October 2003
Color and Light: Steamboat, Colorado"
Courtesy of www.webshots.com
Stewards of Creation
In the bathroom of the cabin where we spend our annual week of vacation in the North Woods hangs a little plaque that reads, "Allah does not subtract from one’s appointed time the days one spends fishing." Now I do not pretend to have the patience and persistence of a fisherman, but that proverb sums up my own feelings about the time our family spends "up north" at the lake. I am a native Midwestern city boy, but the cool breezes of the North Woods, the restless waters of the Great Lakes, and the quiet beauty of the natural world are not lost on me. Hours spent drinking in the rich experiences of nature have developed a reverence and awe in me for the abundant gifts of creation. No matter how busy and complex our lives become, a little retreat to nature seems to refresh and revitalize the soul.
No doubt people everywhere have places to that they can go to have this kind of experience of nature. In fact, it is not as much a discovery of new places and different aspects of the wonders of creation as it is recognition of those wonders present all around you. For many this recognition is an opportunity to become closer to God.
Beyond recognition is the appreciation one experiences when accepting creation as a gift from God. Discovering an especially colorful sunrise, tasting the freshest, ripest peach of the season, or sensing a gentle breeze on your face are simple gifts that often go unrecognized and even more often go unappreciated. How fortunate we are when we experience gratitude for the bounty of simple gifts God places in our lives!
In the Book of Genesis, Yahweh shares the Garden with the man and woman and sets them up as stewards of creation, an awesome responsibility. Yet responsibility is the proper response to gratitude. When we are grateful for God’s gifts, we become stewards for them, doing what we can to maintain those gifts, preserve them, and share them with other.
Some consider environmentalism as stewardship for creation. Others seek medical and scientific research as a means of "co-creation," where human work is directed to partnering with God to shape and build the world. Whatever one’s perspective, stewardship for creation demands an active response. The steward does not passively accept the wasting or squandering of resources when these resources are seen as the Creator’s gifts. Likewise, the good steward sees that the gifts are not selfishly hoarded, but are made available to brothers and sisters around the world and across time into the future.
As the bread and wine are taken, blessed, broken and shared, as Our Lord becomes present to us in the Eucharist, the many gifts of creation—when recognized, maintained, preserved and shared—can provide a real experience of God present among us.
As we gather the family to head "up north" to the cabin by the lake, I notice how significant this time has become for my young adult children. Somehow the conflicts of summer work schedules and other commitments are resolved so that we can share this experience together as a family. Perhaps they too have come to recognize and appreciate the beauty of the gifts of creation that God bestows on us. Perhaps they too will take responsibility for seeing their lives and work as stewardship for those gifts.
What the Catholic school parent can do to promote the Stewardship of Creation:
Every parent wants his or her child to show gratitude for the gifts they receive. Children do not always recognize what they receive as gifts. They make take things for granted, displaying a sense of entitlement to all they have. They need to be taught to accept responsibility for gifts so that they use and share them responsibly. Here are some ideas you might try with your own children:
Recognition:
- Be a model for your children by showing your own gratitude for the gifts you receive, both simple and substantial ones.
- Help your child to identify just how gifted he or she really is by helping him or her to list those things for which he or she is grateful.
Appreciation:
- Develop routines and traditions for family prayer to show gratitude to God for all you have been given.
- Use family gatherings as an opportunity to celebrate the various gifts that life has to offer.
- Take simple family getaway activities (a picnic, an autumn apple-picking excursion, an overnight camp-out) and celebrate them.
Responsibility:
- Promote conservation of resources by discouraging waste of water, electricity, paper, and other commodities that you and your child use regularly.
- Encourage your child to practice age-appropriate recycling in your home. Older children might even take responsibility for managing the recycling for the whole household.
- Consider a small, age-appropriate pet for you child. Caring for a dog or cat might be too much responsibility for a preschooler, but he or she might be able to care for a fish.
- If a pet is too challenging, perhaps your child might enjoy tending a section of the family garden or caring for a house plant.
Plains Sunflower
Courtesy of
Mike Haddock, "Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses"
|
|
Peter
A. Tantillo, Principal |
Useful
References
The
web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (www.nccbuscc.org)
has several references and publications that will be useful to those
who want more information on the ecological and environmental policy
of the Catholic Church. The descriptions have been taken from the bishops'
web site.
Recognition:
St. Francis
Recognition of Model Parishes (Environmental Justice Program)
Grant
Awards:
Among the
grant awards given by the Environmental Justice Program of the Department
of Social Development and World Peace of
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are:
The
Southern Plains Conference: the Promised Land Network -- the Dioceses
of Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas and the Diocese of Dodge City, Kansas
A significant problem in addressing agriculturally related environmental
concerns is the lack of understanding between farmers, ranchers and
environmentalists. Often this lack of trust and understanding inhibits
effective environmental protection. The Promised Land Network offers
an opportunity for the Church to pull together farmers and environmentalists
to explore through dialogue common values and goals that can serve
as the basis of more effective environmental practices. The series
of initiatives the Network conducted as part of this project sought
to establish and sustain a dialogue among farmers, ranchers and environmentalists
that can serve as a model for dispute resolution.
