The more we are in touch with the Creator Spirit, the greater the respect and reverence we will have for the life of the earth. This is the view of Sr Catherine Brennan, chairperson of Eco Congregation Ireland.
Speaking at a Creation service in Dublin’s Lutheran Church recently, Sr Catherine said that within Hebrew scriptures, there was a close a link between the Creator-Spirit of God and the life of Creation, and indeed the life of every being. “It is the same Spirit that spins the globe today, that holds Creation together, that gives life to each one of us, and that sustains us in existence (ongoing creation) and sustains the whole web of life,” she said.
“The more we move away from the Spirit of God, the less respect we will have for the integrity of Creation. The more we are in touch with the Spirit, the greater the respect and reverence we will have for the life of the earth which is held together by the breath of God – that is, by the Creator Spirit of God.”
Sr Catherine believed the mechanisation of Nature in the name of modernity had given us a kind of permission to exploit the earth, to disregard the Spirit-filled integrity of God’s Creation, and even at times to be indifferent to the presence of the life-giving Spirit in each one of us.
The current biodiversity crisis, the reality of so much climate change, was forcing us to rediscover “who we are” and “who God is”.
“In terms of who we are, we must recover our affinity with nature,” she said. “We must discover that we are not the lords and masters of the earth, but rather we are a part of nature and that we have a deep spiritual bond and kinship with nature. ‘We need to live as siblings with beast and flower’(Denise Levertov).
“And, secondly, the biodiversity crisis is forcing us to rediscover who God is. In the light of these brief reflections, God is first and foremost Spirit (“ruach”) that is the Holy Spirit brooding over Creation and hatching, like a mother hen, giving birth and continually renewing the face of the earth.
“Leonardo Boff, the liberation theologian puts it rather beautifully: ‘The Spirit sleeps in the stone, dreams in the flower and becomes awake in humanity.’”
Sr Catherine said that the gospel reading, Luke 4: 16-21, might go something like this:
“Deep within each of us is a voice appealing to us through our genes to be full of a spirit of love for the universe ~
To bring good news of new hope to the poor threatened earth community
To proclaim freedom to live to the earth community imprisoned by so called human progress
To give sight to blind humanity that it may see before it is too late that its own future depends on the ability of the whole universe to evolve in freedom and harmony
To set free the downtrodden, besieged endangered species
To call a halt to human arrogance so that the planet can have time to heal and recreate it self.”
Sr Catherine concluded: “The churches are called at this time firstly to recover a good theology of Creation as a necessary motivation for action. Secondly, to promote Sabbath rest for enjoying creation and letting creation rest. Thirdly, a conversion of heart leading to changed life styles.”
