Brothers and sisters

I'm beginning to see how establishing a relationship with our environment is the key to bring us humans into a closer communion with nature. It is not in our interest to care for the environment if we treat the environment as things to be used and exploited rather than respected. The following is an abstract from one of my readings in environmental law. It is part of a speech given by red indian chief, Chief Seattle, when the white men tried to purchase the land of the Red Indians.

All Sacred

Every part of this earth is sacred to my people
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which course through the trees carries the memories of the red man.
The white man's dead forget the country of their birth when they go out to walk among the stars. Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is the mother of the red man.
We are part of the earth and it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers.
The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony and man - all belong to the same family

...

St Francis of Assisi also used the terms brother sun and sister moon, and because of his relationship with nature he was able to cherish and treasure creation all around him. Indeed, it seems hard for us to do so in our urban environment today! We live in tall HDBs, travel in cars/ buses/ MRTs, work in air-conditioned rooms and face a computer screen all day! The nature we are exposed to s perhaps the nature documentaries we watch on TV or youtube!



How can we establish a relationship with nature if we seldom have contact with it? It is sort of a long-distance relationship then... difficult... We should take advantage of the man-made natural surroundings even if we rarely come in contact with the forests and rivers! Our town parks, our shady trees, our bougainvillas on the overhead bridge and flame of forests flowers and all small wonders of nature we can appreciate. One of my favourites is the sky. Go to an open area and just gaze up at the sky and appreciate the clouds and their ever-changing ways. Singapore has beautiful clouds due to our tropical and humid climate! Don't take them for granted!

Lord,

Help us to see in your creation, the wonders of your creativity! May you also use them to remind us of the wonder of our being.

Amen.

Care for Creation - Franciscan Spirituality

I attended a very interesting session organised by the Franciscans on 'Care for Creation'. It was an introduction to a book club.. something similar to Oprah's book club. It was really heartening to hear from people on their views as well as listen to Fr. Clifford's explanations on Franciscan spirituality and how it embodies a very unique element of relating with nature and respecting nature.

I'm looking forward to reading this book and gaining some insights which I can hopefully share on this blog! If I'm not too lazy... :)

Just checked the price on amazon.com and it was cheaper! ;p

creature to Creator

I had the grace to experience a moment with my Creator. It occurred while I was having lunch during my silent retreat over the week. As I was drinking soup with my spoon, I had the feeling that I was being watched by someone up above. Instantly, I felt like a deer, drinking water from a stream. It felt really strange, to be for that moment, a simple creature, not thinking, not rationalising, just drinking soup with a spoon and enjoying the present. I could feel God smiling down on me, it was as if He was amused at me, pleased with my existence. I could understand then, what God meant, by saying that He is well-pleased with His creation. We as humans, we too create. I have created this blog, I create pictures and drawings, I create happiness in the lives of others, etc. But it is to this ultimate Creator-creature relationship that we are called to come back to after being creators in our own lives. To draw strength, to rest, to be renewed and directed by God to create His kingdom here on earth. It was truly a grace to experience my God in such a manner. To experience Him as my Creator, the One who knows me intimately, loves me deeply and constantly watching over me. Just like how we do our best and provide as much as we can to what we have created, so does God provide and care for us His creation.

Lord,

May I have the grace and openness of heart to accept you as my Creator and allow You to work Your spirit in me to care for your creation. Thank you for this experience of being aware, that You were smiling upon me, Your lowly creation. I'm happy to have been pleasing to You. Thank You.

:)

The humble earthworm

Just a short sharing today.. I am trying to update this blog at least once a week so whatever I have encountered this week, I hope to share with you.

I was in or church confirmation retreat over the weekend. My role there was to be a facilitator and talk to confirmants and have a short time of personal sharing. On my way to the front of the church, I met two girls screaming at a little earthworm that had landed on the concrete pavement. Initially I was quite amused at their reaction, but I decided to educate them a little and so I picked the earthworm up and started explaining to them about the importance of earthworms in our soils. Indeed, they play a crucial role in nutrient recycling, aeration of the soil and all this leads to greater fertility of our soils to enhance the growth of our crops. I felt very happy to be there educating the two girls and helping them overcome their fear of this little creature God has made so that they may better understand its role in the ecosystem and its benefits to us humans. I know this all sounds exaggerated and a little nature-crazy but I always feel a little joy when I can inspire people to take a closer look at their surroundings and learn more about the wonderful facts of nature. I recently explained the pistil and stamen structures to Cheryl-Anne and ever since then she has been looking for these structures in almost every flower she encounters. I hope she does not look for them in roses she receives cause their sexual parts have all been mutated to become petals!

