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Embracing Earth: Catholic Approaches to Ecology
Embracing Earth brings together original and seminal contributions by contemporary Catholic spiritual and mystical writers who explore the Christian view of nature and our place in it. Their writings address not only theological, philosophical, and spiritual parameters but specific, concrete issues as well.
280 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1994
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February 13, 2023
VIEWS OF EARTH-SPIRITUALITY FROM A CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE
Thomas Berry wrote in the opening section of this 1994 book, “The future of the Catholic church in America, in my view, will depend above all on its capacity to assume a religious responsibility for the fate of the earth. For ecclesiastical authorities to be so negligent, indifferent, or unaware of the imperiled status of the planet … can be considered as a monumental failure… future generations are presently condemned … to live amid the ruins of the infrastructures of industrial society but also amid the ruins of the natural world itself. This can be said apart from any consideration of nuclear war. So far, church authorities … and people have shown an amazing insensitivity to this most urgent of all issue… My question is: After we burn our lifeboat, how will we stay afloat? What will then be the need of religion, Christianity, or the church?” (Pg. xi)
Miriam Therese MacGillis explains in the Foreword, “The collection of stories in this book has also been drawn from a variety of Catholics who are also responding to the planetary crises. They give varied personal witness to the deep awakenings happening within themselves and in the lives of many Catholics.” (Pg. xv)
John E. Carroll says, “the environmental question, the ecological question, is not fundamentally a question of science and technology… even though all of these disciplines play a role… The environmental question, the ecological question, the energy question, the natural resource question, the agriculture question, is fundamentally a question of ethics and values. The question is a philosophical question, even a theological question, a religious question, a question of values, both secular and spiritual, and the question can only be tackled on this level.” (Pg. xx)
Albert J. LaChance outlines, “[This book] is an attempt to put between two covers the insights and wisdom of persons who are part of a New Catholic Mysticism that believes Jesus is that Word, God’s very ‘sophia-hokma-wisdom’ incarnate, the carrier of the great cosmic code that is ultimately saving mystery, good news for earth and all who dwell on her.” (Pg. xxiii-xxiv)
John E. Carroll argues, “On what grounds can we put forth the premise that ‘neighbor’ should be limited to other members of our species? How can we be sure… that other animals, plants, indeed the inorganic universe of water, air, and rocks are not our neighbor? We are totally dependent on all these things… So, how can they not be our neighbor? Can we be so sure of our narrow interpretation of this term?” (Pg. 31)
David S. Toolan observes, “Very few advocates of birth control programs… have much trouble with what the Catholic church promotes as an ideal of sexual morality… The stumbling block lies in a few sentences in Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae. Married couples can exercise ‘responsible parenthood’… by taking advantage of the natural rhythms of fertility and infertility, but they may not use ‘artificial means’ to hinder the procreative function… the church objects when rich nations… dictate to poor nations… in the culturally sensitive area of sex and family planning… the church would prefer the UN to be neutral in this quarter…” (Pg. 41-42)
Beatrice Bruteau suggests, “I want to introduce another icon for the sacred world… This is the icon of the Theotokos. The Father/Son icon emphasized the generative character of the Invisible … The icon of the Theotokos takes up the birth-giving character of the world and regards the offspring as divine… the Cosmos becomes the Theotokos.” (Pg. 56-57)
Albert J. Fritsch proposes, “The technology needed for earth healing must manifest a human and earthly face… Green economics calls for locating nearby sources for bulky necessities such as food, water fuel, and building materials in preference to distant ones. The ecological savings are immense.” (Pg. 107)
Richard Rohr (a Franciscan) states, “Creation spirituality reveals our human arrogance, and maybe that’s why we’re afraid of it. Maybe that’s why we are afraid to believe that God has spoken to us primarily in what is… Francis … lived in the middle of nature. And if we want nature to come to live for us, we have to live in the middle of it for a while. When we get away from the voices of human beings, then we really start hearing the voices of animals and trees. They start talking to us… And we start talking back.” (Pg. 132)
