Nearly 55% of water usage in the Denver metro goes directly to watering lawns. To wean residents from this irresponsible practice, our city offers grants to homeowners interested in reducing their lawns. I applied for this (free plants) and was delighted to learn that we qualified. Especially on the heels of our construction project that has left our yard in shambles, having a budget and experts from our local botanic gardens to tell me what and where to plant was a dream. 

Of course, the idea of xeriscaping is that the plants are drought tolerant/resistant and can thrive in an environment where rain is a rare gift. I have been thinking about this since we evacuated our home last December due to the raging wildfires just north of us. As temperatures steadily increase and major reservoirs continue to recede, all efforts feel worthwhile to curb these wasteful trends.

I have been giving some thought to what it means to be drought tolerant vs. drought resistant. After all, drought doesn’t only apply to vegetation or climate. Drought is an apt description of our spiritual lives, creative lives, and sometimes love lives. A nursing mother’s milk supply will eventually dry up. Our money can metaphorically evaporate; wells, ponds, and oil reserves can all dry up. You get the idea.

Physical processes like wetlands-turning-prairie demonstrate a natural progression, while disappearing reservoirs provide an indicator, like a canary in a coal mine. The good news is that we have a choice to make for ourselves: To tolerate or to resist?

Drought resistance or tolerance is a broader term applied to plant species with adaptive features that enable them to escape, avoid, or tolerate drought stress (Levitt, 1980). From: Climate Change and Crop Stress, 2022

This seems a timely question to ask ourselves as a species: Do we plant what we know will tolerate the heat, the difficult seasons, and harsh conditions while fostering the good that is already here now; or plant what we wish and water it, indiscriminately because it delights us and that is what will yet allow it to thrive in the future.

Already and not yet. God is both.

There is something to be said for each approach. Either way, the end goal reflects the One who is Life–attending to the details specifically as they are, while lavishing generously, encouraging a flourishing life without counting the cost.

Under it all, I keep hoping for some garden wisdom to speak to me when my spirit feels parched and wilted like it has a lot this year. What about the long-standing scenarios I didn’t choose to plant, that break my heart wide open and drain the life from me? When the resistance is as abrasive and hurtful in the wake of something good taking root–How do I tolerate that? When the cries and hurts of a broken world all rise up together, what’s left to do but tend what is good and douse it all lavishly, generously, and indiscriminately?

At the end of the day everything needs a drink. 

Lord make me a vessel to carry water into a thirsty world.

The post Drought-resistant appeared first on Unexpected Honey.

Opening Prayer: 

If you like to use music in prayer, I might suggest Whatsoever You Do as a beautiful reflection by Fr. Bill Jabusch about solidarity.

Questions for reflection-

-What is your initial understanding of the term solidarity? How is it generally employed? With what do you associate it? How would you describe it for your seven-year-old nephew?

-What rings true for you in either the song lyrics or the notion that all people reflect back to us the goodness of the Creator? Has it/how has it informed your interactions with others?

-On the whole, do you associate it with matters of faith? If so, where did that begin? If not, why not?

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Loving God, in the vast network of the human family You remind us that each individual reveals something to the world about Yourself. In our rootedness as image-bearers, guide us to be people of intention and integrity; honoring the whole of the persons we come to know. To move beyond treating others as we want to be treated, into a space that in our encounters with the whole human race, we are graced to encounter You, too. Would that that reality characterize the way we engage the world around us and establish us as a tender and compassionate people. Amen.

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“Live simply, so others may simply live.”

Excellent video

Solidarity

If this topic reminds you of Matthew 25: 35-46, where we began our discussion of human dignity, it should. Solidarity is based on the idea that every person is made in the image and likeness of God, and that their inherent dignity is respected in the way that they are treated. As Saint Paul describes, the pain, as well as the rejoicing of our brothers and sisters, is shared by all, as parts of the whole–members of the body of Christ.

More than other principles of Catholic Social Teaching, Solidarity is often met with resistance because ‘downward mobility’ is so counter-cultural to us that it is nearly foreign. To sacrifice our comfort by way of financially investing in a product that is ethically or sustainably made, voting on a law that might invite families of lower socio-economic means to live closer to my home, shopping locally or second-hand so that small business owners and charities profit rather than consuming the convenience of big businesses–each asks something of us, but is offered for the good of another. This is the premise of solidarity.

