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A Lenten Journey Guide for the Use of Communities and Apostolates
Prepared by the JPCCS Team of the Philippine-Thailand Province
A LENTEN JOURNEY
FROM COSMIC DUST TO EASTER GARDEN
Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth,
who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
St. Francis of Assisi
Diarmuid O’Murchu says: ‘Lent is a time not for giving up but for taking on, a time to be re-
connected with a heart that has been made tender by truth. Contrary to an asceticism that
diminishes, Quantum Grace (by Judy Cannato) invites us to an aestheticism that enlarges the
horizons of our journey into God’.
Lent is an ideal season to care for God’s earth and take action that will honour Christ’s teachings
to work on behalf of the most vulnerable. Let us engage into the spiritual discipline of putting
compassion into action, allowing ourselves to reconnect with the Cosmic Christ, journey from
cosmic dust to easter garden.
Lenten Journey Guide:
40 Simple Ways to Fast and Feast for God’s Creation
ASH WEDNESDAY (SOIL)
“We are not only from Earth’s dust, we are from stardust!”
LENT, WEEK ONE (WATER)
Desert Journey: Present Day Challenges and Temptations (Evangelii Gaudium)
LENT, WEEK TWO (AIR)
Climbing: Breath within our breath
LENT, WEEK THREE (EARTH COMMUNITY)
At Jacob’s Well: An experience of a “field of compassion”
LENT, WEEK FOUR (LIGHT)
Cosmological meaning of sacrifice
LENT, WEEK FIVE (EUCHARISTIC ECOLOGY)
The new story and a vision of the wholeness of the planet
Go; accompany Jesus in His Paschal Journey to Easter!
“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling
and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of Infinity. Life is
Eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each
other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment,
but it is transient. It is a little parenthesis in Eternity. If we
share with caring, light-heartedness, and love, we will
create abundance and joy for each other. And then this
moment will have been worthwhile.” — Deepak Chopra
40 Simple Ways to Fast and Feast for God’s Creation
We are called both to attend to the sacredness of Creation and to respond to it by active participation in
the protection of Creation. This list uses the metaphors of feasting and fasting to invite both these
elements of caring for Creation into our Lenten observance.
1. Feast on the beauty of this day by glancing up every time you go outdoors.
2. Fast from spending money on consumer purchases.
3. Feast on the goodness of God by giving thanks for your life and your sustenance before each meal.
4. Fast from heavily processed “junk” foods.
5. Feast on God’s creativity by watching with interest the uniqueness of insects or critters that cross you
path today.
6. Fast from unnecessary water waste by placing a bucket in your shower to catch extra water (and then
use it in the place of a toilet flush!)
7. Feast on the blessing of water by offering a prayer of thanks to God each time you wash your hands
or drink from the tap.
8. Fast from extra packaging by purchasing in bulk and/or bringing your own bags to the store.
9. Feast on the blessing of community by practicing random acts of kindness to the people around you.
10. Fast from disposable coffee cups or water bottles by carrying your own.
11. Feast on accessible services by thanking the appropriate party for recycling programs.
12. Fast from individual automobile use for any destination in easy walking, bicycling, or public transit
distance.
13. Feast on the outdoors by taking a walk.
14. Fast from energy use by eating meals that don’t require cooking.
15. Feast on the richness of God’s word by reading Scripture with a lens of eco-justice.
16. Fast from eating meat which consumes much of the world’s resources.
17. Feast on foods lower on the food chain such as whole grains and vegetables.
18. Fast from purchases at national chains by shopping at local stores.
19. Feast on the light of God by having one meal by candlelight.
20. Fast from television.
21. Feast on the beauty of community by calling or visiting with a loved one.
22. Fast from extra energy use by adjusting your thermostat when you will be away for more than a few
hours.
23. Feast on local agriculture by finding out the location of the closest farm stand, farmers’ market, or
grocery stocking local produce (and then supporting it!)
24. Fast from giving consumer products as gifts and instead give donations or subscriptions on someone’s
behalf to worthwhile organizations.
25. Feast on fair trade by purchasing fairly traded chocolates, coffees, and teas when planning for Easter
baskets or brunches.
26. Fast from household chemicals by using vinegar, baking soda, soap, and hot water to clean and
disinfect.
27. Feast on simple public policy advocacy opportunities.
28. Fast from turning on—and leaving on—unnecessary lighting fixtures.
29. Feast on the blessing of plants by watering, weeding, or attending to household or outdoor plants.
30. Fast from running the dishwasher or washing machine when not full.
31. Feast on the companionship of animals by giving extra attention to your, or others’, pets.
32. Fast from driving by combining the week’s various errands and trips.
33. Feast on news, resources, ideas, and models for Restoring Creation.
34. Fast from energy and water use by taking a lukewarm shower and turning off the water while soaping
up.
35. Feast on the support given to the church.
36. Fast from unnecessary future purchases by saving and re-using envelops, jars, paper bags, and scrap
paper.
37. Feast on sun and air by line-drying clothing.
38. Fast from excess drag on your car which decreases fuel efficiency, by unloading extra weight,
keeping air pressure correct in tires, and keeping the car clean.
39. Feast on the solidness and feeling of earth by walking barefoot.
40. Fast from apocalyptic environmental thinking and despair—focus instead on the Good News that God
creates, redeems, and sustains the Creation and we are called to be responsible, awe-filled caretakers
alongside God.
Living in Lent, Caring for Creation. Created by Presbyterians for Restoring Creation (PRC), a nationwide network
that cares for God’s Creation by Connecting, Equipping, and Inspiring. Join us at www.prcweb.org or call 415-
451-2826.
ASH WEDNESDAY (Source: SPIRITUALITY OF SOIL: A Lenten Journey from Cosmic Dust to Easter Garden Produced by
Terri MacKenzie, SHCJ, who thanks Nancy Frommelt, OSF, Thomas J. Murphy, Ph.D., and all who
contributed to Spirituality of Soil.)
I. Introduction
Reflect on the idea that you are made of dust and to dust you shall return. What feelings and
thoughts arise for you? How might this shape your relationship to God’s creation?
Scripture excerpts:
O Lord, bless these ashes by which we show that we are dust. (Ash Wednesday Liturgy)
I have now brought you the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord, have
given me. (Deut. 26: 9)
II. Input
We are not only from Earth’s dust, we are from stardust! Dust and gases from the explosion of a
dying star about five billion years ago came together and attracted more particles. Required
elements for life, like carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, came from that star. About 3 - 3.7 billion
years ago it became the only planet we know that has a living skin: soil/dirt/earth. All present
components of life were birthed from ones already existing. God’s creation continued — and
continues — to evolve and diversify. The divine Life Source has been living and acting in our
planet from its beginning! As for returning to dust, we are already doing that! Dust is composed
partly of the dead skin every person sheds daily. Can you think of anything on Earth that does
not trace back to stardust?
