Advent Greetings to you!

This is far and away my favorite season for its metaphors of darkness and light, Love Incarnate, and illustrations of God-with-us. I’m snatching this unexpected window for writing, as the baby finally fell asleep as it was time to leave for Mass, second-hand tea bag steeping in the stolen quiet while the rest of the gang drove off in the frosted car.

I laughed out loud as I read today’s reflection about listening and staying awake: ‘The holy thief breaks into our lives quietly, the barely audible click of a door, the softest padding of feet.’ I have found myself waking from Nutcracker-like dreams, laying in bed listening for the snap of mouse traps as our unfinished construction project looms on, beckoning more than one weary seeker to find shelter in our home. Hardly the holiday-ready home pictured in any ad splashed before our eyes this month.

There is no shortage of shiny resources to aid us in providing a new lens through which to receive this Advent–hoping it will be the most enriching and spiritually-nourishing yet. This fresh start feels plausible because we have been changed over the past year and understand the Nativity story through a newly-lived experience. I don’t know about you, but I am certainly a different person than the one preparing to welcome the Christ child last year this time; I have been stretched in every sense of the word. Perhaps that resonates with you, too.

And it is good to be reminded that the One we are preparing for was born into a poor family, amidst livestock. Word made flesh, straight into the feed trough. Bread of Life from the very beginning. High hopes, alongside very domesticated ones.

For all the good intentions and high hopes for the peace-filled and spiritually renewing season, it is the nitty-gritty of our every day that the Lord is waiting to enter into. At the risk of domesticating Emmanuel, I invite us to carve our space for that, too. 

Japanese Kintsugi (golden repair) and Navajo weavers who leave intentional flaws in their design, offer tangible reminders of the ways our best efforts, though good and beautiful, necessarily fall short of the perfection we seek. This does not diminish their goodness but accentuates our radical dependence on God. Offered willingly to the One who is perfection, our efforts (and ourselves) will in turn be created anew.

So with confidence we bring our lackluster prayer lives, our uninspiring decor, our fraying favorite sweater, even our sharp edges that bump up against others in the frenzy of holiday preparation, and lay them in the dust of the Creche, asking that this year we might glimpse the startling goodness of our humble offerings. 

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“Hope is one of my favorite emotions because of its humility. It’s not like gladness or joy which stick around just for the good stuff. Hope is my heart’s missionary– it humbly seeks fear and shame and befriends them. Hope enters the very dusty portals or my heart and clears out the cobwebs, and whispers the promise of perfection.”

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In other news…

I am thrilled to tell you that I am sharing in collaboration with Mothering Spirit some tender thoughts on Complicated Joy and the way the Lord has been speaking to my heart over the past year.

In case you missed it over at Blessed Is She, I got to share on the Synod and the Paradox of Martin the Merciful. Be on the lookout for a Christmas meditation inspired by one of my favorite artists in December!

Related reflections

A Tale of Two Advents    Light in the Darkness     Thresholds     Playing the Waiting Game

Around the Web

Advent with Oscar Romero, a free resource for Advent Reflections by Cameron Bellm

Mystery Deeper Than Memory, Sacred Remnant

Opportunity to give

I’ve shared my support for Heifer International. If you are inclined, their holiday drive is being TRIPLED this cyber Monday, extended through Tuesday.

Treat Yourself to a movie–

12/10 recommend seeing the first episodes of the Chosen Season 3 in Theaters. Coming in at #3 Thanksgiving weekend. I’d be sad to see you go. But if you want to, you can unsubscribe from here

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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.

Stewardship is something I write a great deal about as a bee keeper, an environmentalist, and a Catholic, because on principle, it is a responsibility and good practice. Living simply (financially) is also very much a part of how we do what we do in a one income home while employed by a non-profit. Interestingly folks seem to have a great deal more enthusiasm around concepts like cloth napkins and recycling–even cloth diapers, but it’s sort of crickets when it comes to finances.

Financial stewardship is not a topic I’ve tackled head-on, but when I was approached by Compass Catholic to participate in a virtual Faith & Money Matters Bible study and write about the experience, I said ‘yes.’ It was a six-week course that we took as a couple, with several other couples from across the country in various stages of life.

You should know that I have no financial training or credentials, unless you count rocking mega sales at the grocery store and on FB marketplace, but money is something all of us have to negotiate, and many of us aren’t doing it well, so what could it hurt? If in turn, it could offer a springboard for you or I to tackle finances in a way that offers ideas to get out of debt, budget, and share what we’ve got, so much the better.