So it is with these ideas in mind that we hear from holy men and women about our moments of decision/indecision and the intentionality with which we make those decisions, that we can see, informing our lives of faith as well. These choices can tend toward a sacrificial nature, and it is little wonder that by making decisions that they bring us closer to the heart of God whose earthly ministry was very much amongst those on the margins.

It is imperative that no one…indulge in a merely individualistic morality. The best way to fulfill one’s obligations of justice and love is to contribute to the common good according to one’s means and the needs of others, and also to promote and help public and private organizations devoted to bettering the conditions of life.

Gaudium et Spes (“The Church in the Modern World”), Vatican II, 1965 #30.

But I am sure that God did not intend that there be so many poor. The class structure is of our making and our consent, not His. It is the way we have arranged it, and it is up to us to change it. -Dorothy Day

The poor are your masters and you will find them terribly exacting masters. So the more unattractive and dirty they are, the more rude and unfair they are, the more you must lavish your love upon them. It is only by feeling you love that the poor will forgive you your gifts of bread.” -St. Vincent de Paul

Particularly because we have become accustomed to a very privatized form of faith, whereby my prayer, my relationship with the Lord is my own, this more public aspect of Catholic Social Teaching can push our comfort zones more than a little. Many are familiar with the story of the boy who is afraid in the dark at bedtime. Even after being reassured by his mother that God is with him, he replied sincerely that he needed a ‘God with skin on.’

Think of solidarity as human dignity ‘with skin on.’ It is important that all of us, particularly those on the margins, and those who are suffering, know and believe that God is with them and gives them their dignity; and acts of solidarity are means of showing the Good News–God with skin on, alive and acting on their behalf in a world that feels isolating and frightening.

This is what it means to be functioning members of the body of Christ: To show up with the God-given gift that only we can offer.

Solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all. -St. Pope John Paul II

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At another level, the roots of the contradiction between the solemn affirmation of human rights and their tragic denial in practice lies in a notion of freedom which exalts the isolated individual in an absolute way, and gives no place to solidarity, to openness to others, and service of them. . . It is precisely in this sense that Cain’s answer to the Lord’s question: “Where is Abel your brother?” can be interpreted: “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9). Yes, every man is his “brother’s keeper”, because God entrusts us to one another. (St. John Paul II, The Gospel of Life [Evangelium Vitae], no. 19).

Individual citizens and intermediate groups are obliged to make their specific contributions to the common welfare. One of the chief consequences of this is that they must bring their own interests into harmony with the needs of the community, and must contribute their goods and their services as civil authorities have prescribed, in accord with the norms of justice and within the limits of their competence. –Pacem in Terris (“Peace on Earth”), Pope John XXIII, 1963#53.

The bread which you hold back belongs to the hungry; the coat, which you guard in your locked storage chests, belongs to the naked; the footwear moldering in your closet belongs to those without shoes. The silver that you keep hidden in a safe place belongs to the one in need. Thus, however many are those whom you could have provided for, so many are those whom you wrong. -St. Basil the Great

Questions for Reflection:

-In what ways can I concretely imagine my attempts to live simply as a means of offering life to those who are marginalized? Is this a compelling reason for change?

-Can you think of an example(s) of when Jesus acted in solidarity with those on the margins?

-Is solidarity an aspect of your personal faith life that you have examined before now?

-Why do you think solidarity is included among the seven tenets of Catholic Social Teaching? What do the faithful/marginalized stand to gain from its inclusion?

-Can you think of specific individuals who model solidarity for you?

*Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for opportunities to act in solidarity in your own sphere of influence.

Closing prayer

Word made flesh, Your dwelling among us is itself an act of solidarity. Guide us to imitate the example you gave us in Jesus. Would that our gifts of self be offered as gifts to You for the good of the other, that we would enter into the places where suffering exists that we might rejoice with one another as You would have us do. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The post Solidarity, part I appeared first on Unexpected Honey.

If you enjoy music in prayer, consider beginning with All the Ends of the Earth, by Bob Dufford, S.J.

Questions for reflection

-Have you noticed opportunities to act as a steward in the past weeks? Or, noticed others who do?

-Which readings covered last session (or since) most captivated your imagination as a person of faith, with a responsibility to care for creation?