The second Genesis creation story (Genesis 2:7) reminds us that we come from E/earth, the
actual soil. The Latin word for soil is "humus," from which comes "humility." The Hebrew
meaning of "Adam" is "earth." Many of us grew up with dualistic thought patterns. This made it
easy to think of humans as totally separate from (and better than) the rest of God’s creation. We
are now becoming more aware that we, with our distinct abilities and responsibilities, are kin
with the rest of creation. We are dependent on the web of life, as was Jesus. Can you think of any
life form not dependent on soil/dirt?
God clothes Mother Earth with soil/dirt for food, flowers, seeds, herbs, and trees; for filtering
water and controlling water runoff; for habitat and migration routes for various species; for
recycling all organics; and for the incredibly complex life that exists within the soil. (A 3 handful
of forest soil can contain up to 10 billion bacteria, about a million plump yeasts and fungi, and
tens of thousands of other creatures!) How awesome is dirt! Mighty trees are eventually reduced
to soil. How vital for us and future generations of all life!
Only 12% of Earth’s land area is suitable for human habitation because of climate extremes and
water availability. The whole world loses acres of soil every minute from cropland because of
improper management, deforestation, overgrazing, and industrial activity. Much land is covered
with asphalt and cement. It takes more than a century for less than an inch of soil to be formed,
assuming the required conditions are present. We cannot make it!
Without healthy soil (and water and sun), we could not have bread or wine for Eucharist.
Soil deserves our reverence and care because of God's presence within it, its life-giving
properties, and its sacramental role.
III. What is God saying to us?
God has also given us the soil and its fruits in order to enrich our understanding of God's living
and acting in us and in our world. What soil/growth stories in Scripture, especially from Jesus,
give us similes and metaphors that we use for God? for messages about the spiritual life? How
could you describe yourself as soil?
IV. For Lent this week
If possible, place a container of soil as your centerpiece at home/room during Lent. Become
more aware of your interconnectedness with the whole communion of being that dates to stardust
and exists in God's love.
Reflect: How can I help God keep my "soil" healthy this Lent?
V. Closing
Take turns blessing one another’s palms for this year's Lent, with the following verses:
TOUCH THE EARTH WITH GENTLENESS
TOUCH THE EARTH WITH LOVE
TOUCH HER WITH A FUTURE
BY THE WAY YOU LIVE TODAY
GOD HAS GIVEN US THE POWER
TO CREATE THE WORLD ANEW
IF WE TOUCH THE EARTH TOGETHER ... Me & You.
Song by Kathy Sherman, CSJ
VI. Suggestion for deepening – Watch Dirt! The Movie
LENT, WEEK ONE
I. Introduction
Scripture excerpt:
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty
days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. (Lk. 4. 1)
JOURNEY INTO THE DESERT
(Source: Marianne Dorman)
“That wonderful poet/priest of the seventeenth century, George Herbert, spoke of Lent as a
Feast. “Welcome dear feast of Lent: who loves not thee,” he begins his poem. Most of us have
been brought up to treat Lent as a time of penance and fasting. When Herbert wrote his poem
Lent was indeed kept properly as a fasting and penitential time. So why would he refer to it as a
feast?
We always associate a feast with joy and even anticipation; accordingly we anticipate Lent with
joy because we know it is that gifted time to leave bad habits behind, whatever these may be and
try to inculcate better ones.
One theme for Lent is journeys. What does a journey suggest? One of the things it does is to
conjure in our minds of wanting to make it and achieve something from it.
Our first journey is going to take us to the desert. Why? One reason is as we shall discover in
listening to the Gospel is that our Lord did it Himself.”
II. Input
You must cross the desert and dwell in it to receive the grace of God. It is here that one drives out
everything that is not God. The soul needs to enter into this silent, this recollection, this forgetfulness of
all created things by which God establishes his rule in it and forms within it the life of the spirit, the life of
intimacy with God, the conversation of the soul with God in faith, hope and charity. - Charles de Foucald
The Holy Father, Pope Francis, in his APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION EVANGELII GAUDIUM,
shares about present day challenges and temptations:
I. Some challenges of today’s world
52. In our time humanity is experiencing a turning-point in its history, as we can see from the
advances being made in so many fields… At the same time we have to remember that the
majority of our contemporaries are barely living from day to day, with dire consequences. A
number of diseases are spreading. The hearts of many people are gripped by fear and
desperation, even in the so-called rich countries. The joy of living frequently fades, lack of
respect for others and violence are on the rise, and inequality is increasingly evident. It is a
struggle to live and, often, to live with precious little dignity… We are in an age of knowledge
and information, which has led to new and often anonymous kinds of power.
No to an economy of exclusion
53. …Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest,
where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find
themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means
of escape.
Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded…
54. … To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal,
a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being
incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and
feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our
own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new
to purchase. In the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere
spectacle; they fail to move us.
No to the new idolatry of money
55. One cause of this situation is found in our relationship with money, since we calmly accept
its dominion over ourselves and our societies. The current financial crisis can make us overlook
the fact that it originated in a profound human crisis: the denial of the primacy of the human
person!... The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances
and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings; man is reduced to one of his needs
alone: consumption.
56. …The thirst for power and possessions knows no limits. In this system, which tends to
devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the envi-
ronment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.
II. Temptations faced by pastoral workers
Yes to the challenge of a missionary spirituality
78. Today we are seeing in many pastoral workers, including consecrated men and women, an
inordinate concern for their personal freedom and relaxation, which leads them to see their work
as a mere appendage to their life, as if it were not part of their very identity. At the same time,
the spiritual life comes to be identified with a few religious exercises which can offer a certain
comfort but which do not encourage encounter with others, engagement with the world or a
passion for evangelization. As a result, one can observe in many agents of evangelization, even
though they pray, a heightened individualism, a crisis of identity and a cooling of fervour. These
are three evils which fuel one another.
79. At times our media culture and some intellectual circles convey a marked scepticism with
regard to the Church’s message, along with a certain cynicism. As a consequence, many pastoral
workers, although they pray, develop a sort of inferiority complex which leads them to relativize
or conceal their Christian identity and convictions. This produces a vicious circle. They end up
being unhappy with who they are and what they do; they do not identify with their mission of
evangelization and this weakens their commitment. They end up stifling the joy of mission with
a kind of obsession about being like everyone else and possessing what everyone else possesses.