Unexpected Expenses

I’m sure I don’t have to cite much research to prove that Americans are in a tight spot right now, financially. It has been snowballing for a while for a variety of reasons, and job losses, credit cards, college debt, and online shopping are certainly adding to it. In fact, studies show that most Americans (pre-covid) couldn’t handle even a small financial hiccup–they would have to either borrow money or sell something to pay the cost.

That is unsettling at best, a time-bomb at worst because unexpected expenses are lurking everywhere and finances don’t always bring out our best. So, it comes down to one of three options when deciding how to address our financial realities:

1. Ignore the issue and hope it goes away.
2. Draw upon your own knowledge of personal finance to navigate getting out/staying out of debt.
3. Seek assistance from those who know what they are doing and have resources to offer.

Financial Peace

When we got married, it became alarmingly clear that we were in very different places in the way that we thought about money. We dreaded our monthly money chats for different reasons. We had college debt, rent and about five various jobs between us. In an inspired moment, my husband heard a talk show on the radio hosted by Dave Ramsey about finances and getting out of debt. We talked it over and quickly signed up for Financial Peace University.

Dave is a wonderful presenter, charismatic, funny, experienced–he’s been bankrupt and built a business on helping people get out of debt. Although he doesn’t shy away from his Christian perspective and tithing, the lion’s share of his instruction is a crash course in interest rates, savings accounts, income, expenses, Roth IRA’s, taxes, etc. He’s a big advocate of the envelope system, paying with cash, cutting up your credit cards, and monthly budget committee meetings. Even as a trial run, these practices are eye-opening to say the least.

What F.P. did was offer a neutral point of instruction and invitation for us to sit down honestly with our whole financial situation and goals (debt, savings, retirement, giving, investments, wills, etc.) and begin to navigate our way through it, in some cases learning about these concepts for the first time. It was cerebral, it was hard, and it was a game-changer.

Subscription also came with some great budgeting tools we could install on our computer. Participating in a class on money early on was a huge stress-reliever and improved our communication substantially. Many churches–Catholic and protestant alike–advertise these classes in their bulletins and outdoor signage so you’ll likely find one near you if you would prefer a class setting, we took our class in our living room.

Enter Compass Catholic

We’ve been married ten years now, so a lot of our money conversations have grown a bit stale because we have read the books, watched the videos and decided what has worked and what we could commit to. We were looking forward to a Bible study (particularly a Catholic one) on finances as opposed to a strictly financial study.

We were delighted by the opportunity to dig into Scripture, and even the Catechism as a lens for stewarding our finances–spoiler alert–there is SO MUCH Scripture that pertains to our resources and how to steward them well. Inherent in this study were strategies to get out/stay out of debt, to save for things as they come along, but especially to find the joy in sharing what we have, knowing that it is all gift. Whether that means you support your favorite charity for $2/month while we pay down debt, or $200/month down the road, we can’t say it’s not in the budget if we are making the budget–which is empowering!

Personal finance meets community

As an added service, Compass trains volunteers who can meet with individuals who prefer to meet with a trained money coach.

While both programs have given us tools to use as we navigate our finances, Compass’ program offered a great deal more formation from a faith perspective, specific to our Catholic tradition. Being a part of the Faith and Money Matters study bridged a gap for us that had made financial conversations mostly intellectual to one that includes both head and heart.

As a group, we reflected that meeting with people online had some advantages, too. Whereas going to a meeting about money at your own parish may lead to being shy/vague about asking questions to keep appearances up, talking with others that you don’t run into at church or at Target, can make for freer, more honest conversations than most of us had experienced previously. Free, honest conversation is a great way to get questions answered and seek insights from others–particularly when you have no preconceived idea about where they are financially, or where you appear to be. (**Listen to our study group’s conversation on the Money Stories podcast, here).

Gaining Traction

If you are looking for traction in terms of finances, each of these programs have their merits and will help to guide you toward a place of greater awareness pertaining to financial stewardship and getting out of debt. If you are Catholic, or even if you’re not and you’d prefer to delve into faith-based stewardship, Compass offers a really great program. Comparatively speaking, Compass seems to focus more on making financial resources available at a low cost to those who are trying to put their finances in order, which is both a beautiful and practical aspect of an investment in personal finance.

Cheers to financial empowerment and confidence for greater generosity!

