ-like actions that respect all life
in a manner of the respectful poor, namely non-violently. We are
not anthropocentric but rather, in reclaiming the legacy of
Teilhard de Chardin, CHRISTOCENTRIC. And that Christocentricity is
manifested in the Paschal Mystery.
As we move into the high springtime of our eco-spiritual
journey, we experience Easter joy and the tremendous power of the
Resurrection. In January, we see Earth as living, fragile, and
deserving of respect; in February, Earth is perceived as wounded by
human greed and mismanagement and also through our failure to
contest these deeds; in March, we call out in need for a model of
balance and justice and find this in Jesus Christ as teacher,
healer, and activist; in April, we accept our suffering servant
role with Jesus and stand along side him in solidarity with the
poor. Now in May we experience an urgency to act, a willingness to
challenge the class divisions in our world and to side with the
poor, the agents of change, and, being part of this group, to
insist on non-violent procedures. This outline is the road to eco-
justice and social justice. We sacrifice and die with Christ. Now
we ascend with him in the fullness of his power as loving and
serving Lord.
If eco-justice is both local and global, we caregivers of the
Earth must follow Rene Dubos' dictum -- "Think globally and act
locally" or maybe a more nuanced modification: "think and act
locally so we can think and act globally." Doesn't an overemphasis
on the local level and starting at the grassroots fly in the face
of environmental urgency as we have presented it, which can better
be done at the global level? Maybe by using modern communications
the local has a vital and immediate part to play. If we start with
well-designed local activity and report it over the Internet (this
earthhealing.info site reaches 88
countries each month as of this
writing), we can think and even somehow act globally.
Ascension, the fullness of Resurrection, will be our focus in
June as we approach summer's maturation. We will go from empty
tomb and garden to the Mount of Olives, from local environmental
resource assessments determining needs and appropriate
technological solutions out to the world. We poor folks are agents
of change -- enzymes, leaven, yeast, chemical catalysts, all
dynamic pinpoints; we the locally-based must leaven the global
dough and allow it to rise. Yes, power elites can play a top-down
role provided they do not hinder grassroots efforts; but to heal
Earth requires our concerted local and global interaction as we
will see. Dough does not rise at the mere baker's command (though
the baker is necessary); dough needs yeast. We, the lowly as part
of the Risen Christ, are the leaven, but that is one component of
the total process. We need to delve more deeply into the process
as the year proceeds.