-If you have experienced prayer out-of-doors, what inspired it? How did you respond?

-Have you read Laudato Si? If not, it is a beautiful and invitatory place to begin to engage with papal encyclicals.

Opening Prayer

Loving God, Your affection for creation is evident. You name it all good; you name us all, good! Enkindle in our hearts the same reverence for the created world with which you created, and sustain the universe. We ask this through Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

//

Creation through the lens of Scripture

As we continue to delve into this theme of Catholic Social Teaching, I want to point out several Scriptural references to help lay the framework for the understanding that stewardship is a hallmark of our identity not just as Catholics (as Catholic Social Teaching could imply), but as children of God. Both the Old and  New Testament reflect this relationship of goodness, awe, and responsibility:

God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day. -Genesis 1:31

For from the greatness and the beauty of created things, their original author, by analogy, is seen. – Wisdom 13: 3

For six years you may sow your land and gather in its produce. But the seventh year you shall let the land lie untilled and fallow, that the poor of your people may eat of it and their leftovers the wild animals may eat. So also shall you do in regard to your vineyard and your olive grove. -Exodus 23:10-11

“I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!” -Luke 19:40

Daniel 3: 56-82

Saints, mystics, evangelists, religious, and lay people alike have been inspired throughout human history with a deep reverence for the goodness of creation, and our responsibility to maintain it for the good of others–those with whom we share the planet now, and those generations that are to follow decades and centuries from now. 

“The sun’s light that plays on the cedar trees, plays on each tiny flower as if it were the only one in existence; and in the same way our Lord takes a special interest in each soul.” -Therese of Lisieux

“Standing awestruck before a mountain, he or she cannot separate this experience from God, and perceives that the interior awe being lived has to be entrusted to the Lord: ‘Mountains have heights and they are plentiful, vast, beautiful, graceful, bright and fragrant. These mountains are what my Beloved is to me. Lonely valleys are quiet, pleasant, cool, shady and flowing with fresh water; in the variety of their groves and in the sweet song of the birds, they afford abundant recreation and delight to the senses, and in their solitude and silence, they refresh us and give rest. These valleys are what my Beloved is to me.’” -St. John of the Cross

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Grateful recipients, or faithful stewards?

There is, of course, another school of thought which sees the world equally as a gift given; and yet one for which we bear no responsibility. How rarely that is the case in the Christian walk! In fact, I cannot think of an example for which we are not called upon to act with the well-being of another in mind. This is not always convenient, but it does seem to consistently ring true.

What’s lacking?

The question remains, what is the lynchpin that moves us from our role as grateful recipients toward an integrated practice of faithful stewardship? Pope Francis, along with contemporary culture is certainly offering ample opportunities to reflect on this responsibility, while empowering all of humanity to be intentional in their efforts to be good stewards. In other words, to ‘begin with the end in mind,’ Stephen Covey’s eternal recipe for any highly successful endeavor (if not an apocalyptic one).

The notion of the common good also extends to future generations. The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity. Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others. Since the world has been given to us, we can no longer view reality in a purely utilitarian way, in which efficiency and productivity are entirely geared to our individual benefit. Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.  (Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si’], no. 159)

True stewardship requires changes in human actions—both in moral behavior and technical advancement… A renewed sense of sacrifice and restraint could make an essential contribution to addressing global climate change.

Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), 2001 #18

The dominion granted to man by the Creator is not an absolute power, nor can one speak of a freedom to “use and misuse,” or to dispose of things as one pleases. The limitation imposed from the beginning by the Creator himself and expressed symbolically by the prohibition not to “eat of the fruit of the tree” (cf. Gen 2:16-17) shows clearly enough that, when it comes to the natural world, we are subject not only to biological laws but also to moral ones, which cannot be violated with impunity. A true concept of development cannot ignore the use of the elements of nature, the renewability of resources and the consequences of haphazard industrialization – three considerations which alert our consciences to the moral dimension of development.(St. John Paul II, On Social Concerns [Sollicitudo rei Socialis], no. 34)

Questions for Reflection

-Is there an aspect of your life where you are feeling compelled to adopt a simpler or more intentional approach to stewarding what is yours to care for? If so, what might that look like?

-Have you observed a particular group who has adopted this principle of caring for creation? Who are they? A political group? Student group? Religious group? To what do you attribute their motivation? What might you/I/the Church stand to gain from their witness?