“Giving is not God’s way of raising money; it is God’s way of raising people into the likeness of his Son.”

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Also, July 31st was the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola and I shared a reflection on the practice of the Examen during this unusual time:

‘Some of these lessons have been simple enough: learning to be creative with the canned goods in my cabinets, logging in to my (now) virtual meetings, or the ability to pivot, scrapping long-anticipated plans. Others lessons have highlighted my tremendous gratitude for teachers, grocers, healthcare workers, social service providers, delivery truck drivers, and postal workers that have maintained a semblance of normalcy in times that were anything but…’ continue reading.

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I don’t mean to brag, but we eat a lot of leftovers in this house. Don’t get me wrong, none of them are Pinterest-worthy. I blame it on my work-study job in the school cafeteria, and my days of ‘gleaning’ groceries at their pull date to feed a large volunteer group. I can work with just about anything in our refrigerator that will nourish us for another day.

This is not always popular, but it is economic, and I do rest in the relief of having saved something from being needlessly thrown away.

Actually, I thrive on it.

Compost. Seeds. Leftovers. (Lent)

Just Wednesday, we stood in  line once again, reminded of our finiteness. Somber for sure, especially as I watch my children’s ash-smudged faces before me, over our soup supper. Such a striking contrast: Life & death. And yet, I have come to rely on these images of resurrection that remind me that even when all appears futile, lost, broken, and bruised, God is not in the business of letting our fragments go to waste. (John 6: 1-12). 

Word and sacrament–Scripture and Eucharist–transform my midweek leftovers. They transform me from a mindless consumer into someone capable of Eucharistic interdependence and gratitude. They teach me to receive these leftovers–and all of life–as a gift.

And yet they also serve as a judgement on my meal, a call to repentance for the systems of scarcity and injustice that I perpetuate in my average day. They call me to work toward a new way of being–and eating–that allows me to better know, love and serve my neighbors. They challenge me to empty myself for others, knowing that I will be filled to the brim over and over again in the abundant economy of worship. In Christ there will always be,enough for us, with so much left over.

We are endlessness in need of nourishment, and nourishment comes, usually, like taco soup. Abundant and overlooked. -Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary

Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary

In this spirit, we imitate Love itself. This paradoxical living invites us to add chairs to the table, a little more broth to the pot. We are reminded in a thousand little ways, like the Gospel reading for today when St. Matthew tells his disciples, ‘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.’ 

Seen in this way, the sacrifices we offer this season feel more like opportunities to glimpse once again, the ways in which our meager offerings are anything but wasted. How important it is to be reminded of this! Bring all that you can offer, and it will be more than enough.

Our call to share faith is not limited to our physical address.

Speaking of Lenten practices, I’m sharing on the Blessed Is She blog today, on opportunities to share our faith with our own children, and all children of God.

“Whether you read this as a brand new God-mama to your infant nephew, as a mother of a lapsed Catholic, child caretaker of an agnostic parent, spouse of a non-believer, grandmother to a child(ren) growing up in a home that is no longer practicing their Faith, or the lone holdout of your “cradle Catholic” family…it is important.I’ve been giving this a lot of thought because there is so much to know about our Faith and Tradition. It is simultaneously simple and mind-bendingly complex…” keep reading.

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Ever notice how October is a bit of a glory hound? It comes in with a blaze, still warm afternoons, pumpkin spiciness, grinning jack-o-lanterns, kids in costume, and we hungrily eat it up.

November feels a bit somber by comparison–especially if you’re Catholic. Bang! As soon as you turn the page on the calendar, we dedicate two marvelous days to honoring the dead: Saints to begin, and then our own litanies of loved ones who have passed. *I wrote on both of these days for Blessed Is She this month if you want to delve in. Then we turn the clocks back and all hell breaks loose in our internal rhythm–darkness moves in and ushers with it muted brown and gray leaves, if there are any left after the sleet and wind. Baking and comfort food are redeeming qualities, though, it can begin to feel like we’re  trudging our way to Thanksgiving and Advent.

Yes?

My husband recently shared a quote from Teddy Roosevelt that feels appropriate to add to the conversation, seasonal or not: ‘Comparison is the thief of joy.’ A pretty pithy little phrase.

