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Exploring the word

22 Apr 2012 - Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

FOR FOLKS WHO only go green on St. Patrick’s Day, it should be noted that today is Earth Day. People around the world are pleading the case for Mother Earth once more. Many Christians remain skeptical about a show of support for a world which is surely passing. Does the planet matter so much, because the Kingdom is coming and we’re on our way out of here anyway? Pope Benedict XVI, not a granola-munching liberal, updated the pop-justice bumper sticker in 2010 by declaring: “If You Want Peace, Protect Creation.” Calling governments, corporations, and individuals to account, the pope asked: “Can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with such realities as climate change, desertification, the deterioration and loss of productivity in vast agricultural areas, the pollution of rivers and aquifers, the loss of biodiversity, the increase of natural catastrophes, and the deforestation of equatorial and tropical regions?” In saying that Benedict added his voice to that of Pope Paul VI, who pointed out that by exploiting nature we create wide-ranging social problems which concern the entire human family. Pope John Paul II noted decades ago that “world peace is threatened” by a lack of due respect for nature. It seems the church insists on getting its hands dirty in the politics of ecology, no matter how much some may resist it. The material world does matter. Religion might seem like a purely spiritual realm properly concerned with prayer and ritual and inward things, but Christianity can never beg off on corporeal realities. Luke’s gospel deliberately makes the case that Christians are not Gnostics, who blow off the grim material world in favor of a higher spiritual plain. Honestly, Jesus the Ghost would have made more sense, been received more readily, and made a tidier religious doctrine to loft into the future. The body of Christ was tortured, torn upon the cross, and died. Best to leave it in the tomb and move on! Evangelists like Luke won’t take the easy way out. Easter begins as the women go out to anoint the body. Yes, Jesus has been dead for days, but what happens to his body still matters. Next, the pair traveling to Emmaus encounter Jesus. He might have appeared as a beam of light or a voice from heaven but he prefers to be a traveling companion and dinner guest, breaking bread with them. Finally, as these two recount the event to the astonished disciples, Jesus appears again and insists he is no ghost. He demands to be touched and he asks for food. Jesus won’t be a vision from heaven or remain God’s Great Idea up in the sky. Jesus insists we wash feet, anoint the sick, feed the hungry, and keep our fingers close to the world’s wounds. Related scripture links Great speeches in Acts: Peter—2:14-40; 3:12-26; 10:34-43; Stephen—7:2-53; Paul—13:16-41; 17:22-31; 20:17-35; 22:1-21; 24:10-21; 26:2-23 Response to Peter’s preaching: Acts 2:41 Touch: John 20:24-29; 1 John 1:1-3 The Christian call to testify: Acts 10:39-43 Catechism links Proclamation: CCC 1-3; 74; 429 Joy: CCC 301; 736; 1829; 1832 Peace: CCC 736; 1829; 1832; 2305; 2317

Authors Alice Camille

earth earthday green ecology care for god's creation Creation protection body of christ

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Giving up carbon for Lent

25 Mar 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Now is the time of judgment on this world,” Jesus affirms in this Sunday’s gospel as he explains his approaching death and resurrection to his followers. Most environmental scientists believe the time of reckoning for the world’s ecosystem is here as well, due to the steady increase in greenhouse gas emissions. In response, thousands of Christians worldwide are giving a new twist to Lenten abstinence by engaging in a “carbon fast.”From taking on ecologically minded practices like walking or biking to work to engaging in national advocacy and carbon-reduction campaigns, a growing number of faith groups are raising awareness of human involvement in climate change and promoting stewardship of the earth this Lent.The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington created a “Caring for Creation” Lenten calendar this year, with spiritual reflections, sacrificial actions, and practical suggestions everyone can consider during the season. “They are a way to help you grow in your commitment to be a wise steward of God’s Creation now and for future generations,” a statement on the archdiocese’s website said.A major focus of the carbon fast is poverty and the environmental injustice of climate change, a concept that is appearing more frequently in the concerns of both secular and religious green groups. An organization called Interfaith Power & Light also circulated a Lenten calendar of daily actions ranging from the straightforward (“Turn down your thermostat by one degree”; “Remember to bring reusable bags to the store”) to the symbolic (“Remember your baptism today, and the power of water. Try to conserve: Leave a bucket in the shower or kitchen sink, and collect ‘grey water’ to water the plants”). Sources: An article by Catherine Woodiwiss for Climate Progress via Alternet.org and postingsto the websites of the Archdiocese of Washington (adw.org) and Interfaith Power & Light (gwipl.org)

Justice Lent environmentalism interfaith power light archdiocese of washington ecology carbon fast carbon emissions
Behold the lowly ant