-What environmental causes do you find particularly compelling/timely? Clean water/recycling/fair trade/organic/etc. Where could you realistically begin?

Closing Prayer

God of all, thank you for the ways You gently form our consciences by stirring the places we feel most deeply about the rights and wrongs of the world. Guide us toward responses of compassion and concern for those around us that our own choices might reflect what we so readily observe in You. For hearts that respond with awe and reverence for all that we have been entrusted, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen

If you enjoy music in prayer, consider beginning with All the Ends of the Earth, by Bob Dufford, S.J.

Questions for reflection

-Have you noticed opportunities to act as a steward in the past weeks? Or, noticed others who do?

-Which readings covered last session (or since) most captivated your imagination as a person of faith, with a responsibility to care for creation?

-If you have experienced prayer out-of-doors, what inspired it? How did you respond?

-Have you read Laudato Si? If not, it is a beautiful and invitatory place to begin to engage with papal encyclicals.

Opening Prayer

Loving God, Your affection for creation is evident. You name it all good; you name us all, good! Enkindle in our hearts the same reverence for the created world with which you created, and sustain the universe. We ask this through Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

//

Creation through the lens of Scripture

As we continue to delve into this theme of Catholic Social Teaching, I want to point out several Scriptural references to help lay the framework for the understanding that stewardship is a hallmark of our identity not just as Catholics (as Catholic Social Teaching could imply), but as children of God. Both the Old and  New Testament reflect this relationship of goodness, awe, and responsibility:

God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day. -Genesis 1:31

For from the greatness and the beauty of created things, their original author, by analogy, is seen. – Wisdom 13: 3

For six years you may sow your land and gather in its produce. But the seventh year you shall let the land lie untilled and fallow, that the poor of your people may eat of it and their leftovers the wild animals may eat. So also shall you do in regard to your vineyard and your olive grove. -Exodus 23:10-11

“I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!” -Luke 19:40

Daniel 3: 56-82

Saints, mystics, evangelists, religious, and lay people alike have been inspired throughout human history with a deep reverence for the goodness of creation, and our responsibility to maintain it for the good of others–those with whom we share the planet now, and those generations that are to follow decades and centuries from now. 

“The sun’s light that plays on the cedar trees, plays on each tiny flower as if it were the only one in existence; and in the same way our Lord takes a special interest in each soul.” -Therese of Lisieux

“Standing awestruck before a mountain, he or she cannot separate this experience from God, and perceives that the interior awe being lived has to be entrusted to the Lord: ‘Mountains have heights and they are plentiful, vast, beautiful, graceful, bright and fragrant. These mountains are what my Beloved is to me. Lonely valleys are quiet, pleasant, cool, shady and flowing with fresh water; in the variety of their groves and in the sweet song of the birds, they afford abundant recreation and delight to the senses, and in their solitude and silence, they refresh us and give rest. These valleys are what my Beloved is to me.’” -St. John of the Cross

//

Grateful recipients, or faithful stewards?

There is, of course, another school of thought which sees the world equally as a gift given; and yet one for which we bear no responsibility. How rarely that is the case in the Christian walk! In fact, I cannot think of an example for which we are not called upon to act with the well-being of another in mind. This is not always convenient, but it does seem to consistently ring true.

What’s lacking?

The question remains, what is the lynchpin that moves us from our role as grateful recipients toward an integrated practice of faithful stewardship? Pope Francis, along with contemporary culture is certainly offering ample opportunities to reflect on this responsibility, while empowering all of humanity to be intentional in their efforts to be good stewards. In other words, to ‘begin with the end in mind,’ Stephen Covey’s eternal recipe for any highly successful endeavor (if not an apocalyptic one).

The notion of the common good also extends to future generations. The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity. Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others. Since the world has been given to us, we can no longer view reality in a purely utilitarian way, in which efficiency and productivity are entirely geared to our individual benefit. Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.  (Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si’], no. 159)

True stewardship requires changes in human actions—both in moral behavior and technical advancement… A renewed sense of sacrifice and restraint could make an essential contribution to addressing global climate change.

Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), 2001 #18

The dominion granted to man by the Creator is not an absolute power, nor can one speak of a freedom to “use and misuse,” or to dispose of things as one pleases. The limitation imposed from the beginning by the Creator himself and expressed symbolically by the prohibition not to “eat of the fruit of the tree” (cf. Gen 2:16-17) shows clearly enough that, when it comes to the natural world, we are subject not only to biological laws but also to moral ones, which cannot be violated with impunity. A true concept of development cannot ignore the use of the elements of nature, the renewability of resources and the consequences of haphazard industrialization – three considerations which alert our consciences to the moral dimension of development.(St. John Paul II, On Social Concerns [Sollicitudo rei Socialis], no. 34)

Questions for Reflection

-Is there an aspect of your life where you are feeling compelled to adopt a simpler or more intentional approach to stewarding what is yours to care for? If so, what might that look like?

-Have you observed a particular group who has adopted this principle of caring for creation? Who are they? A political group? Student group? Religious group? To what do you attribute their motivation? What might you/I/the Church stand to gain from their witness?

-What environmental causes do you find particularly compelling/timely? Clean water/recycling/fair trade/organic/etc. Where could you realistically begin?

Closing Prayer

God of all, thank you for the ways You gently form our consciences by stirring the places we feel most deeply about the rights and wrongs of the world. Guide us toward responses of compassion and concern for those around us that our own choices might reflect what we so readily observe in You. For hearts that respond with awe and reverence for all that we have been entrusted, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The post Care for Creation, part II appeared first on Unexpected Honey.

If you like music during prayer, you might like Marty Haugen’s Canticle of the Sun.  

Opening Prayer

Creator of Heaven and Earth, You set the universe spinning with the greatest attention to detail. No geography, climate, life-cycle, or color pattern were too elaborate for Your designs. Because we ourselves are image-bearers, you also delight in our uniquenesses and name us ‘good.’ Given such dignity, lead us to honor all of creation as an expression of our praise and thanksgiving, that you would entrust such wealth to your sons and daughters. We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

Reflection Questions

Think of a time when you have had an experience of faith in the natural world. Describe it in a journal or talk about it with those at your table.

-Scripture begins with the creation accounts– God’s creative hand at work, building up to the crescendo of the world as we know it and humanity itself. How do you think this command (in Genesis 1:28) was originally intended? In your experience, is this tenet of CST currently interpreted positively or negatively?

God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth. (Genesis 1:28).

-People of faith often struggle to make the connection between care for creation as a natural outcropping of living a life of holiness. Has this been your experience? Why do you imagine that is so? Is there anyone for whom you have noticed it is a natural progression? Who are they? What do you observe?

-Has ‘care for creation’ been a message you have ever heard preached or seen prioritized as a core value at your parish? If so/if not, how have you observed the natural consequences of that priority or lack thereof?

Video Overview

Caring for Creation

Since Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si  (In Praise of Creation) was published in 2015, there has been renewed energy around the topic of our very real responsibility to take a vested interest in the welfare of our planet–and all who depend upon its resources. It has sparked more than a little controversy. So I hope to unpack a bit of where that resistance could be coming from while suggesting that our efforts to better steward what we have been generously given, will necessarily have to look like more than recycling (although that is a great place to begin).

Truth be told, I was ready to begin this Catholic Social Teaching series with care for creation, rather than save it until the very end because it is so jam-packed with goodness and beauty. However, without first grounding ourselves in our God-given dignity as image-bearers so that by the time we get to something as important and compelling as caring for the entirety of creation, we have good footing about why the Church teaches what She does about our particular responsibility to care for all created things.

Over the last several years I have often observed ‘Care for Creation’ presented as an afterthought, a random add-on. I want to address a couple of common misconceptions that seem to stand in the way for folks adopting God’s command to ‘fill the earth and subdue it.’

1. Caring for creation does imply the entire breadth of God’s creation: Air/land/water/mountains/animals/insects/soils/minerals/atmosphere/etc. This does not make us tree-huggers or hippies, but grateful recipients of a gift generously offered for our use.
2. Caring for creation is not limited to caring for the natural world at the expense of humanity. The two are not mutually exclusive. To care for creation is not to cease caring for humanity, but to see the direct link between all that God created and named ‘good;’ including, but not limited to the human race.

*Rarely noted, yet of vital importance, is the connection between the environment and the most vulnerable of the human family and their close reliance on the environment for daily survival. Poor environmental practices from rural, developing countries to large urban sprawls, very quickly impact the inhabitants of those places. 