I’ll be honest, this is a skill I’m honing. I still roll my eyes at my neighbors’ ever-present Halloween decor that hasn’t come down in the years we’ve lived on this block. It’s easier on my eyes and my conscience when the things before me do not remind me of insufficiency, need, or apathy. When I can tidy things up and make them appear to be less broken and more lovely. I recognize this is broken thinking, that it is actually our brokenness that makes room for beauty to spring forth, and yet…

Because the atmosphere this time of year lends itself to comparison, and the fact that I’m not particularly good at avoiding it, here’s a couple of folks who are worth paying attention to, and can speak eloquently on ways we can also choose to see beauty in the small, imperfect, goodness that surrounds us:

Shannan Martin–I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Shannan (The Ministry of Ordinary Places) is the queen of holding up the very good and usual, and proclaiming it, beautiful; lovable, even. Cook in a shelter by day, writer by night, married to a jail chaplain, she sees the world for what it is, and adores it. In many ways, she could be the patron saint of November’s ordinariness. And when she points it out, I see it too.

I try to channel Shannan when I need to re-frame the ordinary into the lovable.

My friend Cara of the Dorothy Exchange, who has the ability to cultivate children’s learning from nature, and grown-ups learning to do beautiful things by hand through her Skillshare–inspired by Dorothy Day (swoon!). What she notices and passes on to her children, and those around her is so encouraging to me in the ways I can also integrate simple beauty and wonder into each day.

I am listening for her words as I try to intentionally prepare our home for Advent.

Jack Jezreel, founder of JustFaith ministries and author of A New Way to Be Church. His words are lingering with me, along with his deep love for the Catholic Church which seems to fuel his innovation in the very places parishes have run out of creativity–by way of a new take on empowering parishioners to meet the needs of their local communities in new ways. To heed his words would challenge us to see just how much more we might do, and how we might be changed by re-imagining what it looks like to meet the needs of the marginalized and our role in it.

I hear these words lately as I enter our parish.

It turns out that paying any heed to their wise voices or practices is a true act of resistance to the culture of comparison as well as consumerism,which is a God-send this time of year. Not just theirs, of course. Any words that help us to see the goodness of what is, minus the analysis of how it may compare to anything else.  I’m finding their voices echoing in my head as I begin the process of clearing out the clutter of my heart and making room for the Christ child this season.

Advent is near and we can feel it. There is an equally pithy little phrase that can help in times like these when we long for something more and maintain a testy relationship with what is: ‘Already and not yet.’ This is eschatology in a nutshell–or really great fuel for prayer life. In the same way we desire the perfection of what is to be, we are mired down right here in the present circumstances, playing whatever role we have been given to bring about the Kingdom on Earth–as imperfect and messy as that may be.

Happily, we are meant for both.

We crave beauty, we seek it, and we are nourished by it. All of this is good. However, I’m beginning to suspect (maybe late to the party) that we are culturally un-learning how to see beauty, and therefore struggle with gloomy times like these. Likely this is why hygge has caught on in such a big way–because we are simply over the disposable, glittery, insta-beauty, and craving something richer, more substantial. The bottom line is, the more substantial thing is not a thing at all.

Rather, the substance consists of unlikely friends, and unexpected glimpses of goodness for which we will never tire of searching;The days that were interrupted by persistent and compelling distractions. Now more than ever, would that we all be seekers of small and ordinary wonders.

Here’s to a sufficient & joyful Thanksgiving for you and yours!

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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.

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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.

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As I sit down to write, my husband is refereeing the battle going on upstairs between sisters—it seems an appropriate time to reflect gratefully on the next week we’ll have together with no school.  I don’t have a sister, so this is my first formal taste of the squabbling, and whew! It is fierce and frequent.

Surprisingly, none of my Lenten suggestions seem to inspire their loving attitudes toward one another, or make any impact on the urge to bicker.

Lent is such a difficult concept for kids (let’s be honest, it’s tough for adults, too). The practice of self-denial for Jesus’ sake is a bit ethereal. No meat and desserts on Fridays, ‘because it’s Friday,’ makes for a tough sell on this Liturgical season in our house and an unbearable time of not getting what we want.

Right?

I think we get the concept of Easter, and then again, it’s difficult to grasp the fact that there was a whole long stretch of temptation and suffering that preceded the Passion. And the truth is we repel suffering. In every way—lack of sleep (hello, daylight savings time), hunger (looking at you, Ash Wednesday & Good Friday), generosity  of time, talent, or treasure (when it means I get less). As a country, and maybe as people in general, we suffer from a Theology of scarcity rather than a Theology of abundance—a belief in a system in which we have to fight to have our needs met, instead of one where it is possible for the needs of all to be met.

