God of Wonders, God of Creation
Some years ago, I worked on an environmental justice project as a part of my involvement in a justice committee. Our committee took on the project with a bit of hesitancy, thinking that there were more "important" justice issues to tackle, ones that had more to do with the quality of people's lives. What we discovered over the 18 months that we worked on the project is what most people today (only ten years later) seem to understand: The quality of the environment affects every person (and thing) on Earth.
Right now, thanks in part to Al Gore and many other advocates, the environment is getting a lot of attention. We are challenged to ponder questions that can sound overwhelming: How do we stop global warming or save the rainforests? When big questions like these are raised, it is easy to feel helpless. But there are ways that each of us can help and make a difference every day. Our daily actions impact the environment and there are some easy ways that we can help: recycle paper and plastics, turn off the lights, use less water, drive less, and drive smaller cars, to name a few. Since my awareness of environmental issues was raised ten years ago, I think about the world and make decisions differently than I used to. I am now more ready to help tackle the big questions.
But the biggest change for me was grounding my understanding of environmental issues in my faith. I had never really looked at the Earth as God's creation. Just as I would never intentionally destroy a piece of artwork (creation) that someone else has made, I also would not want to harm the artwork (creation) of God. This attitude may sound simplistic, but it reflects the Church's teaching about the environment.
The cosmos is endowed with its own integrity, its own internal, dynamic balance. This order must be respected. The value of creation does not lie in its usefulness for us. It lies in the fact of its existence from God.
—John Paul II, The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility, 1990
At its core, the environmental crisis is a moral challenge. It calls us to examine how we use and share the goods of the earth, what we pass on to future generations, and how we live in harmony with God's creation.
—United States Bishops, Renewing the Earth, 1991
In Genesis, as God is creating the world, we hear over and over again, "God saw how good it was." The Earth is good and holy, and I now recognize my moral responsibility to keep it that way. When Genesis tells us that we humans have dominion over all creation, it means that we have been entrusted with its care. I am sure that God is disappointed in us in that regard!
Coming to see all of creation as a part of the wonder of God has blessed my own spirituality because I feel much more surrounded by God's embrace. I see God reflected throughout creation-the new kitten's eyes, the tulips coming through the spring soil, the roar of the ocean. For this reason I am attracted to the song God of Wonders by Steve Hindalong and Marc Byrd. I am so drawn to the "holy" in this song...
God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy.
The universe declares your majesty.
You are holy, holy.
Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord of heaven and earth.
Just as God is holy, so is the Earth holy. Knowing this at our very core can't help but change our actions. Let's make sure that we are as careful with God's creation as we would be with anyone else's artwork. Each are holy.
Let us pray:
Gentle and loving God,
You will all creation into being and so we thank you.
We ask for the grace to take care of it,
For you, and for our children, and for our children's children.
Amen.
Related Links:
- Protecting God's Creation, Ann Marie Eckert (Youth Update 1999)
- What to Do? Some suggestions on how you can help fight the global climate crisis (Busted Halo)
Spirit Compass reflections are developed in partnership
with the Center for Ministry Development.