07 Dec 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Isaiah has good news about the coming of a shepherd who feeds his flock on a road made smooth for God’s arrival. Now comes some good news about litter control from the roads beneath our feet. Ants can help clean up city streets, according to a new study. Billions of dollars are spent each year to pick up litter that is carelessly thrown away and ends up on our urban landscape. Half of that litter is discarded food. Until now, scientists didn’t know how much garbage a tiny ant could eat.Insect ecologist Elsa Youngsteadt led a study to find out. She and a team of researchers from North Carolina State University conducted a controlled experiment by leaving food on New York City streets and found that one species of ant—called 'pavement ants'—did a lot of the eating.The researchers are not exactly sure why, but pavement ants are specially adapted to life on city median strips. Youngsteadt calculated that in one year, the insects in this stretch of New York could eat the equivalent of 60,000 hot dogs, 200,000 cookies, and 600,000 potato chips.The experiment also found that arthropods are competing for the same food as rats and pigeons, and that helps limit the population of those urban pests. “That is an important job that they are out there doing that we never really measured or necessarily thought of as a benefit before,” Youngsteadt said. “You know, [when] an ant shows up in your kitchen, you do not really like it, but they are doing that same job out in the city outdoors, making it cleaner.”Youngsteadt added that the garbage-eating insects can be pretty tough bugs. Her work indicated that not even the brackish floodwaters from Hurricane Sandy in the New York City region in 2012 killed them or curbed their appetites.Homily hint: Whether we realize it or not, all of nature is connected in a web of interdependence. Before stepping on an insect beneath your feet, consider that you are dealing with another living creature just going about its daily existence. Make a little space for the little ones—you never know how they are serving the common good. Source: An article by Rosanne Skirble for Voice of America

ecology nature
It’s a small world, after all

01 Mar 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We need all the help we can get, so it’s comforting to know, as Saint Paul reassures in this Sunday’s second reading, that God has our best interests at heart. The Amazon needs help too, especially because it loses much of the phosphorus it needs to thrive because of erosion and runoff each year. Enter the Sahara desert, thousands of miles away. Turns out that phosphorus from a dry lake bed in the Sahara, lifted by winds, settles in the Amazon basin—about 22,000 tons of it each year, roughly the same amount as gets washed away—researchers say in a new report that shows how different parts of our planet are connected in deep and surprising ways. Homily hint: Our ecosystem is so delicately balanced that a desert and a rain forest an ocean apart are deeply connected. Let’s treat God’s mysterious and interdependent Creation with the reverence and humility it deserves. Our own future hangs in the balance For more on the Sahara fertilizing the Amazon, see: 28.8 million tons of Sahara desert fertilize the Amazon

Creation amazon ecology reverence Humility
Green pope speaks for ecological justice

12 Jul 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Pope Francis shares the humility expressed by the prophet this Sunday, who said, “I was no prophet … I was a shepherd” until God called him. This week Francis returned to his native continent, South America, where he said Tuesday that protecting the planet was no longer a choice but a duty and called for a new “social justice” where access to the earth’s resources would be based on equality instead of economic interests. In back-to-back speeches on the third day of his trip to Ecuador, the pope made his first full-court press on environmental issues since the publication last month of his landmark ecology encyclical Laudato Si. Homily hint: The Chinese word character for “crisis” combines symbols for danger and opportunity. So it is in our age of ecological crisis. Let’s respect the danger and seize the opportunity. No less than the leader of our church calls us to act. For more on the pope's talk on environmental issues, see: Pope Francis: We can no longer turn our backs on Mother Earth

Pope Francis ecology laudato si
Obama says it’s time to hit the brake on global warming

09 Aug 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Humans need signs, the psalmist suggests this Sunday, inviting us to see for ourselves the goodness of the Lord. In response to those who ask for signs that global warming is happening, President Obama argued this week that the evidence is overwhelming, and that time is running out. Monday he unveiled his signature plan for dramatically reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants over the coming decade, and then immediately fired a salvo at his congressional and energy industry critics who have vowed to fight the new rules. Homily hint: The president’s message is captured well in one line of his address, to the effect that ours may be the first generation to feel the effects of global warming and the last to be able to do something about it. Let’s act together to save our global home from overheating. President Obama has joined Pope Francis in urging us on. What more do we need? For more on the president’s climate change plan, see: Obama: This May Be ‘The Last Generation’ That Can Stop Climate Change