I think at its core, this is really an instinctual response to survival—I want that last French fry, I want to get the parking spot closest to the exit, the last ticket to the event, the aisle seat, the first place in line, first round for school enrollment…you get the picture.

I can certainly resonate with this lately.

Recently we have been talking about some tasks we’d like to tackle on our home—stemming from our ability to comfortably host folks for birthday parties, Christmas gatherings, etc. I was feeling particularly justified in my desire to make some of these home improvements—”because they’re long overdue,” I made my case—until I did a quick skim through the headlines and recognized my grasping for beauty and comfort to feel a bit like my kids’ shallow squabbling for ‘what they deserved,’ when the item up for grabs was given as a gift. 

(Ouch).

This is not to say we cannot receive good gifts, but maybe a timely reminder that everything I have has been given as gift, and the only appropriate response is to steward that with open hands rather than closed fists. Just maybe, their genuine pursuit of justice bothered me so much this morning because it reminded me sharply of my own feelings of scarcity and what that can look like when my desire to get while the getting is good overpowers my belief in a God who is generous and asks me to be the same. 

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In related news, I’m reflecting on the first feast day of St. Oscar Romero tomorrow at Blessed Is She.

Stay tuned.

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Grateful for the space

I’m finally sitting down to write after nearly a week of making room for a voracious stomach bug in this house. In a series of unfortunate events, my husband and I both woke to this little demon on the same night–hours apart from one another. This novel occurrence hasn’t come up before and I’m leaning hard on the hope that it doesn’t happen again. For as much Lysol as we’ve employed recently, everyone took their turn, and the latest victim is upstairs napping, now.

I’ll spare you the details, and only reflect on the fact that there’s nothing like being (temporarily) incapacitated and doing any kind of thinking when you otherwise ought to be sleeping; no time to contemplate the big and small things in life like that when faced with cold, white porcelain.

And so it is this week that I find myself immensely grateful for my washer and dryer, for Gatorade and the space and time to be sick.

These wheels probably began spinning while our small church community took our first shift at the emergency overnight shelter last week, hosted in a local church basement when the temps dip below 20 degrees. When a frail, sickly, guest arrived, we quickly realized how ill-equipped we were for any of the 37 patrons to be ill. We had access to little more than a bathroom to offset the discomfort of being ill or weakened from the elements.

Thankfully the biggest requirement for our guests that evening was rest. But where can these folks have the good fortune of getting sick? Or put their feet up during the day at 6 months pregnant?

Life-giving rhythm

I had originally planned to write about the beauty of the Zumba community that I’ve joined in the New Year. (Though honestly, I haven’t been up for that kind of gyration again just yet). I was struck one day last week about the way I’ve come to look forward to these hours as the most rhythmic, energizing, and diverse of my week.

Being a spoiled stay-at-home-mom, with an occasional window when my kids are in school, there is really no telling who I’ll find when (and if) I head to the gym: retired folks, people who work night shift, college students, etc. I expected an older crowd and wondered if I’d find camaraderie in that space. I have been so pleasantly surprised by whom I have found on these occasions—mostly women (but not all), older than me (but not all), folks with really great dance moves and people with zero inhibitions, people with differing abilities, and more cultural diversity in one room than in all communities in my life, combined.

So it is giving me life in lots of ways. I love the hugs and the music and my energy when I get to go and have been reflecting on what a gift this time is to me, probably unbeknownst to any of them.

Compelled toward gratitude

One of our go-to pastimes when we’re sick in this house is National Geographic’s: Planet Earth. Somehow I can justify binge-worthy amounts of screen time, when we can simultaneously escape our condition by beholding the wonder and beauty of the world. It’s such a grounding experience to be reminded that the world is so much bigger than what I regularly experience. In an unexpected way, each of these encounters has done that for me recently and I am grateful.

In an ironic, or providential bit of timing, I offered a reflection of the Feast of St. Blaise—on both the blessing of throats and the practice of being called out of ourselves in a way that delights the Creator. Hop on over to read the rest at Blessed Is She.

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***But wait, there’s more! For those of you interested in a Lenten Reflection book to walk you through Lent this season (Ash Wednesday is March 6th this year), the Blessed Is She journal went live last week and you can purchase on pre-order  discount and receive free shipping, here!

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