Ecological ConversionEcological Conversion

It is necessary to It is necessary to stimulate and stimulate and sustainsustainecological ecological conversion.conversion.(Pope John Paul II, Jan 2001)(Pope John Paul II, Jan 2001)

It is not the two world wars that have been the most destructive events ever experienced.

It has been the developmental binge of the last fifty years.

(God’s Earth by Paul Collins)

It is not the two world wars It is not the two world wars that have been the most that have been the most destructive events ever destructive events ever experienced. It has been the experienced. It has been the developmental binge of the developmental binge of the last fifty years.last fifty years.((God’s EarthGod’s Earthby Paul Collins)by Paul Collins)

Can modern humans sacrifice

some of their ephemeral pleasures

for the well-being of the Earth?

The Universe StoryBrian Swimme and Thomas Berry

Ecological Conversionmeans applying

“the liberation of the oppressed”to nature.

Sallie McFague, Super, Natural Christians

The natural world

is vulnerable, needy, sick

and deteriorating.

The Gospel of inclusive The Gospel of inclusive love must be extended love must be extended

to nature to nature and not stop and not stop

at our own speciesat our own species.

We must do this becauseWe must do this becausecommitment to the God of Jesus commitment to the God of Jesus

Christ demands itChrist demands it

NOT because we will not surviveNOT because we will not surviveif we do not care for nature.if we do not care for nature.

We must move towards the OneWe must move towards the One

who is concerned who is concerned

with the entire creation.with the entire creation.

Ecological Conversion Ecological Conversion must be grounded in social ecologymust be grounded in social ecologyin the ways that human social and in the ways that human social and economic systems interact with the economic systems interact with the natural ecosystem.natural ecosystem.Leonardo BoffLeonardo Boff

Ecological Conversionmeans

re-orienting our thinkingin a way that results inour thinking ‘outward’,

our eyes and our mind openso that our response is of compassion,

not judgementtowards the Earth.

We need to address

the underlying causesnot just the alleviation

of what are the obvious results of Global Warming.

There is a great need for usto heed the call

to turn back to nature and to the whole of creation.

Fr Bill Stoeger SJ

In our everyday livingIn our everyday livingwe’re getting further from nature.we’re getting further from nature.

Our clothing, our homes insulate us from Our clothing, our homes insulate us from naturenature

so we are not in tune with her pain.so we are not in tune with her pain.

Gerard Manly Hopkins, in his poem God’s Grandeur, bewailed how far people, even in his time, had removed themselves from nature by their lifestyle. He wrote in 1877,“the soil is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.”

Within our homes, we isolateourselves even more fromnature by the cleaners and fragrances we use, to get ridof any natural smells.

All life on earth is inter-related.

Everything is deeply

interconnected.

There are many different kinds

of inter-relatedness.

Cosmonauts have been overwhelmedCosmonauts have been overwhelmedby the fragility of earthby the fragility of earth

seen from space.seen from space.

God’s priorities in the UniverseGod’s priorities in the Universe

•Creator - to enable, to empower, to Creator - to enable, to empower, to call into being, into life, NOT to call into being, into life, NOT to controlcontrol

•God is transcendent and God is transcendent and imaginativeimaginative

•God freely creates and gives God freely creates and gives autonomy, integrity and freedom autonomy, integrity and freedom

•Relationality, love and communionRelationality, love and communion(these require freedom)(these require freedom)

Climate Change is the most important Climate Change is the most important issue facing our community in the 21st issue facing our community in the 21st

century.century.Fr Dennis EdwardsFr Dennis Edwards

How does our prayer How does our prayer reflect our commitment reflect our commitment

to Earth, to Earth, to the whole of creation?to the whole of creation?

From Western Tradition

Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)The Mass on the World(embraced in recent times by Pope John Paul IIand Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger)

He begins by saying that since he has neither bread, nor wine, nor altar, he will lift himself to the ‘majesty of the real’ and ‘make the whole Earth’ his altar. On this altar he will ‘offer all the labours and all the sufferings of creation’.