Columbia
River Project–Dioceses of the States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
Montana and Nelsen, Canada
The bishops of the Arch(dioceses) of the northwest and Nelsen, Canada
issued on January 8, 2001 a pastoral statement, The Columbia River
Watershed: Caring for Creation and the Common Good. The bishops
established a consultation process over a three year period listening
to community leaders and representatives of interested organizations
in many communities along the river. This unique international endeavor
among bishops and Catholics in the region has helped raise an ethical
concern for the future use of the river.
San
Isidro Environmental Project, Phase II -- Dioceses of New Mexico
The San Isidro Project Phase follows the 1998 release of the NM bishops
environment pastoral, Partnership for the Future, and the very
successful 1998 state wide ecumenical conference on the environment
and Catholic social teaching. In 1999, the San Isidro Project conducted
a series of four mini leadership retreats in various locations throughout
the state. The purpose of the retreats was to bring the NM bishops'
message closer to the parishes and to organize a broader network of
Catholics and ecumenical partners to address New Mexico environmental
concerns. The Project also hosted a state wide conference in Las Cruces
on the Feast Day of St. Frances (October 4. 1999) on the theme of
economic growth, the environment and the poor.
Publications:
Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good.
The U.S. Catholic bishops address their responsibility as pastors, teachers, and citizens to contribute to the national dialogue on the ethical implications of climate change. In this statement, the bishops seek to offer a distinctively religious and moral perspective to what is necessarily a complicated scientific, economic, moral, and political discussion. The bishops believe that the response to global climate change should be a sign of their respect for God's creation.From Stockholm to Johannesburg: An Historical Overview of the Concern of the Holy See for the Environment, 1972-2002.
Parish environmental justice committees, diocesan social ministry offices, and theology and environmental studies faculty at Catholic colleges and universities will value this compilation of the Vatican's statements concerning mankind's moral obligation to care for God's creation. From Stockholm to Johannesburg offers an overview of the Church's teachings on the environment from Vatican II to encyclicals and apostolic letters by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. It traces the Holy See's participation in international gatherings on the environment from the 1972 U.N. Conference on the Human Environment to the Venice Declaration of 2002. Includes insightful commentary and probing discussion questions. From the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace."And God Saw That It Was Good": Catholic
Theology and the Environment.
This dynamic reader is designed to assist in addressing ecological crises in light of Catholic tradition and teachings. Anne M. Clifford, CSJ; John F. Haught; David Toolan, SJ; Kevin W. Irwin; Drew Christiansen, SJ; and others have contributed to this compilation of papers presented at a recent scholars conference at Mount Angel Abbey in Portland, Oregon. The volume includes articles on Scripture, liturgy, and ethics as well as the full text of related documents by Pope John Paul II; the U.S. bishops; the Australian, Dominican, Guatemalan, and Philippine episcopal conferences; and the Catholic bishops of Northern Italy. Edited by Drew Christiansen, SJ, and Walter Grazer.Let the Earth Bless the
Lord: God's Creation and Our Responsibility.
This parish resource offers models for community action and provides an international perspective on environmental justice. Materials include articles on sustainable development; environmental justice in Latin America, Africa, and Europe; and Catholic Relief Services work in this area. Practical hints to implement and sustain a program are offered, as are clip art, bulletin quotes, and a bibliography of the U.S. bishops' three environmental justice parish resources. From the U.S. Bishops' Department of Social Development and World Peace.
Renewing the Face of the Earth: An Invitation to Reflection and Action on Environment in Light of Catholic Social Teaching.
The U.S. bishops call on Catholics to reflect on and to discuss environmental problems, including global warming; depletion of the ozone layer; deforestation; and toxic and nuclear waste.The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility.
Pope John Paul II's message calls for all citizens of the earth to respect life and to seek a solution to the ecological crisis through solidarity and shared responsibility.Hope for a Renewed Earth (Video).
This video reviews major environmental concerns from the Church's perspective and is ideal for use by parishes and organizations who are starting an environmental justice effort. Highlighting the link between social justice and the environment, the video is arranged in two parts: a documentary and a panel discussion.
|
Published by the
Department of Elementary Schools, National Catholic Educational
Association
Suite 100, 1077 30th St., NW, Washington, DC 20007-3852 Editor: Br. Robert R. Bimonte, FSC; Project Manager: Janice Kraus; Designer: Beatriz H. Ruiz; © 2003, NCEA, Washington, DC. |