Their work of evangelization thus becomes forced, and they devote little energy and very limited
time to it.
80. Pastoral workers can thus fall into a relativism which, whatever their particular style of
spirituality or way of thinking, proves even more dangerous than doctrinal relativism. It has to do
with the deepest and inmost decisions that shape their way of life. This practical relativism con-
sists in acting as if God did not exist, making decisions as if the poor did not exist, setting goals
as if others did not exist, working as if people who have not received the Gospel did not exist. It
is striking that even some who clearly have solid doctrinal and spiritual convictions frequently
fall into a lifestyle which leads to an attachment to financial security, or to a desire for power or
human glory at all cost, rather than giving their lives to others in mission. Let us not allow our-
selves to be robbed of missionary enthusiasm!
No to selfishness and spiritual sloth
81. At a time when we most need a missionary dynamism which will bring salt and light to the
world, many lay people fear that they may be asked to undertake some apostolic work and they
seek to avoid any responsibility that may take away from their free time. For example, it has
become very difficult today to find trained parish catechists willing to persevere in this work for
some years. Something similar is also happening with priests who are obsessed with protecting
their free time. This is frequently due to the fact that people feel an overbearing need to guard
their personal freedom, as though the task of evangelization was a dangerous poison rather than a
joyful response to God’s love which summons us to mission and makes us fulfilled and
productive. Some resist giving themselves over completely to mission and thus end up in a state
of paralysis and acedia.
82. The problem is not always an excess of activity, but rather activity undertaken badly, without
adequate motivation, without a spirituality which would permeate it and make it pleasurable. As
a result, work becomes more tiring than necessary, even leading at times to illness. Far from a
content and happy tiredness, this is a tense, burdensome, dissatisfying and, in the end, unbearable
fatigue. This pastoral acedia can be caused by a number of things. Some fall into it because they
throw themselves into unrealistic projects and are not satisfied simply to do what they reasonably
can. Others, because they lack the patience to allow processes to mature; they want everything to
fall from heaven. Others, because they are attached to a few projects or vain dreams of success.
Others, because they have lost real contract with people and so depersonalize their work that they
are more concerned with the road map than with the journey itself. Others fall into acedia
because they are unable to wait; they want to dominate the rhythm of life. Today’s obsession
with immediate results makes it hard for pastoral workers to tolerate anything that smacks of
disagreement, possible failure, criticism, the cross.
83. And so the biggest threat of all gradually takes shape: “the gray pragmatism of the daily life
of the Church, in which all appears to proceed normally, while in reality faith is wearing down
and degenerating into small-mindedness”. A tomb psychology thus develops and slowly
transforms Christians into mummies in a museum. Disillusioned with reality, with the Church
and with themselves, they experience a constant temptation to cling to a faint melancholy,
lacking in hope, which seizes the heart like “the most precious of the devil’s potions”. Called to
radiate light and communicate life, in the end they are caught up in things that generate only
darkness and inner weariness, and slowly consume all zeal for the apostolate. For all this, I
repeat: Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of the joy of evangelization!
No to a sterile pessimism
84. The joy of the Gospel is such that it cannot be taken away from us by anyone or anything (cf.
Jn 16:22). The evils of our world – and those of the Church – must not be excuses for dimin-
ishing our commitment and our fervour. Let us look upon them as challenges which can help us
to grow. With the eyes of faith, we can see the light which the Holy Spirit always radiates in the
midst of darkness, never forgetting that “where sin increased, grace has abounded all the more”
(Rom 5:20). ….
85. One of the more serious temptations which stifles boldness and zeal is a defeatism which
turns us into querulous and disillusioned pessimists, “sourpusses”. Nobody can go off to battle
unless he is fully convinced of victory beforehand. If we start without confidence, we have
already lost half the battle and we bury our talents….
86. In some places a spiritual “desertification” has evidently come about, as the result of attempts
by some societies to build without God or to eliminate their Christian roots. In those places “the
Christian world is becoming sterile, and it is depleting itself like an overexploited ground, which
transforms into a desert”. In other countries, violent opposition to Christianity forces Christians
to hide their faith in their own beloved homeland. This is another painful kind of desert. But
family and the workplace can also be a parched place where faith nonetheless has to be preserved
and communicated. Yet “it is starting from the experience of this desert, from this void, that
we can again discover the joy of believing, its vital importance for us men and women. In
the desert we rediscover the value of what is essential for living; thus in today’s world there
are innumerable signs, often expressed implicitly or negatively, of the thirst for God, for
the ultimate meaning of life. And in the desert people of faith are needed who, by the exam-
ple of their own lives, point out the way to the Promised Land and keep hope alive”. In
these situations we are called to be living sources of water from which others can drink. At
times, this becomes a heavy cross, but it was from the cross, from his pierced side, that our Lord
gave himself to us as a source of living water. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope!
III. What is God saying to us?
Reflect about your present experiences of temptations.
IV. For Lent this week
Write down what you consider essential for living.
V. Closing
Ritualize drinking of water
Prayer:
All: Gracious God, present everywhere, may your love, like water; pour over our thirsty spirits,
cleansing, refreshing, and renewing us this Lent. Be present as we seek to know you, to
love you, and to respond to your unconditional love for us. Amen.
Drink a sip of the water and savour it in silence. Remember those who are dying for lack of
water.
Reader: A water molecule born billions of years ago has repeatedly become steam, clouds, rain,
glaciers, oceans, rivers, dew, water in wells and aquifers, water in the faucet, water in
these glasses, in our mouths, our veins, our brains, our dreams, this prayer . . . .
Leader: Like the deer that yearns for running streams,
All: So my soul is yearning for you, my God. Amen.
Drink the water.
VI. Suggestion for deepening: Read the Apostolic Exhortation EVANGELII GAUDIUM
LENT, WEEK TWO
I. Introduction
Scripture excerpts:
“I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing…All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.” Gen. 12:2-3
“Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by
themselves. And He was transfigured before them…” Mt. 17:1-2
(Homily from Father Phil Bloom – excerpts)
“This Sunday Jesus invites us to climb a mountain. He wants us to go with him, like Peter, James
and John do, for this purpose - to pray. On that mountain Jesus gives Peter, James and John a
glimpse of his glory. That experience prepares them for what is coming. Jesus desires to give us
a similar experience - a brief look that will reveal our future. We may not have the same exact
experience as Peter, James and John, but we do receive tiny glimpses of where we are going.