From Eastern TraditionJohn Zizioulas (1931- ) Metropolitan of Pergamon

Zizioulas understands human beings to be called by God to be ‘priests of creation’.He distinguishes this priestly task that he finds in the early church from the medieval and particularly the Roman Catholic notion of the sacrificial priesthood. When humans come to eucharist, they offer to God the fruits of creation.

Jewish prayer and early Christian prayerbegin with a blessing of creation,

the lifting up of creation in the whole of life.

We need to develop an ethos,

an attitude,a culture

where our daily prayer begins

with a blessing of creation,a lifting up of creation,

thanksgiving for all creation.

Anamnesis – memorial prayer

The concept anamnesisis central to Eucharistic theology.

Best meaning – living memory.

Every Eucharistis a thanksgiving memorialfor God at work in creationas well as in redemption.

Eucharist is the living memory

of all God’s creation

When we gather for Eucharist,

we need to do so in spirit with the people

of KiribatiTuvalu

Bangladesh………..

Bringing climate changeinto the heart of our Christian

faithSean McDonagh

We have de-sacralised the Earth.We’ve cut the earth out of the Earth.

We’ve got to think about where we live,how this is reflected in our prayer each day.

‘Generalised prayer doesn’t work.’Our prayer must spring from our own culture

and relate to it.

EUCHARISTEUCHARIST

The living memory of all God’s The living memory of all God’s creaturescreatures

We remember themWe remember themand give thanks for them.and give thanks for them.

EUCHARIST

The living memoryof creation and redemption

We bring to Eucharist We bring to Eucharist the memory of destroyed the memory of destroyed species.species.

EUCHARIST EUCHARIST

The risen Christ at work in all The risen Christ at work in all creationcreationtransforming Creation transforming Creation the Cosmic Christthe Cosmic Christ

EUCHARIST EUCHARIST Participation with all CreationParticipation with all Creation

in the communion of the Trinityin the communion of the Trinity

Eucharist educates Eucharist educates the imagination, the mind and the the imagination, the mind and the

heart heart to apprehend the universe to apprehend the universe as one of communion and as one of communion and

connectedness connectedness in Christ.in Christ.

EUCHARISTEUCHARIST

Solidarity Solidarity with the victims of climate changewith the victims of climate changecan lead to change in lifestylecan lead to change in lifestyleand political action for political and political action for political change.change.

To contribute to climate change To contribute to climate change is to sin against the weak is to sin against the weak and against creation.and against creation.

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsIdeas for this presentation come from notes taken at the Ideas for this presentation come from notes taken at the Catholic Earthcare ConferenceCatholic Earthcare Conference held in Canberra, held in Canberra, Australia, 18-20 November 2005.Australia, 18-20 November 2005.

The speakers whose talks are ‘quoted’ in the section, The speakers whose talks are ‘quoted’ in the section, “Ecological Conversion” are:“Ecological Conversion” are:

Fr Bill Stoeger sjFr Bill Stoeger sj, , cosmologist and astrophysicist from cosmologist and astrophysicist from the Vatican Observatory and University of Arizonathe Vatican Observatory and University of Arizona

Fr Sean McDonagh sscFr Sean McDonagh ssc, Christian Ecologist, lecturer, , Christian Ecologist, lecturer, author of many books in the area of religion and the author of many books in the area of religion and the environment, missionary priest with the Columban environment, missionary priest with the Columban FathersFathers

Fr Denis Edwards MAFr Denis Edwards MA, Fordham, lecturer Flinders , Fordham, lecturer Flinders University, Adelaide College of divinity, authorUniversity, Adelaide College of divinity, author

Slides 4-8: Slides 4-8: Sallie McFagueSallie McFague, , Super, Natural Christians: Super, Natural Christians: How We Should Love NatureHow We Should Love Nature, Fortress Press, ISBN D–, Fortress Press, ISBN D–8006–3076-98006–3076-9