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Jul 4, 2014

On the glorious, communal nature of nature

Hurricane Arthur may have drenched much of New England today, but a fantastic essay on nature and wonder has taken the place of fireworks on my rainy July Fourth holiday.

"’If Philosophy Begins in Wonder’: Aquinas, Creation, and Wonder” is in the Spring 2014 edition of Communio. Its author, Dr. Randall B. Smith, is the Scanlon Foundation chair of theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. (Another essay in that edition, by Mary Taylor, is also worth the read.)

I read Smith’s essay today as the rains raged around my porch. It nicely connects dots that don’t often get connected—especially by those who champion human reason as the sole source of social, political, and ecological salvation. The path Smith draws begins at the very origin of creation and revelation. It wends through antiquity, the medieval world, the Enlightenment, and comes to rest at the modern dilemma of the lost sense of a wonder of nature.

It is a lovely read even when it calls attention to an ugliness within Western thought. Without giving too much away of Smith’s work (you really, really should read it yourself) it...

Jun 22, 2014

Francis's Corpus Christi homily: hungers that destory, hungers that save

When Pope Francis led the Diocese of Rome in its June 19 observance of Corpus Christi—which, for Italy, is on the Thursday following the Feast of the Holy Trinity—he gave a homily that should have offered special insights for Catholic ecologists.

Cindy Wooden of Catholic New Service provides a helpful study of the Holy Father’s homily. In her report we read this:

The first reading at the Mass, from the eighth chapter Deuteronomy, recounted how God fed the Israelites with manna in the desert after freeing them from slavery in Egypt. Pope Francis said that as they journeyed in the desert, the Israelites "ran the risk of forgetting the sad events of the past, which were overcome thanks to God's intervention and his infinite goodness."

Some of the people, the pope said, were whining about missing the "the meat and onions they ate in Egypt, but forgetting that they ate those meals at the slaves' table."

Moses urged the people to remember what God had done for them and recognize again "the experience of total dependence on God," the pope said.

Catholics today also need to recognize that "some people nourish themselves with money, others with

...
Jun 22, 2014

Corpus Christi: The new heavens and earth

On the great Feast of Corpus Christi, below is a small reminder of the link between the Eucharist and the created order. What follows is from “The Sacrament of Charity,” or Sacramentum Caritatis, an “apostolic exhortation” on the Eucharist by Benedict XVI.

It's one of my favorite statements within a Church teaching document. How wonderfully it brings together personal, communal, ecological, and cosmic implications. (Then again, isn't that true of most Catholic teachings?)

Section 92. Finally, to develop a profound eucharistic spirituality that is also capable of significantly affecting the fabric of society, the Christian people, in giving thanks to God through the Eucharist, should be conscious that they do so in the name of all creation, aspiring to the sanctification of the world and working intensely to that end. The Eucharist itself powerfully illuminates human history and the whole cosmos. In this sacramental perspective we learn, day by day, that every ecclesial event is a kind of sign by which God makes himself known and challenges us. The eucharistic form of life can thus help foster a real change in the way we approach history and the world. The liturgy itself teaches us this,

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Jun 17, 2014

African youth summit: Forward to sustainability with faith, hope, love

In a first for a promising environmental group, young men and women from six African countries kicked off on Monday the 2014 Summit of the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa, or CYNESA.

Many thanks to our friend Allen Ottaro of Kenya for sending news on how well things have gone so far.

The Summit is made up of twenty participants from six countries—Kenya (the event’s host), Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe. Also attending is a guest from the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church, representing the African Lutheran Youth Network and the Lutheran World Federation Youth.

“This is the first time in our two-year history that CYNESA members from different countries are gathering,” Ottaro said. “The main objective is to provide the space for reflection, for sharing and for the development of a common vision and action plan for our work for the next three years.”

Ottaro noted the significance of the Summit's timing, happening only a week before the United Nations Environmental Assembly (June 23rd to 27th) opens at the UN Complex in Nairobi.

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Jun 15, 2014

Seven spiritual practices for saving the planet

With the help of your responses to my Pentecost post, I’m following up with seven practical ways to bring Catholic spirituality to our eco-activities. Posting this today seems especially right—since it is the great Feast of the Holy Trinity, the God who is love and pure relationship, who is the creator of all that is.

What follows are basic, tried-and-true forms of public worship and prayerful practices that do more than remind us that it is God—not us—that saves, elevates, and heals. God also invites us to cooperate with His saving activity. This invitation comes not because we deserve the honor. Rather, in His love God values our relationships with Him so much that He takes an enormous risk: the good of many things, including life on earth, either thrives or fails depending on how well we know, love, and serve Him.

The following is the start of a discussion. You can (and should!) add to and offer corrections. The point of all this is simple: Seek first the Kingdom of God—He who is the creator, redeemer, and sanctifier—and all the worldly good that we seek, and more, will be granted in one way or...

Jun 9, 2014

Data Series #6: Partnering to meet climate, energy challenges

I met Dr. Joe Casola in November at an EPA-sponsored climate summit. We spoke at length about energy policies and climate change and I asked him if he'd be willing to be interviewed for this blog. He graciously agreed.

As always, timing is everything. With the EPA now proposing rules to reduce carbon emissions from power plants, it's my pleasure to introduce Dr. Casola, who serves as Staff Scientist and Program Director for Science and Impacts at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. In these roles he oversees the organization’s efforts to assess and communicate the current state of knowledge regarding climate change and its associated impacts, and to promote actions that strengthen climate resilience.

The nonprofit Center for Climate and Energy Solutions seeks to offer independent, nonpartisan strategies for strong policy and action to address the interrelated challenges of energy and climate change. Launched in November 2011, C2ES is the successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Visit here for more on C2ES.

Catholic Ecology: What is the most up-to-date science regarding climate change. Has there been any new research or projections since the fall 2013...

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About the Blog

Catholic Ecology posts my regular column in the Rhode Island Catholic, as well as scientific and theological commentary about the latest eco-news, both within and outside of the Catholic Church. What is contained herein is but one person's attempt to teach and defend the Church's teachings - ecological and otherwise. As such, I offer all contents of this blog for approval of the bishops of the Church. It is my hope that nothing herein will lead anyone astray from truth.