A writer who described these intimations was a Cambridge university professor named C.S.
Lewis. He wrote about a "longing" that sometimes overcame him. It wasn't an ordinary craving
or desire; it was a mysterious yearning triggered by some unexpected experience. He gives this
evocative description:
that unamable something, desire for which pierces us like a rapier at the smell of a bonfire, the
sound of wild ducks flying overhead, the title of The Well at the World's End, the opening lines of
"Kubla Khan", the morning cobwebs in late summer, or the noise of falling waves.
Almost everyone has that experience - something unexpected that sparks a profound yearning.”
As we get in touch with our inner longings, let us be conscious of our breathing. Breath connects
what is outside with what is deep inside of us. Climbing the mountain is not easy; our breathing
reveals the struggles that we go through. The air temperature changes as one move from the
bottom to the peak of the mountain.
II. Input
To Breathe Its Praise:Lenten Reflections on AIR
(Produced by Terri MacKenzie, SHCJ)
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air . . . . St. Francis of Assisi
Air is the neglected life force. Yet air is needed to live, to speak, to hear, to smell. How
long would you live without breathing? Let's experience the need. Breathe deeply. Hold your
breath on the intake and exhale slowly. Take time to release carbon dioxide. Do that again, this
time holding up one arm until you complete your exhale. Ready, go. . . . How did you feel just
before you drew a fresh breath?
You breathe automatically 24/7, but it's helpful to take time occasionally to do it consciously.
Feet flat on floor; hands relaxed or in lotus position, slowly fill your diaphragm, then lungs. Let
the oxygen fill your body, then slowly exhale every bit of carbon dioxide. Be grateful for the gift
of clean air. Be grateful for God's breath within you.
Kabir wrote: God is the breath within our breath. What do you think he meant?
An average person breathes in over 3,000 gallons of air each day. Statistically it is very likely
that some of the atoms you just took into your body also passed through Jesus' lungs — and
any/all creatures of Earth. Besides taking place on an individual level, this exchange also
happens globally. Oceans and forests, especially rainforests, serve as Earth's lungs, absorbing
carbon dioxide emissions and releasing clean oxygen into the atmosphere. In what way could
awareness of this usually-unconscious, intimate exchange of holy air be profoundly unifying?
The Hebrew/Aramaic word ruah translates breath and spirit; the Greek work pneuma
(nooma) translates wind, spirit, breath. Because one cannot speak without air, word is often
included. These words are sometimes used interchangeably in Scripture.
Even before science discovered details of this process, many recognized the value of air, breath,
wind, and spirit as metaphors and names for divinity. Think of places in Scripture where these
words — referring to nature or to God's presence within it — are used. What can we learn about
God through the gift of wind/ air/ breath/ spirit? Why do you think it is or is not an appropriate
metaphor/name for the divine mystery? III. What is God saying to us?
Decades ago Teilhard de Chardin wrote in The Divine Milieu that ". . . nothing here is profane
for those who know how to see." and "By means of all created things, without exception, God
assails us, penetrates us and molds us . . . ." Remembering that air is required for many things,
how has the Sacred Mystery been revealed to you through air?
IV. For Lent this week
This Lent we ask the Spirit within us to deepen our awareness of the Mystery we call God that is
present within air, breath, and S/spirit. Become more aware of air as you breathe/speak/ smell/
hear. Note references to air/ breath/ spirit in Scripture, hymns, sacraments, prayers, and in the
news. Deepen your gratitude for the gift of air and its use as metaphors for God.
V. Closing EMBRACE THE WIND
Virginia Skrdlant, SHCJ
Did you ever embrace the wind with the vigor of your love?
Did you hold its hand and smell the fragrance of the earth on its breath?
Did you sleep with the wind and find comfort in its raging sound?
Did you kiss the wind when it was warm and tranquil? What is the wind to you and me?
To me it is a dance, a serene grace, the gift of life, the power of God that floods all living things.
Sometimes it hides in some obscure retreat.
Like God in those deep, dark hours when we cannot pray,
the wind is always here embracing our lives with the spirit it brings.
All of God that speaks of beauty and love.
Every breath, every sigh, every song, is the wind of God in us.
How often do we thank the wind? Do we speak to the wind at all?
Song: Breath of God
VI. Suggestion for deepening: Know more about Climate Change
LENT, WEEK THREE
I. Introduction
Scripture excerpt:
“We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know
that this is truly the saviour of the world.” Jn. 4:42
”Lent as we know is our journey towards the renewing of our baptismal vows at the Paschal
Vigil. When we renew those vows it is like receiving “living water” again so that we can draw
even deeper from the well to strengthen our faith for the next year.
Now, during Lent, more objectively, is to put ourselves in the shoes of this woman
meeting Jesus for the first time in her life. One of the questions we should ask ourselves during
Lent, have I really met Jesus in my life? Could I sit down at a well and talk to Him about my life
and believe in Him? It is quiet easy to go to church, read the Scriptures without meeting our
Lord. What is needed is to internalize what we hear and read about Him into our everyday life of
prayer and living.” Marianne Dorman
The story of the Samaritan Woman portrays a real encounter event, an experience of a “field of
compassion.”
II. Input
(Source: Book – Field of Compassion by Judy Cannato)
“Field of Compassion rests on the conviction that we can become increasingly aware of who we
are and how we influence our environment, and that we can and must make choices that are life-
giving for all.” (p.7)
“Using the image of the morphogenic field as a template, we can look at the mission of Jesus.
Although he never could have used these words, Jesus was about creating a morphogenic field,
one in which love is the standard operating procedure and genuine concern for the other is the
behavioural norm. Thought, words, and activity are to be molded by this loving concern, a way
of living that comes from conversion from egocentricity to love.” (p.7)
Attitudes for Manifesting a Field of Compassion (pp. 173-178)
1. Spaciousness
The first attitude is spaciousness. The word “compassion” means literally “to suffer from the
bowels.” The image itself suggests not that I have entered into your space, but that I have
allowed you to enter my space. This posture essentially says: “There is space in myself for
you.”
OUR JOURNEY INTO SAMARIA TO
THE WELL OF JACOB
2. Contemplation
The second posture that is essential as we live the Field of Compassion is contemplation. I do
not mean a particular kind of prayer, but rather an orientation toward life itself. An old
definition of contemplation is “taking a long, loving look at the real.” It involves attending to
what is before us, free from inattentional blindness. Contemplation means that we are aware
of what is before us, awakened to possibilities that are around us – seeing what we see,
hearing what we hear, as if for the first time, fresh, without prejudice.
