By Fr. Dr. AJ Sebastian, SDB –
In his third and final part, Fr AJ Sebastian, SDB concludes by saying that a re-reading of St. Francis of Assisi’s life and works will inspire us to respect and love nature in all its bounty.
St. Francis’ eco-philosophy is based on Biblical principles. Bible being basically an ecological book, several parallels between ecology and Bible can be drawn:
- Both view the world in a long-range time frame
- Both see the natural world as one interconnected whole
- Both focus on the significance of land
- Both present us with an awareness of limits
- Both see the natural order as subject to decay.
Both show that all behaviour has consequences (Snyder 1983: 45-51). Bible refers to all of creation – the heaven and earth, the constellations, and nature beaming with life in all its splendor.
In the book of genesis we read: “‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). “And God said ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation…And it was so” (Gen 1:11). “The earth brought forth vegetation…And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:12). “And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens’ ”(Gen 1:20). “And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind: cattle and creeping things…” (Gen 1:24). “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth’ “ (Gen 126-28). Man is thus made the apex of God’s creation and given authority and dominion over the earth and God found everything he had made “very good” ((Gen 1:31). “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it” (Gen 1:15). He was thus given power to sustain the earth. But man broke the harmony of nature by his disobedience to God.
The kingdom of God is the central theme running through the New Testament which has significant ecological implications. The kingdom entails the renewal of all creation, human and natural. This expectation is holistic as it affirms the spiritual-physical unity of the person; it relates personal and social renewal; it links human and cosmic aspects of redemption; it affirms the interconnectedness of the spiritual and material dimensions of life; and it means the ultimate unity of all things, including heaven and earth, so that God is all in all. The kingdom unites creation and redemption—redemption as recreation focuses back on the original creation. Both are expressions of God’s lordship leading to a redeemed earth. The kingdom is a new order of salvation and relationships. Hence Christians are led to care for creation and stop all its degradation as faithful stewards (Zerbe, Gordon. http://www.directionjournal.org).
Wendell Berry writes, “The first principle of the Kingdom of God is that it includes everything… everything in the Kingdom of God is joined both to it and everything else that is in it” (Berry 1987:44).) St. Paul speaks of the importance of the ‘the new creation’ in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), redeeming both the human and the non-human. ‘Nature is God’s tool of reward and punishment, and its beneficence depends on human morality’ (Kay 1998:214). In an article “ A Biblical Perspective on Environmental Stewardship” the editors focus attention to
- Theological and ethical foundations of stewardship,
- The marvels of human achievement,
- How economic and environmental trends relate,
- Some human and environmental concerns for present and future, and
- Environmental market virtues. Summing up they state, ‘On the basis of a biblical worldview and ethics, as well as of sound science, economics, and public policy principles, we believe sound environmental stewardship celebrates and promotes human life, freedom, and economic development as compatible, even essential for, the good of the whole environment.
Biblically it is man’s responsibility to protect the earth and sustain it as master of the earth. Several green groups have been trying to make us protect the environment and to ‘think globally and act locally.’(Bate:2000: 260).
In 1979, proclaiming Francis of Assisi as patron saint of ecology, John Paul II declared:
Today world peace is threatened not only by the arms race, regional conflicts and continued injustices among peoples and nations, but also by a lack of DUE RESPECT FOR NATURE due to widespread destruction of the environment as he offers a genuine and deep respect for the integrity of creation. He invited all of creation – animals, plants, natural forces, even Brother Sun and Sister Moon, to give honor and praise to the Lord… The poor man of Assisi gives us striking witness that when we are at peace with God we are better able to devote ourselves to building up that peace with all creation which is inseparable from peace among all peoples… Saint Francis will help us to keep ever alive a sense of “fraternity” with all those good and beautiful things which Almighty God has created. And my he remind us of our serious obligation to respect and watch over them with care, in light of that greater and higher fraternity that exists within the human family.(John Paul II. http://www.ncrlc.com).
In the backdrop of the growing global ecological concerns, an examination of St. Francis of Assisi makes great sense, having been declared patron of ecology. A re-reading of his life and works will inspire us to respect and love nature in all its bounty. As it has been observed by Jonathan Bate that Nature is a term that needs to be contested, not rejected. It is profoundly unhelpful to say ‘there is no nature’ at a time when our most urgent need is to address and redress the consequences of human civilization’s insatiable desire to consume the products of the earth. We are confronted for the first time in history with the possibility of there being no part of the earth left untouched by man.
Human civilization’ has always been in the business of altering the land, whether through deforestation or urbanization or mining or enclosure or even the artificial reimposition of ‘nature’ through landscaping… When there have been a few more accidents at nuclear power stations, when there are no more rainforests, and when every wilderness has been ravaged for its mineral resources, then let us say ‘There is no nature’ (Bate, 2000, P. 171).
How are we to save our fragile world from ecological disaster through global warming, pollution and deforestation? World over environmental awareness is created to make people live more eco-friendly and to bring about environmental conservation through protection of flora and fauna and by providing clean energy and sustainable development. Today world peace is threatened not only by warfare and conflicts, but also through lack of due respect for nature by its irresponsible and reckless exploitation and destruction.
Joseph W. Meeker in his book The Comedy of Survival: Studies in Literary Ecology writes: Human beings are the earth’s only literary creatures…. If the creation of literature is an important characteristic of the human species, it should be examined carefully and honestly to discover its influence upon human behaviour and the natural environment – to determine what role, if any it plays in the welfare and survival of mankind and what insight it offers into human relationships with other species and with the world around us. It is an activity which adapts us better to the world or one which estranges us from it? (Meeker, 1997, P. 3-4).
