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.”

//

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.

The post Money & Stewardship appeared first on Unexpected Honey.

Happy Earth Day!

I hope you get to embrace it by taking a hike–or a travel mug; biking to work, or upgrading to paperless billing–however you like to celebrate the day!

Last month, before all of this quarantine business got underway–which is  having a strangely positive impact on the planet– I was invited to speak on the spiritual dynamic of stewardship in terms of faith. I was over the moon to make this connection because for as much Theology as we have on the subject, very little time or attention is committed to what I feel is a hallmark of our faith tradition:

Stewardship as care for creation

Parishes are superb about educating on the tenets of stewardship and the three T’s: Time/Talent/Treasure. Each of these are paramount in carrying out the mission of the Reign of God on Earth. What is less clear is our shy approach to including ourselves among the stewards of creation itself.

Scripture is chalk-full of references to what it is to steward, well. Beginning in Genesis in the first Creation account, and sprinkled throughout the Gospels and Epistles, it is very clear what a steward is– and what kind of steward with which we might wish to be associated.

• Genesis 2: 15— The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.
• Luke’s accounting of the Unjust Steward
• 1 Peter 4:10— As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

The long view

The Catholic Church has a rich history of naming creation as a gift of the Creator, and thereby worth respecting. Saints, Popes, theologians, mystics, and lay people alike, have found the subject worth contemplating.  Most traditionally this has played out by emphasizing the dignity of the human person as image bearers of the Creator, but the dignity of the human person cannot be singularly extracted from the reflection of the Creator in all things.

The glory of God is reflected in the majesty of mountain ranges, the wonder of  the circulatory system, the mystery of photosynthesis, the perfection found inside a beehive, the power of ocean tides, the transformation in metamorphosis,  the unpredictability of weather, and the fantastic diversity of rain forest life.

To honor humanity as the sole communicator of God’s majesty is both limiting and hubris. This is not to say that humanity does not have a particular role as image-bearers in the world, it is to say however, that as such we are invited to cultivate the gifts given in a way that honors the Giver of said gifts.

In the Mass, we hear:

“For, although you have no need of our praise, yet our thanksgiving is itself your gift, since our praises add nothing to your greatness.”

In these terms I cannot but imagine that in the same way our very praise is a gift offered to God—not because God is somehow in need of it, but because we are. So too might our response as stewards of creation have less to do with maintaining a pristine status quo, but rather a posture of gratitude for gifts given to be cultivated respectfully out of reverence for the Giver. 

Sharing more thoughts on Church as Steward in honor of Earth day, at Blessed Is She today:

A few years ago, I heard a newscaster reporting on a scene from the Vatican, in which Pope Francis presided over the Liturgy during Ordinary Time. The newscaster, offering commentary on the event, enthusiastically shared that in the spirit of Earth Day, the Pope was sporting green vestments.

His observation was as innocent as it was inaccurate, which made it all the more humorous.

Yet, it gets to the heart of what can feel is a disjointed relationship between the faithful and our responsibility to be good stewards of creation.

The post Green looks good on you 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

//

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.

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Some days call for a bit of indulgence– The Sabbath  feels like a good reason.

A re-stocked coffee supply does, too.

Hearing that your parish buys more FairTrade products than any other parish/non-profit in the COUNTRY!

{C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E}

So, today I’ll raise my mug to you, in honor of Sabbath rest, FairTrade month, baby steps toward justice and the highly-caffeinated group of Coloradans who earned this most recent notoriety.

#fairtrademonth #humandignity #ajustcup #livesimplysoothersmaysimplylive #careforcreation #green31 #write31days

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Buying in bulk offers obvious savings by cutting out the cost of advertisements and fancy packaging. A great article put out by Whole Foods Magazine, stated that purchasing in bulk can save 89% compared to their packaged equivalents. [Don’t believe this? Price out the cost of replacing spices in bulk vs. pre-packaged spices].

Additionally, the companies who manufacture bulk products can reduce expenses by 54% on material delivery costs.

Most importantly, when people purchase a desired quantity of a product, they tend to use it. This equates into less overall food waste, which is an issue we struggle with as a nation (40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten).

Here are a handful of incredibly gifted folks who help navigate eating conscientiously and creatively: Poor Girl Eats Well, Good and Cheap,The Dinner Daily, Trash is for Tossers.

#bulkgroceries #mealplanning #theuglytruth #careforcreation #greenandthrifty #green31 #write31days

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Upon inquiring about the process of washing her ziplock bags, one of the sweetest Franciscans I ever met asked me, sarcastically, how else I hoped to get to heaven?

And she’s right, I think–maybe not about bag washing as salvific, but as… penitential. There is something penitential about washing these bags which can be so effortlessly tossed out (which is perhaps a good thing). I do notice that I give extra thought to the longevity of a storage project and if there is anything else I could use to avoid this job or tossing something I needed for 3 hours. My distaste for this work actually makes me more accountable to what I’m using or what I could use, better.

I think that’s called reverse psychology, but it’s also called stewardship.

#reversepsychology #stewardship #careforcreation #useonlywhatyouneed #green31 #write31days

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If there is one disposable kitchen item worth keeping, it is certainly tinfoil over plastic wrap.

Aluminum foil has oh-so-many uses, doesn’t it? So many, in fact, that we are actually out of it right now, after crafting my youngest’s tin woodman hat for Halloween (but I digress).

The point is, in terms of food preservation–aside from pre-fitted lids, beeswax wrap, and Tupperware, tinfoil is our best ally as it can both insulate food and it can also be recycled when no longer needed (granted there is not a thick layer of cheese baked onto it). Cheers to homemade Halloween costumes and steps toward zero waste!

#homemadehalloween #haveaheart #recyclereducereuse #careforcreation #green31 #write31days #intentionalkitchen

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