A contemplative stance is the fruit of meditation. It allows us to live out of the witness, the
place where we learn to let our thoughts and feelings pass by, becoming attached to nothing,
becoming identified with nothing. This stance is where we are most free, unfettered by fear
and unhindered by ego. By allowing us to stand back and see what is real, contemplation
helps us to spot our attachments and our illusions – and once we spot them, we can be free
from them.
Contemplation allows us to see how connected we are to all that is, and that is the essence of
mysticism.
3. Commitment
A third attitude that will enable us to enflesh the Field of Compassion is commitment. Our
lives can be about so many trivial things. We can get swept away by the superficial and
peripheral. We can bow to our ego and cave in to our fear. And we can do so mindlessly,
allowing our lives to slip by with very little meaning. In the act of commitment, both our
focus (our mind moves toward the image we hold) and our intention come together in a
tangible way.
4. Imagination
The fourth posture that we must engage is our imagination. So often we say, “It was only my
imagination.” It is perhaps more proper to say, “It is always the imagination.” All that is
comes from divine imagination, and our capacity to envision that which does not exist and
invite it to take from is one of our greatest gifts. It is our imagination that allows us to give
form to the Spirit’s urgings. We are able to imagine a Field of Compassion not because the
vision originates with us. The dream originates in God, and through our imaginations we see
it. And as we see it, it becomes real. Our imaginations help us maintain the vision within
ourselves, calling forth our creativity and commitment in the space that we provide them.
Spaciousness, contemplation, commitment, and imagination – culminating these four stances
will help us hold and engage the energy required to manifest and maintain a Field of
Compassion. They help us first of all receive and hold love that pours itself out for us. They tell
us how to be, so that truth may emerge. They engage all our capacities as holons, as free subjects
who are deeply graced. As each attitude become integrated, as we ourselves become more
spacious, more contemplative, more committed to the work, and more imaginative in our
approach, a Field of Compassion emerges and transforms us – and transforms the world.
III. What is God saying to us?
Reflect on the following:
“Speak the story, whisper to the Earth,
Touch the moments, blessings of rebirth.
Taste the wonders, the fragrance, the fears,
See Love’s unfolding echo through the years.”
Miriam Martin, P.B.V.M.
“For every reality of the universe is intimately present to every other reality of the universe and
finds its fulfilment in mutual presence. The entire evolutionary process depends on communion.
Without this fulfilment that each being finds in beings outside itself, nothing would ever happen
in the entire world. There would be no elements, no molecules, no life, no consciousness.”
Thomas Berry
“Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things.”
Thomas Merton
IV. For Lent this week
(Source: Book – Field of Compassion by Judy Cannato p. 179)
Sit quietly and bring to mind those who care for you – in the present and in the past. As you
recall each person, receive the love that is there for you. Let it into your heart. Even if someone
has a quirky way of showing love, receive the love. Sift through the dysfunction if you have to,
but receive the love. Never mind if the person has never said, “I love you.” Receive the love, one
by one. Hold all that love in your heart. Let it penetrate your whole being. How does it feel to
consciously, intentionally receive all of that love? Can you allow that to sustain your journey?
V. Closing
(Source: Book – Field of Compassion by Judy Cannato p. 180)
A PRAYER
Holy Heart of the Universe, you call us to dream, to imagine, to yield to your grace, your
pressure from within to evolve. Help us to see that all that we are has come about through the
13.7-billion-year unfolding of your grace. Help us to grasp the reality that the entire history of
the universe has prepared us to be the ones who enflesh your imagination in the material world.
May we celebrate who we are as we celebrate who you are, and may we dare to imagine that we
are grace itself. Amen.
VI. Suggestion for deepening: Find greater connection with the Earth Community
LENT, WEEK FOUR
I. Introduction
Scripture excerpt:
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” Jn. 9:15
“Jesus approached a man who has been blind from birth and has never known light, only a
world of darkness; so he has never experienced the wonder of God in nature in all its
magnificence and beauty. He represents each one of us, as we are all born blind through original
sin, until our eyes are opened by Him who takes away the sin of the world. In this healing, Our
Lord’s act is both creative and sacramental. He makes clay, a creative act to give light from
darkness, whereby He is re-enacting that first act of the Trinitarian God in creating light out of
darkness (Gen. 1.3). It is also sacramental as this visible sign leads to healing grace.” - Marianne
Dorman
Today’s Gospel is a straightforward lesson on the growth in faith symbolised by the movement
from total darkness to light—a movement that marks a journey from unbelief to belief. The blind
man’s progressive enlightening is also a deepening in the knowledge of Christ as he first thought
of him as a man, later a prophet and finally acknowledged him as Lord. This acknowledgement
has an implication—that we come to live as the children of the Light.
II. Input
(Produced by Terri MacKenzie, SHCJ)
To better understand Light, we need, first, simple awareness. Electricity deprives us of an
experience that billions of humans back through time have shared: gazing in awe at the Milky
Way Galaxy, our home. If you can remember when you first noticed the stars, what was your
reaction? Why? What were your questions as you looked?
Most recently, scientists have learned that the observable universe began 13.82 billion years ago,
a single immense energy event. Within our expanding Universe with its billions of galaxies is
our Milky Way Galaxy. Within this galaxy is our solar system, and within it is our Sun, a star
about a million times the size of Earth. It is one of the trillions of stars in one of the billions of
galaxies in an intrinsically interconnected universe. "We see the same sun that our fathers [and
mothers] saw and yet we understand it in a much more magnificent way," wrote Teilhard de
Chardin. Each second our Sun transforms four million tons of itself into light when it is
converted into radiant energy that soars away in all directions. With the Sun, we have a new
understanding of the cosmological meaning of sacrifice. Each second it gives part of itself
over to become energy that we eat at each meal and use for energy; it is reborn as the vitality of
Earth. For millions of years, humans and other creatures have been basking in its warmth and
feasting on its energy stored in the form of seeds, nuts, and berries. The actual energy coursing
through our circulatory and nervous systems was bestowed upon us by the Sun.
JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM - THE HEALING OF
THE MAN BORN BLIND - ENLIGHTENMENT
Gary Zukav: "The Light that flows through your system [and all living beings] is Universal
Energy. It is the Light of the Universe. You [and every other creature] give Light form. What
you feel, what you think, how you behave, what you value and how you live your life reflect the
way you are shaping the Light that is flowing through you." What does this mean to you?