St. Francis draws attention to Ecological Ethics with its various approaches to ecological ethics examined from anthropocentric, ecocentric and theocentric approaches. The anthropocentric approach places humans at the centre of concern. Conservation of nature is primarily for human benefit and that all species and natural resources should be utilized for human progress. The ecocentric approach claims that humans are of equal value to all other life forms. Rejecting the Christian worldview, the ecocentrics are usually pantheistic, ignoring man’s unique dignity within creation. The Theocentric approach claims God at the centre of value, continuously and dynamically involved in creation (Stassen & Gushee, 2003, p. 435).
It is imperative to make an assessment of the major ecological crises that we face today such as 1). Massive reduction in biodiversity caused by deforestation, poisons and poor farming methods; 2). Climatic changes caused by pollutants, including carbon monoxide and methane; 3) Pollution by industrial, chemical and post-consumer wastes; 4)and Soil erosion and desertification, caused by deforestation and poor farming methods (Northcott, 2001: 209). The crux of the problem lies in the deterioration of human values and the loss of the sense of the sacred in man’s reckless pursuit of wealth in a consumer society, spiraling unethical exploitation of nature. In the midst of present environmental crisis, the eco-philosophy propounded by St. Francis is a clarion call to respect all things animate and inanimate. His teachings will certainly help us to introspect on our bounden duty to safeguard creation as responsible stewards.
Works Cited:
Bate, Jonathan. (2000). “From ‘Red’ to ‘Green’”. The Green Studies Reader. Laurence Coupe. Ed. Reprint 2004. London and New York: Routledge.
Beers, Michael. et al. Eds. (2007). “The Catholic Church and Stewardship of Creation.” EnvironmentalStewardship in the Judeo- Christian Tradition. Ed. Action Institute. Michigan: Action Institute. Rept. 2008. pp. 33-62.
Berry, Wendell. (1987). Home Economics. San Francisco: North Point Press.
Bible, The Holy. Revised Standard Version. London: Catholic Trust Society. (1966). (All Biblical references taken from this edition).
Bonaventure, St. (1988) The Life of St. Francis of Assisi. Ed. Cardinal Manning. Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers.
Bradley, Ian. (1990). God is Green: Ecology for Christians. New York: Doubbleday. “Catholicism.”http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/27/catholicism.religion.Accessed on 21 January 2010.
“Conservation.”http://conservation.catholic.org/ecologicalcrisis.htm. Accessed on 15 January 2010.
DarnRick.http://www.healthandfitness.com/darren/poetry.html. Accessed on 10 January 2010.
Devlin, Christopher, S.J. Ed. 1959. The Sermons and Devotional Writings of Gerard Manley Hopkins. London: O.U.P. Drengson, Alan & d Yuichi Inoue, Editors. 1995. The Deep Ecology Movement: An Introductory Anthology.Berkeley, North Atlantic Publishers.
Englebert, Omer. 1979. St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography. Trans. Eve Marie Cooper. Michigan: Servant Books.
Glotfelty, Cheryll. (1996). “Introduction.” The Ecocritism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. Glotfelty, Cheryll and Harold Fromm (Eds). Athens and London: University of Georgia Press. xv-xxxvii.
Heuser, Allen. (1958). The Shaping Vision of Gerard Manley Hopkins. London: O.U.P. John Paul II. http://www.ncrlc.com/ecological_crisis.html. The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility. 1990. Accessed on 22 January 2010.
Kay, Jeanne. (1998). “Concepts of Nature in the Hebrew Bible.” Environmental Ethics: Divergence and Convergence. Eds. R.G. Botzler and S.J. Armstrong. Boston, MA: MacGraw-Hill.)
Mariani, Paul L. (1970). A Commentary on the Complete Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Meeker, Joseph. (1997). The Comedy of Survival: Literary Ecology and the Play Ethic. 3rd Ed. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
Northcott, M.S. (2001). Ecology and Christian Ethics. (In Gill, R. ed. The Cambridge Companion to Christian Ethics). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rueckert, William. (1996) repr. “Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Ecocriticism.”
The Ecocritism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology. Glotfelty, Cheryll and Harold Fromm (Eds). Athens and London: University of Georgia Press. 105-23.
Skolimowski, Henryk. home.cogeco.ca/~drheault/ee_readings/Environmental_Ethics_
Society/S kolimowski“What is ecophilosophy?”Some Founding Principles. Accessed on 18 January 2010.
Snyder, Howard. (1983). Liberating the Church: The Ecology of Church and Kingdom. Downer’s Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
Stassen, G.H. & Gushee, D.P. (2003). Kingdom Ethics. Downers Grove, IL: IVP.
White, Lynn. (1996). repr. “Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis.”
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Zerbe, Gordon. http://www.directionjournal.org/article/?7632008. “Ecology According to the New Testament” Accessed on 26 January 2010.
Dr. A.J. Sebastian sdb (b.1953) is a Catholic Priest belonging to the Salesians of Don Bosco, Dimapur Province. He is Professor (rtd) & Former Head of the Department of English, Nagaland Central University, Kohima Campus, Nagaland, where he taught the Post Graduate, MPhil & PhD Students of English Literature for 16 years. A Gold medallist in M.A.(1988), he was awarded PhD (1992) in the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins. The research was undertaken in collaboration with the G.M. Hopkins’ Centre at the Gonzaga University, Spokane, U.S.A. He also holds a P.G. Diploma in Psychological Counselling.
He has authored / edited 21 books/ Anthologies and has authored over 90 papers and articles for National and International Journals and Anthologies. His interests include Indian Writing in English, Motivation, Career and Management Studies. Currently he serves as Resource Person at Don Bosco Institute for Development & Leadership, Dimapur, animating teachers and students of Schools, Colleges and Universities. He operates a student helpline website for assisting school and college students: www.studenthelpline.co.in.
He can be reached on 07005022503 & email: [email protected]