Our understanding of grief and grace is limited by anthropocentrism. But, “[t]he Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism unconcerned for other creatures” (LS 68). To meet our reckless ‘hunger’ for more, we have turned to be “gods of convenience, ownership and mastery.” In all humility we have to admit that the loss of vegetation and water bodies are not just loss of resources or that of the ‘common home’. It is a “loss of an integral part of myself, as a creature who participates in the glory of being alive on Earth.”
(Brianne Jacobs, Review: A novel for the age of ‘Laudato Si’’). The Catholic Catechism, inclusively declares: “Each creature possesses its own goodness and perfection […] Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God’s infinite wisdom and goodness.” (CCC 339; LS 69)
Human beings are not the only centres of the universe, instead with Darwinist understanding of four billion years of evolution, they are parts of a wide infinite “web of ecological diversity that includes all life.” Genetically we share a part of us with trees and animals. “We are not the apex of creation but a mere strand.” The ecology is not a resource, but our kin. We are interdependent. Life beyond homo sapiens, all living and non-living are a part of the universal wider narrative. Trees, shrubs, bushes, seeds and flowers ‘talk’ to each other. They care for and heal each other, through nutrients, medicine, air and water. They make the air, and grow with it, and water and soil. They, regenerate, communicate, grow in diverse directions. A hundred thousand “species of love” survive, adapt and keep on making things. We are integrally dependent on these complex, resilient and quite mysterious ‘systems’ of creation that created us.
Service with all humility by doctors, nurses, police, priests, nun, volunteers and other social workers, is the great lesson that the present pandemic teaches humanity. A host of people who bear the brunt of the pandemic, even death with total dedication to the victims of Covid-19, both in body and spirit. They have put their lives at risk with a sense of duty driven by love. During such terrible catastrophes, there always have been movements of selfless solidarity through hardships and risk. There arises love in people, being spent readily with sacrifice. Therefore, there is a mysterious link between love and pain, where suffering is transformed into sacrificing but contagious love. Here spirituality of love becomes a cry of salvation for the suffering for all with all humility ( the word originates from humus = soil, earth).
As once, the late 88 year old Baba Amte said, we should not delegate our job to God. Missionary charity has to turn into parity with equality, dignity and rights. Ours has to be a responsible living where each one earns his/her living by work. We need action here and now to serve each other in the midst of the pandemic which has taught us to do away with offering many rituals and saying lot of prayers.
In fact, Covid-19 has shut down all places of worships of all religions. Hunger for religious rituals sometimes can be unhealthy and self-centred practices with a sense of privilege and contentment, and dependence too, prioritizing personal spiritual, better still, religious. Instead, we need a prayerful sentiment, as in the words of Pope Francis in the closing prayer in Laudato Si: “Awaken our praise and thankfulness for every being that you have made. Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined to everything that is.”
Practical Approaches and Proposals
A spiritual paradigm shift calls for new concepts, new ideas, new way of thinking and new creative practical approaches. A new movement of the Eco-Spirit will denounce the plundering of the natural resources of the world. It invites to a “true integral conversion” from “ecological sin” which is a “sin against creation” (LS 8), through disrespect and violence to nature. People’s survival depends directly on the ecological balance.
The capitalist exploitation of the environment by multinationals a sin of selfish interests. They offend creation – our common home-, they offend the creator. One has to recognise and denounce “ecological sin’’, including social sin, since society is an integral part of creation, and make people conscious of the grave consequences of the violation of nature. It is possible to save the ecosystem through new paths of ecological, pastoral, cultural conversion at the personal, communitarian and societal level.
One of the four priorities (Universal Apostolic Preferences) that the Jesuits, following the fellow Jesuit Pope Francis has proposed, is to care for this earth, God’s creation, in the face of the present environmental disaster and climate change. It is never too late to be on the reversals of human behaviour in order to correct the extreme weather patterns and natural phenomenon which are affecting gravely the world.
Besides, more sharing of material and intellectual resources on eco-spirituality in order to deepen and be aware of such spirituality. Eco-community, Green Churches, Eco-diaconia, Creation day activities, Eco-meditations, Eco-activities, Care of the earth programmes, are some of the effective ways to promote eco-spirituality within indigenous and inculturated perspectives.
Conclusion
Being in the world has to be understood as being-with-the-Other. We may or may not find any psychological comfort from the faith practices, from the pastoral actions of the institutional Church. We have to be conscious that we are not our own stuff, but invisible gifts of grace to each other. As Christians we have the possibility of giving form to life of each one, irrespective of creed and colour with the universal outpouring of prophetic spirit.
The environment issue, post pandemic, is going to stay. It is time to live more consciously and impact the nature that has a slap on human greed. A nature-based eco-spirituality as a progressive spiritual science of the future, will certainly make right the wrong that human race has committed with its respective affiliated religious biases and socio-scientific blunders.
Many such man-made structures have been demolished with just one virus spread world over. It is time to invent a more adaptable life, satisfied just with the very basics in life with a conscious and natural spiritual foundation. As a creative community we need to live as co-responsible for the unity and preservence of the world, our common home.
Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB is a Salesian priest from the Kolkata Province. He has a Licentiate in Catechetics and a Doctorate (Christian Education) from UPS, Italy. He has number of years of teaching experience in college and in the formation of future priests. Besides, he has written number of research papers and articles, and has 25 years of Ministry in India and abroad as Educator, Formator, Retreat Preacher, Editor and engaged in School, Parish Catechetical & Youth Ministry. He is now an assistant priest in Bandel Basilica, rendering pastoral and catechetical ministry to the parishioners and to the pilgrims. He can be contacted at [email protected].