Hildegard of Bingen, Rhineland mystic, wrote about 900 years ago: "There is no creature that
does not have a radiance, be it greenness or seed, blossom or beauty. It could not be creation
without it. If God had not the power to thus empower, the light to thus enlighten, where, then,
would all creation be?" What does this mean to you?
III. What is God saying to us?
There is "real brokenness and darkness in human nature due to sin. Compulsive greed and
chronic indifference are the two great obstacles to a healthy relationship with Creation." Keith D.
Warner, OFM. We need to connect the ecological dimension of sin with lifestyles that are
"robbing from the underdeveloped world and from nature's ability to restore itself." How do you
respond to this?
The sun's ancient carbon dioxide (CO2) is stored in fossil fuels: coal, oil, gas. Starting with the
Industrial Revolution, amounts of CO2 have constantly risen. Excessive releasing of it by
mining, manufacturing, transporting, and using fossil fuels harms all of creation (especially
people living in poverty) by changing the balance of chemicals in our atmosphere. Hydraulic
fracturing of natural gas and mining tar sands threaten water as well as air and cause multiple
problems. Even if spills, contamination of resources, political and noise pollution could be
avoided, global warming is inevitably worsened by them. Don't let industry ads fool you!
What's the light of Lent here? The answer is a simple one: The light of Lent is the beacon that
enables us to see under the obvious, the systemic, the hypocritical in both state and church to the
evil they mask from us. It is the path to integrity, to righteousness, to the Spirit of God.
IV. For Lent this week
Light — our light – is needed to clarify dangers to our Earth; our action is needed to protect it.
What we do to lessen carbon dioxide contributes positively. How can individuals reduce and
conserve energy? (E.g., some take public transportation; use bicycles; drive under 60 MPH saves
gas; avoid idling, which wastes gas and money, and adds to pollution; turn lights and electrical
equipment off when not needed; unplug any unused electronics to avoid "vampire energy" loss.
How does/could your conservation of energy help you to appreciate God’s gifts?
V. Closing Flame Meditation
adapted from John Surette, SJ
Light the center and individual candle(s).
Leader: A reflection on the Divine Dynamic, the
relationship between humans, the Earth, and the
creative power of the Universe.
Take turns reading:
All things came into being through him and without
him not one thing came into being. What has come
into being through him was life and the life was the
life of all people. John 1: 3
Let the flame evoke the memory of the primordial creation event some billions of years ago,
when out of a fertile nothingness a great fire billowed out in all directions. Our Universe was
born then. God's Word was spoken there. The Divine Artist was at work there. It was an art show
to surpass all art shows. You and I were being loved there.
Let the flame with its heat evoke within us the memory of the
intense heat of a star that exploded some several billion years
ago, giving birth to our sun and from the scraps of that birth our
beautiful blue-green Earth. You and I were being loved there.
Let the flame evoke within us a memory of Earth some four and a
half billion years ago, when it was a lava-like fiery ball of molten
rock in the sky that over time formed a crust upon which we
stand today. You and I were being loved there.
Let the flame evoke within us the memory of the earliest humans,
who sat around their own fires and gazed into their own
flickering flames while their shadows danced behind them on the
cave walls. You and I were being loved there.
Let the flame evoke with us the memory of that burning bush before which Moses stood, with his
shoes off and his knees shaking, experiencing the Divine Dynamic calling him to the cutting
edges of his life. You and I were being loved there.
Let the flame evoke within us the memory of those fires
on the hillsides and lakesides of Galilee, around which
the rabbi Jesus sat instructing his disciples. You and I
were being loved there.
Let the flame evoke within us the memories of our
parents and grandparents who sat before their fireplaces,
wood stoves, lanterns and candles while they dreamed
great dreams for their children. You and I were being
loved there.
Let the flame make us aware of the fire that burns deep within us, a fire that embraces us with all
our successes and failures, hopes and fears, joys and anxieties, good moments and not so good
ones. It is a divine love that invites us to move confidently and creatively into our preferred
future, the future of our Earth and the future of our whole Universe.
. . . . .
Reflection time. / Optional sharing.
Close by praying together:
Empower me, Great God of Life,
to fully live each day.
To shape my share of radiant light with joyful care,
and tend the fires of your reflection everywhere.
adapted from "Matins," Terri MacKenzie, SHCJ
(http://ecospiritualityresources.com/media)
VI. Suggestion for deepening: “Time for an Energy Change” Interview people about what they
want to change.
LENT, WEEK FIVE
I. Introduction
Scripture excerpt:
“Jesus said: Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” Jn. 11:40
OUR JOURNEY TO BETHANY
By Marianne Dorman
What do we focus on as we arrive in our journey to Bethany and to the home of Martha, Mary
and Lazarus? Perhaps we may feel a little envious of the amount of time they shared with our
Lord. Yet from Mary’s example we know we can share as much time as we want by simply
sitting at his feet. As we approach Holy Week to sit and be silent and to soak in the Lord’s
presence will help us to undergo something of that last week of our Lord’s life.
Yet on this journey this episode challenges us to see what stage of faith we are at? Like Lazarus
we will die too but will we confidently believe that Jesus has risen and therefore we shall too, or
will there be doubts? Is it really true?
Death is the one event in life each one must enter and through alone. We began Lent with those
words, “Thou art dust, and to dust shall thou return” Perhaps during this Lent we have not
thought too much about death – our death and preparation for it. Now is a good the time to do
that as we hang onto those words of Jesus, “I am life!” Yet more importantly we believe there is
a place where there is no more weeping and no more tears. We shall reap in joy!
II. Input
EUCHARISTIC ECOLOGY AND ECOLOGICAL SPIRITUALITY
By Beatrice Bruteau
Spiritual life, especially as contemplative life, follows a kind of cycle, or spiral, in which we first
leave "the world," which is experienced as interfering with our contemplation. We "go apart for a
while," even far apart from the world, from everything formed and finite, everything that can be
spoken or conceived. We follow the via negativa, the way of not-using, not-speaking, not
knowing.
In the Night of the Absolute, everything is empty. Having reached what we yearned to possess,
we find that all distinctions have vanished, including the selves that had thought they could
possess anything or desire to possess anything. Thus, for us there is nothing left to defend,
nothing left to augment, nothing to prefer to something else, nothing to which to accord
privilege.
