By Leon Bent –
With human domination, our planet has been dug, scraped, and crushed with sheer ruthlessness. The maddening pace with which industrialization, civilization and, now, globalization have massacred nature, is unforgivable. Surely someone has to pay a colossal price!
It is impossible to walk away from the wrath of nature. We have certainly gone beyond our limits, and need to be punished. Violent storms, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes are unleashed on mankind. The imbalance of ecosystems is causing a hostile backlash of famines and infectious diseases that are devastating humankind. This cascading vengefulness reminds us we are small and vulnerable.
Pope Francis and Laudato Si
In the third chapter of Laudato Si, Pope Francis laments: “Technology + Greed = Disaster”. In Job 31:1, 8-11, God speaks to the assailed man himself who was sitting on a dung hill, like the “pile of filth” into which, Pope Francis says, humans are turning the earth (PB 21).
Psalm 107 calls the sea an “abyss” – a threatening black hole. It is the work of the Lord who on the one hand causes horrific and massive repercussions, but also restores tranquility to the waves and brings the relieved apostles repeatedly back to safe havens. Again, it is God, not humans who controls nature and the fearful might of the world’s oceans (Laudato Si –Praise Be To You!)
When Jesus died, the whole earth was agitated and quaked and hit back furiously…” (Mt.25:51); the apocalyptic scene evokes Joel 2:10-11; 4:16; Amos 8:9: “The sun and the moon shall darken…but the Lord will spare his people”.
Laudato Si lauds God’s sovereignty over nature, its overwhelming beauty and might. The power of Christ-Consciousness can save us from nature’s rage, and the new order of God’s Kingdom, proclaimed and embodied in the miracle-worker from Galilee.
God’s Ecosystem: Everything is Connected
The ecosystem is a holier design than we know. God created us to remain in connection, interrelatedness and interdependence to each other, and to the other living things that inhabit the Earth. It is grander than what decades of environmental research have uncovered. The ecosystem serves as a worldly reminder that the maintenance of Earthly balance helps God’s people to thrive and evolve. When we commit offenses against the planet, our connection weakens.
Our Actions Impact the Ecosystem
In the beginning, God created a wonderful universe and in it a planet we call Earth. After creating humans and instructing them to care for the planet (Genesis 2:15), God had even more instruction for his people.
All actions are part of a sequence which ultimately leads to outcomes. For this reason, God commands us to be cautious in what we do (Deuteronomy 32:29). With caution, we are also instructed to plan ahead (2 Corinthians 12:14) – this will guide us as we fulfill another important word from God; an instruction to care for the world around us (Proverbs 12:10).
Despite evidence that climate change is a human creation, many places throughout the world have yet to limit their carbon emissions and make use of renewable energy. This shows a disregard not only for the planet but also for human beings.
Today, we see evidence that our actions upon the Earth have caused harm. In God’s ecosystem, the Earth and its inhabitants are all related – so now, the Earth’s reaction to harm (climate change) is hurting God’s people.
The Ecosystem Impacts Us
In the Christian and Jewish texts, God describes humans as creations of the Earth. This indicates a natural cycle of life that we have little control over. What humans can control, however, is how we interfere with nature.
In life’s natural cycle, the chemicals in the air are absorbed by plant-life which is the food source for humans and other creatures. But when chemicals in the air are too harsh, both, the air and the food are unsafe for living beings.
The laws and instructions laid out by God are for our spiritual and physical well-being. He tells us so in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 10, verse 13. And, if we follow those laws, allowing his ecosystem to go through its natural course, both the Earth and all who call it home, will flourish.
Ecology and the Bible
Deuteronomy 22:6-7: “If a bird’s nest happens to be before you … you shall not take the mother with the young; you shall surely let the mother go, and take the young for yourself, that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.”
The word “sustainable” describes a practice that meets present needs, without jeopardizing the ability to meet ecology’s future needs. It may be a recent buzzword, but the concept was emphasized long ago in the Bible.
From the beginning, God commissioned man to “tend and keep” his environment (Genesis 2:15). God wanted His people to be circumspect (Deuteronomy 32:29), avoid greed (Proverbs 1:19), plan for the future (2 Corinthians 12:14) and take care of the world around them (Proverbs 12:10).
As we read in Deuteronomy 22:6-7, He taught them to leave the mature generation to breed again if they found a bird with young—never to take both!
Other passages also relate to sustainability. The Israelites were to responsibly manage their land, at regular intervals letting it “rest” in a natural fallow (Leviticus 25:2-7). Even in war, the children of Israel were to take the long view: They were forbidden to destroy their enemies’ fruit trees (Deuteronomy 20:20). After all, God designed ecosystems to satisfy the needs of a vast array of organisms, and He seems to delight in them all (Job 38:26-27; Job 39). He does not smile on thoughtless destruction of His creation (Revelation 11:18).
The Bible describes a cycle of life: The process of decay recycles nutrients for future generations. This fact is foundational to understanding how organisms grow and interact with their environment. It also helps us appreciate how God has a master plan and order, for even the “messy” and unpleasant parts of His creation.
In essence, to a Christian, ecology can reveal more about the beauty and wonders of God’s creation.
Jesus’ Control Over Nature Proved He is God.
Luke 8:24-25 says emphatically, disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?”
God stepped into our world, the same God that created the world, the God that spoke everything into existence was now walking on the planet that he created. The voice that spoke in the heavens was now here on earth, his power was displayed in creation, and now his power is being displayed here on earth, as he commands nature to behave in a way that isn’t natural.
What better way to prove to us that Jesus is God than for Jesus to demonstrate his power over the physical realm the way he did? Jesus’ control over our physical world has never been duplicated by any other spiritual or religious leader or the most distinguished scientist..
Jesus chose to use his power in a positive way, Jesus didn’t use his control over the physical realm to bring destruction or cause harm; he displayed his power for our good. He used his power with love and kindness to benefit the people around him and draw them to himself.
Conclusion
Learn from the hospitable holiness of Christ in whom ALL creation is embraced, redeemed and returned to its pristine dignity! Admire God’s handiwork and live in the glory of the Risen Lord. This is the scintillating, exuberant, extraordinary mystery and mysticism that live within us!
Onward to the “original bliss,” “primordial blessing”, “eternity in time”, “paradisiacal innocence” of Eden! God’s Sanctuary!
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.