From the beginning, it has been and continues to be imperative that all people, particularly people of faith who have an identity as stewards of creation, live in a way that upholds that commitment to stewarding with integrity. Both Pope Emeritus Benedict (who first gained the reputation as the ‘green pope’) and Pope Francis have committed to encouraging the faithful to lead by example when it comes to honoring our call to steward the gifts we have been given.

If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled.

Laudato Si (In Praise of Creation), Pope Francis, 2015 #11

Stewards of Creation

Though most often stewardship is spoken of in terms of time/talent/treasure, if this is the extent of our definition, then we are limiting our purview of stewardship to simply what we are willing to share (our tithe). Over and over in Scripture, we read about the multi-dimensional identity of the steward, and there is a lot more to it than the 10% we put into the collection basket or how many hours we agree to volunteer at the parish bazaar:

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. -1 Cor. 4:1-2

The Unjust Steward— Luke 16: 1-13

Parable of the Talents-– Matthew 25: 14-30

Vigilant and Faithful Servants— Luke 12: 42-28

Trustworthiness and integrity are at the heart of good stewardship. In other words, doing the right thing whether or not anyone is looking. As Providence would have it, the world is watching and Christians in a unique way have been given a tremendous opportunity at this moment in history to lead by example when it comes to taking responsibility to be good stewards of creation. 

The environment is God’s gift to everyone, and in our use of it, we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations, and towards humanity as a whole…In nature, the believer recognizes the wonderful result of God’s creative activity, which we may use responsibly to satisfy our legitimate needs, material or otherwise while respecting the intrinsic balance of creation. If this vision is lost, we end up either considering nature an untouchable taboo or, on the contrary, abusing it. Neither attitude is consonant with the Christian vision of nature as the fruit of God’s creation. Nature expresses a design of love and truth.

Caritas in Veritate (“Charity in Truth”), Pope Benedict XVI, 2009, #48.

The Bible, from the first page on, teaches us that the whole of creation is for humanity, that it is men and women’s responsibility to develop it by intelligent effort and by means of their labor to perfect it, so to speak, for their use. If the world is made to furnish each individual with the means of livelihood and the instruments for growth and progress, all people have therefore the right to find in the world what is necessary for them.

Populorum Progressio (“On the Development of Peoples”) Pope Paul VI, 1967, #22.

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Questions for Reflection

-What aspect of Caring for Creation have you found most compelling? Most challenging?

-Have you ever considered yourself a steward of creation (or of anything else)? If so, how does it change your relationship to that thing/person/cause? If not, how might it?

-Does/how does your community of faith engage its commitment to stewardship?

-In what area of my life could I benefit from further exploration of my role as a steward?

Closing prayer

God of Wisdom, we praise you for providing for our every need in lavish and wonderful ways. Inspire awe and wonder in our souls as we grapple with our indifference and the confidence you placed in our ability to be good stewards. Renew our commitment to care for our common home, by inviting us to revel in its goodness–Your goodness! 

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The post Care for Creation, part I appeared first on Unexpected Honey.

Opening Prayer:

If you like to use music in prayer, I suggest this song as a beautiful meditation on inviting God to work through our efforts:

He Is Among Us, by the Porter’s Gate. *Based on Matthew 25: 31-46

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous^* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you? And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Questions for reflection-

-How does this song/this verse challenge or inspire you to see daily encounters as opportunities for deep reverence?

-How have I come to understand human dignity?

-How do I embrace my own dignity? The dignity of others?

-Who have you seen do this particularly well?

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Word made flesh; You dignify our being to the core of who we are. Not only did you take on flesh, but in-spired, breathed into our very souls that we could love like you. Continue to breathe Your Spirit into us that our words and actions would serve as a reminder of your presence on Earth.

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Life & Dignity of the Human Person:

Like so many words whose definitions can take on a meaning of their own over time, dignity is among them. It’s important to note that dignity means a number of things to a vast number of people, but for our purposes, the working definition as prescribed by the Church (and most Abrahamic traditions) is that the human person is made in the image and likeness of God. This belief reinforces that each individual person is a deliberate act of God’s creative love.