At this point the distinction is lost between the Absolute itself and the world which we had "left"
in order to go to the Absolute by not speaking, by not thinking of any form, by not identifying
ourselves with our particular egoic point of view. We discover the paradox that the very
distinction of the Absolute from the world, carried to the limit, destroys the distinction of the
Absolute from the world. The contemplative, having attained union with the Absolute, discovers
that the Absolute is engaged in creating the world; and so, the contemplative too, as united with
the Creator, must engage in self-emptying into the world. Once coincided with, the
Transcendent--initially set over against the relative, the embodied--reveals itself as self-
expressive as the relative, the embodied, the world.
In religious language, this turn in the contemplative's development may be called "the
resurrection of the body." Having lost "the body," the finite and the relative, for the sake of the
Infinite and the Absolute, we find ourselves again in the finite and the relative, as glorified by
conscious recognition of their being the Body of the Divine.
The Eucharistic Planet
The resurrection of the body means that the Real Presence of the Absolute is realized in the
world in all its ordinariness. The world of mountains and rivers, of bread and wine, of friends
and enemies, is all held and displayed in the universal monstrance, the Showing, the
phenomenalization of the Absolute.
Can we recognize the presence of the Absolute in the ordinariness of the world? Do we know
what is going on when bread is broken for supper? I want to see all our interconnectedness as
expressions of the agape. I want to perceive Earth as a Eucharistic Planet, a Good Gift planet,
which is structured as mutual feeding, as intimate self-sharing. It is a great Process, a circulation
of living energies, in which the Real Presence of the Absolute is discerned. Never holding still,
continually passing away from moment to moment, it is the shining face of the Eternal. It is
living as an integral Body, as the Glory Body of the Real.
In this Risen Body, or Glory Body, or Manifestation of the Real, compassion overflows as what
Chogyam Trungpa calls "environmental generosity." Since the Absolute, radiating itself in the
myriad things, has no need to prefer one to another, compassion is revealed as "the ultimate
attitude of wealth." Abundant life is available for all because there is no desire to hoard.
The various aspects of the universe can give themselves freely to one another because they have
no need to preserve themselves, to save themselves for themselves. This is eucharistic ecology,
and it is the ideal of all spiritual traditions. The Life of the Whole continues because all parties
give themselves to it by giving themselves to each other. The dynamic interconnections in turn
sustain all participants.
This view of the world, which I am here calling the Eucharistic Planet, a view of the world as the
Real Presence of the Divine, of the Absolute, a view of the world as a single living Body, in
which the various members freely give themselves as food to one an-other--this view of reality
has been around a long time…
A sense of the Eucharistic Planet, of the Real Presence of the Divine in the world, is
something we need now for the protection of the planet. It may be that biblical religion has
encouraged Western civilization to take unfair advantage of the natural environment under the
belief that it was given to humanity by God for purposes of human exploitation and has no rights
of its own. It may be that we need to tell ourselves a new story about how we fit into the general
scene and what it's all about. I don't dispute that. But I would like to emphasize that on the basis
of the Gospel we can say something quite constructive and very exciting that will give us the
new story and a vision of the wholeness of the planet.
The core of the story is the communitarian life taught by and instituted by Jesus. It is based on a
vision of being that differs from the one we usually assume. Instead of taking as the norm of
Reality those things that are outside one another, he takes as standard and paradigm those who
are in one another. His prayer, his vision, is "that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us . . . that they may be one even as we are one, I in
them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one" (John 17:21-22). This is the heart of
what Jesus is about, I believe. And I don't think that we should regard it as something on an
always receding horizon, a merely guiding ideal, something unreal to be striven for but never
actually achieved. On the contrary, I think he meant that this is how Reality is fundamentally
constructed: this is how it is, and we are to wake up and know it, realize it.
This basic insight, vision, revelation, was developed in the church in terms of two great dogmas,
which, however, haven't perhaps been sufficiently appreciated as the structural models that they
are. The two great dogmas, from which probably everything can be derived, are the Trinity and
the Incarnation. And they are encapsulated in the single sacrament of Holy Communion, the
Incarnation of the Trinity. I mean, of course, the mutually feeding, mutually indwelling,
community, in which all members give themselves to one another as food, for the sake of life,
abundant life.
It only remains to be said explicitly that this community is not limited to human beings but
includes all life and the entire cosmos, and we have a religious view that not only enables but
demands an ecological morality with regard to both the human community and the total cosmic
community. The whole universe is structured and organized in such a way that all members
depend on one another; they are all, in fact, dynamic processes constituted precisely by
their relations to one another. It is exactly the Trinity that the universe images, which it, in
fact, incarnates, embodies, phenomenalizes, shows forth, reveals, glorifies. The universe puts
into flesh, into matter, the Trinitarian perichoretic Life--with its differentiation by relation, its
self-sharing, its mutual indwelling--by which the nature of God is expressed…
The cosmos, too, is communitarian, a single body of mutually feeding processes-- much
more like beings that are in one another than like beings that are outside one another. It
embodies, in its various finite organizations and processes and its ever more complex growth, the
radiant expansive nature of that which it inevitably expresses. It is a Symbiotic Cosmos, and it is
the artistic self-expression of the Trinity.
The cosmos has all the marks of the Trinity: it is a unity; it is internally differentiated but
interpenetrating; and it is dynamic, giving, expanding, radiant. And, as a work of art, the cosmos
has another very important character: it does not exist for the sake of something else, something
beyond itself; it is not useful, it is not instrumental; it is an end in itself, self-justifying, valuable
in its own right and in its very process. This, I think, is foundational for the ecological virtue that
is the moral dimension of the Eucharistic Ecology I am proposing. As the Artwork of God, the
cosmos has value in itself, and that entitles it to certain rights.
"You Are All Brethren"
Today we have the Gaia Hypothesis, put forward by James Love-lock and Lynn Margolis, which
proposes that "the entire range of living matter on Earth, from whales to viruses, and from oaks
to algae, could be regarded as constituting a single living entity, capable of manipulating the
Earth's atmosphere to suit its overall needs and endowed with faculties and powers far beyond
those of its constituent parts." Elisabet Sahtouris has picked up this idea and developed it with
the theme that "the Earth is a live planet rather than a planet with life upon it." She calls us to
understand ourselves as "living beings within a larger living being, in the same sense that our
cells are part of each of us."
If we can do that, the resulting sense of unity, of the planet, of the Whole, will naturally give rise
to universal compassion. None of us really hates our own flesh, as St. Paul says (Eph. 5:29); and
when we begin to find that the tentacles of our flesh are profoundly intertwined with those of
other beings--begin to consecrate a larger domain when we say "This is my body"--then feeling-
together, compassion, will naturally grow. "Love your neighbor as yourself" takes on a new and
more realistic meaning as the boundaries of our self-become more and more indefinite and
entangled with those of all other beings. …
"Our" life is obviously a matter of indefinitely expanded sharings through the Earth community.