So there, sometimes it take a little knowledge and scientific truth to enlighten peoples' minds on the things they often take for granted or they fear.

10 Things to do to conserve and restore creation!

(adapted from website)

1. WORSHIP and give thanks to our Creator and Redeemer in Holy Mass! This is the single most important action that you can take to help restore Creation! Our experience of worship makes us more aware of God in all Creation. Out of worship comes a Christian response to rule Creation rightly -- humbly, justly, enthusiastically, and with holiness and wisdom. Christian worship is a response of thanksgiving. The liturgy leads us to offer thanks and praise to God for the gifts of Creation and Redemption. Participating regularly in this liturgy will gradually teach us to live constantly in a sense of profound gratitude. With this viewpoint, we are more likely to care for Creation as God's gift. In addition, worship fosters conversion, the gradual giving of our whole life to God, which is necessary for us to become good stewards of the Earth. Just as Saint Francis praised God for every being and for all of Creation, a parish community can do the same every week in its liturgy and celebrations.

The Importance of the Eucharist

Pope John Paul II has said, "When I think of the Eucharist, and look at my life as a priest, as a Bishop and as the Successor of Peter, I naturally recall the many times and places in which I was able to celebrate it... I have been able to celebrate Holy Mass in chapels built along mountain paths, on lakeshores and seacoasts; I have celebrated it on altars built in stadiums and in city squares... This varied scenario of celebrations of the Eucharist has given me a powerful experience of its universal and, so to speak, cosmic character. Yes, cosmic! Because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world. It unites heaven and earth. It embraces and permeates all creation. The Son of God became man in order to restore all creation, in one supreme act of praise, to the One who made it from nothing. He, the Eternal High Priest who by the blood of his Cross entered the eternal sanctuary, thus gives back to the Creator and Father all creation redeemed. He does so through the priestly ministry of the Church, to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. Truly this is the mysterium fidei which is accomplished in the Eucharist: the world which came forth from the hands of God the Creator now returns to him redeemed by Christ" (Encyclical Letter "Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 2003).

For Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology, the Eucharist became the deepest source of support for his desire for cosmic peace and reconciliation. Just two years before he died, St. Francis said: "I beseech all of you, by whatever charity I can, that you show reverence and all honor to the most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, because (in Him) all things, whether on earth or in heaven have been pacified and reconciled with Almighty God".

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "the Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic sacrifice the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through the death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ the Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity" (no. 1359).

2. CONTEMPLATE the wonders of God's creation in the woods, by the sea, in a park, on a mountain, on a farm, or in a garden. Many people can sense the presence of the Lord in the midst of nature. "Faced with the glory of the Trinity in creation, we must contemplate, sing, and rediscover awe," said Pope John Paul II.

To be aware of God in nature should also lead us to praise the Lord in worship at Mass. And our experience in Mass should make us more aware of God in nature. The relationship between experiencing God in nature and in worship is truly of mutual benefit!

3. CELEBRATE with special creation-oriented liturgies or prayer services (St. Francis Day, Rogation Days, Earth Day, etc.) According to the U.S. Bishops, "We urge celebrants and liturgy committees to incorporate themes into prayer and worship that emphasize our responsibility to protect all of God's creation and to organize prayerful celebrations of creation on feast days honoring St. Francis and St. Isidore."

4. CAREFULLY USE the resources of the Earth by conducting environmental or energy audits of your grounds, recycling, composting, organic gardening, etc.
STUDY to know more of creation and its needs. Join at least one scientific or conservation organization and take the time to read their magazine and other publications. Attend public meetings in which information about creation, specifically the neighborhood creation, is presented and discussed. Pick up and use a nature field guide, such as a field guide to birds or wildflowers.