global warming climate change ecology
EPA creates toxic river

16 Aug 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Your faces may not blush with shame” when you “taste and see the goodness of the Lord,” the psalmist promises this Sunday. Leaders of the Environmental Protect Agency are red faced over a bungled mine clean-up in Colorado that unleashed 3 million gallons of toxic waste into a chain of rivers and is threatening water supplies in at least three states, leaving the water anything but good to see or taste. The deadly brew of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and other heavy metals settled as the wastewater traveled downstream, layering river bottoms with contaminants sure to pose risks in the future. Homily hint: The unfortunate series of errors that led to the toxic leak into western rivers offers a wake-up call to our need to be vigilant in our protection of rivers. Over half our rivers were rated “poor” in recent tests of water quality. Be vigilant in your own recycling efforts and support strong protections of our national resources. As the psalmist reminds us this Sunday, God’s creation is too good to be spoiled through carelessness. For more on the Colorado mine spill, see: Experts see long-term risks from Colorado mine spill; EPA chief: 'We will be fully accountable' for toxic spill

ecology gods creation
Homily story of the week

27 Sep 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In ancient times children were sacrificed to the pagan god Moloch in an area known as the Valley of Hinnom (Ge Hinnom in Hebrew), just south of what became the city of Jerusalem. By the time of Christ, the Greek word Gehenna had become associated with an evil place of fire, stench, and rotting flesh where wormy maggots never die—yuck!—in other words, hell. Definitely not a place you’d want to visit now or anytime in the future. . . . For more: Exploring the Word for Sunday, September 27, 2015

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

ecology
We need to mind our beeswax

15 Nov 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Death loses its sting in the vivid promise of the fullness of life everlasting prophesized in the reading from the Book of Daniel this Sunday. Honeybees haven’t lost their sting but have been dying off in disconcerting numbers in recent decades. We need to take this development seriously because new research suggests the relationship between humans and honeybees goes back all the way to the Neolithic age, starting around 8,000 years ago. The research demonstrates the "close relationship that humans have had with honeybees for many thousands of years and suggests that the current crisis of honeybees is one that we should take very seriously, because it interferes with that close symbiotic relationship,” said Mark Winston, a professor of apiculture and social insects at Simon Fraser University. Homily hint: Honeybees are the world’s great natural pollinators, and without pollination many agricultural products we depend on would not be available. And think of a world without honey! Support efforts that sustain natural environments for all of God’s creatures—our future depends on it! For more on the research on the honeybee’s relationship with humanity, see: Humans have relied on honeybees for nearly 9,000 years — and now they’re mysteriously declining

ecology agriculture Creation
Earthshaking ecological awareness

24 Apr 2016 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The readings this Fifth Sunday of Easter include an evocative hymn to a new creation, where the witness, John, sees “a new heaven and a new earth . . . the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven” and hears a “voice from the throne saying ‘Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.’ ” Earth Day is celebrated each April 22 so that we can be mindful that God’s dwelling place among us is entrusted to our care. And a growing movement for sustainable cities is renewing the hope that indeed a “new Jerusalem” is possible. Today, 54 percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 66 percent by 2050. These large communities provide both challenges and opportunities for environmentally conscious developers working toward the goals of sustainable cities. Ideally, a sustainable city creates an enduring way of life across the four areas of ecology, economics, politics, and culture. A sustainable city should be able to feed itself with a sustainable reliance on the surrounding countryside and to power itself with renewable sources of energy. The key, say eco-developers, is to create the smallest possible ecological footprint; produce the lowest quantity of pollution possible; efficiently use land; and to compost used materials by recycling it or converting waste-to-energy. In this way the city's overall contribution to climate change will be minimal. Modern cities often seem actively to work against nature, pushing it down and suppressing it rather than working alongside it. Yet a growing number of progressive architects, designers, engineers, scientists, and urban planners are looking to the Earth’s systems for inspiration. Biomimicry is based on the idea that animals, plants, and the Earth’s natural processes are the ultimate engineering feats. Imitating nature makes for good architecture and urban planning. The first event for Earth Day was held in the United States in 1970 following a devastating oil spill off of Santa Barbara, California, and is credited for launching the modern environmental movement. Nearly 50 years later, Earth Day is coordinated globally by the non-profit Earth Day Network, which describes the day as the "largest secular holiday in the world.” Millions of people participate in thousands of events celebrated around the world. Lessons drawn from the readings What is secular for some is sacred for those who see all of creation as God’s dwelling place among us. When Jesus gives his followers the commandment to “love one another” he is inviting us to respect the living space we share with each other, to be good stewards of the space we will hand over to those who follow us. Love is demonstrated by respect, so let’s learn to respect the delicate balance that keeps our climate sustainable for life as we know it. Final thought in light of the news Global sea levels rose faster in the 20th century than at any time in the previous 2,700 years, research shows. Without a rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, levels are on course to rise one to four feet by the end of this century. There is a new kind of migrant on the move these days—climate migrants, those forced to abandon their ancestral homes, which have become unlivable because of global warming. Let’s join the global movement toward sustainable living today so that millions do not have to flee rising seas and join a forced migration in search of a new place to call home.

sustainable living global warming climate change ecology stewardship