Everyone's life is this way, all of us living by one another. "Greater love has no one than this:
that one lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13). Is this not the fundamental
principle of the Eucharistic Planet? And it has now become the fundamental principle of
what we may call "ecological awareness," that is, awareness of the basic interrelatedness of
all beings.
Ecology has as its hallmark the principle that no one species is the species from whose viewpoint
the whole is to be understood and appreciated. An ecological system is not, for instance, "cattle
and their environment." An ecological system has no privileged members, no single master.
All members interact with all others: the soil and water, the weather and seasons, the bacteria,
the various plants and animals, and all their ever-changing activities, these constitute the
ecological system of a locality.
But now we can see into the matter more deeply. Beyond being the regional scale of biological
interrelationships, ecology can refer to the moral "standing" of natural elements. Some years ago
an attempt was made to defend a grove of redwood trees in California against a developer who
proposed to make a parking lot on the land where they were living. The case was brought to
court but was rejected by the judge on the grounds that the trees did not have "legal standing,"
meaning that they did not have any rights that could, be infringed by another party. A deeper
appreciation of our ecological situation would recognize the moral, if not the legal, standing of
all parties to any ecological system, as well as the integrity of the system itself. Living beings
and even inanimate aspects of the planet would be conceived as having some kind of
"rights" to their own existence and to protection in their own terms (as distinguished from
protection derived from their utility for human beings). The definition of such rights--obviously a
very difficult problem--and the acknowledgement of the obligation to respect them would
constitute the basis of ecological morality.
And then we can do another thing with a deepened sense of ecology. We can use it as a metaphor
for human relations and for the development of a planetary spirituality. The central theme in both
these expanded meanings would be the abandonment of the privileged status of any particular
party to the ecological system. Since no member of the system is to be seen as the system's
master, the motto of such a deepened sense of ecology could well be "All of you are brethren"
(Matt 23:8). The basic moral virtue would be respect-the minimal degree of self-giving love--
accorded to every member.
The deeper sense of biological ecology holds that our obligation to protect the environment is not
based on our need or desire to preserve things in good working order only for ourselves and our
descendants--so that our grandchildren will inherit unpolluted air, water, and land, and will still
be able to enjoy seeing a variety of animals and plants. No, our obligation to protect the
environment is based on the rights of the creatures who compose the ecosystem to their own
lives, and on the value of cooperating with the natural movement of the planet in terms of the
good of the whole. Indeed, we shouldn't even speak of "the environment," because that implies a
privileged viewpoint, the viewpoint of the species whose "environment" it is deemed to be;
whereas we propose a commitment to an ecological morality which abjures such privilege.
Instead of saying that we human beings are the only really valuable or meaningful beings on the
planet, and that everything else exists as our support system, put here by a thoughtful Deity for
our convenience and pleasure, we seek a view in which all creatures compose the whole system
together, in which all are valuable and significant. In such a view the living ecosystem is
dependent on, and must be respectful of, all of them. "You are brethren, all of you."
An immediate conclusion from this proposed view is that when we confront the question, "Am I
my brother's [my sister's] keeper?", the answer has to be Yes--perhaps not an absolutely
unequivocal Yes, since part of "keeping" is precisely leaving others free-- but definitely Yes. We
must be committed to keeping--preserving, protecting, benefitting-- the whole planet, with
intelligent love, humble reformability (for we don't know everything yet about how the living
planet works), and the realization that whatever we do is done from inside the system and that
the rest of the system is also acting to keep us and to keep the planet.
But, we may ask, if I am to keep my brother--love my neighbor--who is my brother? Willis
Harman tells the story of talking with a Native American leader about how white people have
difficulty understanding the Indian way of looking at the world. The Indian replied: "It's easy.
You only have to remember two things. One is, everything in the universe is alive. The other is,
we're all relatives!" This Native American leader had an illustrious ancestor-relative in the
person of Chief Seattle, whose famous answer to the U.S. President's offer to buy tribal lands
contains the words:
We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the
deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadow, the body
heat of the pony, and man, all belong to the same family . . . If we sell you our land, you must
remember that it is sacred . . . The rivers are our brothers ...So you must give to the rivers the
kindness you would give any brother .... Will you teach your children what we have taught our
children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.
This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are
connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a
strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
Shall we not admit that this is a good answer to the question, "Who is my mother and my
brothers?" Are not the rivers and the meadows, the flowers and the ponies, among those "who do
the will of our Father in heaven," and therefore are entitled to be considered our "brother and
sister and mother"? (Matt. 12:48-50).
St. Francis of Assisi seems to have had this vision, expressed in his "Canticle to the Sun." Some
people think that he was proposing an alternative Christian view of nature and the position of
humanity within it. He was moving, I would say, to replace the "domination paradigm" with the
"communion paradigm," seeing a larger interpretation of the metaphor of the Christ-Vine than
his tradition had usually offered. He saw the Eucharistic Planet. He was able to see it because he
had first embraced humility and spiritual poverty--emptiness, the apophatic way to the
realization of the Absolute. Coming out from that point of view again into creation, into the
resurrection of the body, he was able to see the Real Presence of the Divine in everything and to
know that "whatever you do to the least of these my brethren, you do to me" (Matt. 25:40).
"Whatever you do to the web, you do to yourself."
III. What is God saying to us?
What resonates with you in the article? What new insights have you gained? What challenges do
you hear?
IV. For Lent this week
Pray and stay with the Lord. Contemplate the Mystery of God.
V. Closing
Call to Worship:
Leader: The world has literally come crashing down,
People: but neither death or life will separate us.
Leader: Violence and hate turn revolution into rebellion,
People: but neither angels or rulers will keep us from love.
Leader: Tragedy after tragedy, our hearts will sink,
People: but nothing present, nor things to come will hold us back from hope.
Leader: Peace seems to be a dream; reconciliation an impossibility,
People: Nothing in all of creation will separate us from the love of God found in Christ Jesus.
Leader: We hear the good news of Jesus! Let us share it!
ALL: Let us worship and live into the good news of hope, faith, and love together!
COMMISSIONING (ALL): In the power of the Holy Spirit we now go forth into the world, to
fulfil our calling as the people of God, the body of Christ, AMEN.
Go, accompany Jesus in His Paschal Journey to Easter!