“The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching.” –United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Whatever  insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary  imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and  children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where men are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others of their like are  infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury. (Second Vatican Council, The Church in the Modern World [Gaudium et Spes], no. 27)

In the beginning

Very much as it sounds, this facet of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) holds firmly to the belief in the tremendous worth and dignity of every single person from conception to natural death. It is impossible to overstate the enormity of this principal. The foundation of this tenant can be found scripturally in the book of Genesis in both of the creation narratives:

Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis (1: 26-27)

In the second creation narrative, God breaths the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils, thus filling the human species in a way that no other part of creation is formed: With the breath, the Spirit of God. In-spired, we believe that we are literally animated by the breath of God.

Then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

Therefore, to honor our God-given dignity we must live in such a way that allows the individual to thrive within their circumstances, and to advocate for the flourishing of others.

Excellent video

Image-bearers

From its very inception, and in a particular way, humanity is identified as being made in God’s image and likeness, the imago Dei. This is why we can say with confidence that as soon as a soul is created, God has already breathed life into that individual and given autonomy to them. One of my favorite descriptions for humanity in light of this reality is as ‘image bearers.’ I find this such a helpful reminder each time I hear it.

Exercise:

The next time someone cuts you off in traffic or makes you angry at work, rather than using any number of words to describe them, insert the words: Image bearer. See if it isn’t infinitely more difficult to hold onto a grudge or an accusation when we remind ourselves that “that image bearer just cut me off!”

You might try the same exercise while reading the news: “4 Image Bearers died in drive-by shooting earlier today.” “One image bearer executed in a Texas prison late last night after serving 27 years”. “Colorado unanimously passes law that image bearers can abort image bearers up to 32 weeks gestation.” “Image bearer killed by image bearer at routine traffic stop.”

How very important it is then, to live up to our God-given dignity and appropriately address our fellow image bearers. This language commands a different respect than words that obscure our dignity (‘the homeless,’ ‘the criminal,’ the medically fragile,’ ‘product of conception,’ ‘vegetable,’ ‘the right,’ ‘the left’….and any number of other slurs not fit for print). Perhaps this is the root of the cultural communication impasse we find ourselves in at this time in history; A refusal to acknowledge the dignity of every human life, without exception.

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“When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities-to offer just a few examples-it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself; everything is connected.” -Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si), 117.

All human beings, therefore, are ends to be served by the institutions that make up  the economy, not means to be exploited for more narrowly defined goals. Human personhood must be respected with a reverence that is religious. When we deal with each other, we should do so with the sense of awe that arises in the presence of something holy and sacred. For that is what human beings are: we are created in the image of God (Gn 1:27). (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Economic Justice for All, no. 28)

Any human society, if it is to be well-ordered and productive, must lay down as a foundation this principle, namely, that every human being is a person, that is, his nature is endowed with intelligence and free will. Indeed, precisely because he is a person he has rights and obligations flowing directly and simultaneously from his very nature.

Pacem in Terris (“Peace on Earth”), Pope John XXIII, 1963, #9.

We do not work toward these goals to ‘follow the rules,’ to be ‘good people,’ or to be ‘politically correct,’ we do it as a reflection and reverence for all of whom God put here on this planet at the same time in history. We are inseparable from our identity as children of God. It all stems from the same foundational and Scriptural concept. We will find this theme again and again:

Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous^* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ –Matthew 25:34-40

That in our service toward others, our concern for those with less (money, shelter, physical ability, intellectual capacity, etc), we simultaneously take part in ministering to Christ is a distinctly Christian inclination—no other religion dares to presume God’s embodiedness in quite the same way. And the imago Dei is the reason we can confidently proclaim this reality.

Questions for Reflection:

• What about these themes around human dignity sounded familiar? Were any unfamiliar?
• If CST can still be called the ‘best kept secret in the Catholic Church,’ what do you imagine would surprise anyone hearing it for the first time today? Were you surprised by anything?
• Does this understanding of dignity change the way you expect to be treated by others, or the way you treat others?
• What resonated with you most deeply?

Closing prayer

Word Made Flesh, we give thanks for having been fashioned with such great love, that to be known in the world is to be associated with you, Creator of heaven and earth. Continue to guide us to be men and women who see the world as gift poured out and filled with your Spirit. Give us courage to acknowledge the dignity of every human person, even when that means beginning with ourselves.

We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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