5. EDUCATE your congregation or parish school by sponsoring or participating in Catholic theology/spirituality and environment classes/workshops, environmental study groups, lecture series, special curriculum, video or library resources, etc.

6. ENGAGE in youth activities like special liturgies, prayer services, wilderness experiences, ecological restoration, litter or environmental cleanups, etc.

7. PROMOTE or sponsor public policy activities such as letter writing campaigns, interfaith events, meetings with government representatives, community events, etc.

8. DIRECT advocacy towards health issues, biodiversity conservation, toxic waste clean-up, misuse of pesticides, land and water conservation, lead poisoning, sustainable development, authentic development, alternative energy sources, ecological restoration, etc.

9. EXAMINE your environmental responsibility in terms of issues particular to your community whether you are urban, rural or suburban.

10. CULTIVATE outdoor activities, such as hiking, walking, camping, biking, boating, gardening, canoeing, kayaking, photography, hunting, fishing, swimming, mountain climbing, birding, and botanizing. Take yourself and your family out of your house, automobile, shopping mall, and theme park and into the living world.

Keeping the faith in conservation

There is a great deal about the environment these days and people are starting to sit up and figure out how all these big issues like global warming, climate change, greenhouse gases, depletion of resources, how all these issues have any link to themselves.

Living in an urbanised setting like Singapore makes it even more difficult to understand the importance of preserving nature as we urbanites have lost all direct dependence on nature itself, less the occasional walk in the park. The students I teach as a teaching assistant in the university often do not comprehend the need to study basic biology and ecology but honestly, I don't blame them. Subjects on biotechnology and biomedical research have taken centre stage for their economical promises and pharmaceutical rewards. The study of ecology has been reduced to the 'last chapter in my biology book which teacher says not important to study'. It's just an all-too-familiar pragmatic approach we take in Singapore. Sad but true.

My interest in Biology came when I was very young and I guess all the David Attenborough documentaries really made me want to study nature and protect the environment. It is difficult to explain to someone what I am doing as people always ask, 'So what are you going to do next time?' , to which I have no answer and which leads to subsequent questioning of what the hell am I doing and whether all this is really worth while. All I can say is that I have a little voice in me that tells me to be counter cultural and do what you can to bring a little environmental awareness into the lives of others. Many many have little empathy to the causes for the environment. People are dying from hunger, wars are breaking out, diseases are taking over and you want to talk about saving a tree? It is true, immediate problems are all around us but conservation of natural habitats have many many long term benefits which can be quantified in terms of cash. Ecosystem services like nutrient recycling, watershed properties, pollination of cash crops actually provide billions of dollars to agricultural systems and benefit local communities in the area. Moreover, preservation of these natural habitats is crucial as there is no guarantee that these forests can ever be the same as before!

Alright fine, nature is important (as if the papers don't remind us about that everyday!)...
But what about this religion and environment thinggy?

Well, firstly, let me quote my environmental law professor who said,"I believe that the earth will only be saved by human ethics." I sincerely agree because in many ways, it is hard to see the immediate economical value of a forest compared to a factory. We conserve because we want to pass this earth to future generations and what a sad heritage it will be if trees were reduced to a quarter of their magnificent size or if charismatic mammals are forever lost from the face of the earth.
Personally, that's where religion plays an important role as there are many parallels between conservation and religion which I will elaborate on in later posts. Religion is a code of ethics where behaviour, attitudes, mindsets and character are developed and directed towards a greater common good for all. In a way, if we could only work together with religions to bring a little environmental awareness into the hearts and minds of others, what a great change that would make in the world!

Just to clarify, I am not hoping to make faith revolve around conservation. As a Catholic, I sincerely do wish that the focus of my faith is to grow closer to God and spread the love of Jesus to the people around me. However, I do hope that people of faith can see a light in the direction of being stewards and custodians of this magnificent creation that we have been created amongst and to not see ourselves as dominians and wanton destructors of the environment for personal gain. In the end, all things are related and the consequences of our destructive actions on the environment will come back to impact us, much like the consequences of our sin which affects the community we live in and in turn harms us by separating us from God and man.



Image from http://conservation.catholic.org/background.htm

**side note**
wow.. I am not normally an activist.. I guess I have to get used to this side of me! ;p