William J. Wood observes, “Humankind, having come forth from the womb of the earth just a short while ago in cosmic time, has come to a crucial turning point. Either we will change our was radically, or will continue to transform the planet into the hell that it has already become for hundreds of millions of people and the millions of other species who are unable to eke out an existence on this planet, who have no place to call home… Jesus of Nazareth emerged from the wilderness to announce the good news that, if we undergo a radical change in our attitude, we will be able to make out way through the narrow gate and over the hard road that leads to the home the Creator has been building for the whole creation since the beginning of time… many ways of following Christ have arisen and passed the test of time. Among them, in the Catholic heritage, are the traditions associated with names such as Benedict… Teresa of Avila…. Hildegard of Bingen, Francis, Clare… The ancient spiritual ways have perdured … not because they embody a classical moment of arrival at absolute truth, but… they were born of the experience of the living Spirit that constantly makes things new.” (Pg. 174-175)
Tessa Bielecki explains, “Gaia is the name … for the Earth Mother goddess. The word has come into our language recently through the Gaia hypothesis of British scientist James Lovelock… This idea is startling to modern science… But it is … automatically assumed---by most primitive peoples. It is also assumed by most Christian mystics… As Christians, we refer to the earth as the Body of Christ, rather than the body of an earth mother goddess…” (Pg. 192)
Paula Gonzàlez observes, “A spirit of genuine love and concern for our planetary home is being inspired by insights from both science and spiritualty. We are invited to reenvision the role of the human family in the story of the universe, in order that we may ensure continuation of humanity as part of creation’s long story Yet… If we read the signs of the times correctly, we find that we are the first generation in history that cannot assume that human life will continue… unless the industrial assault on earth is educed drastically in the very near future, this planet may not be able to support huma life by the late twenty-first century.” (Pg. 214-215)
In the concluding chapter, Wayne Teasdale says, “Nature-mysticism is a very precious form of spirituality that can be profoundly beneficial in transforming attitudes toward the earth and patterns of behavior destructive to the natural world. Eco-spirituality is actually a more contemporary type of nature-mysticism. Nature-mysticism itself is essentially panentheistic and depends on the metaphysical insight expressed… in the biblical text, ‘In Him we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28). All reality, life and being, the entire cosmos subsists in God. Nature-mysticism is first the awareness of the divine Presence encompassing us. It presupposes a sacramental understanding of the earth… It is also an experience of unity with nature.” (Pg. 268-269)
This book will be of great interest to Christians (not necessarily just Catholics) interested in ecological issues.
Thomas Berry wrote in the opening section of this 1994 book, “The future of the Catholic church in America, in my view, will depend above all on its capacity to assume a religious responsibility for the fate of the earth. For ecclesiastical authorities to be so negligent, indifferent, or unaware of the imperiled status of the planet … can be considered as a monumental failure… future generations are presently condemned … to live amid the ruins of the infrastructures of industrial society but also amid the ruins of the natural world itself. This can be said apart from any consideration of nuclear war. So far, church authorities … and people have shown an amazing insensitivity to this most urgent of all issue… My question is: After we burn our lifeboat, how will we stay afloat? What will then be the need of religion, Christianity, or the church?” (Pg. xi)
Miriam Therese MacGillis explains in the Foreword, “The collection of stories in this book has also been drawn from a variety of Catholics who are also responding to the planetary crises. They give varied personal witness to the deep awakenings happening within themselves and in the lives of many Catholics.” (Pg. xv)
John E. Carroll says, “the environmental question, the ecological question, is not fundamentally a question of science and technology… even though all of these disciplines play a role… The environmental question, the ecological question, the energy question, the natural resource question, the agriculture question, is fundamentally a question of ethics and values. The question is a philosophical question, even a theological question, a religious question, a question of values, both secular and spiritual, and the question can only be tackled on this level.” (Pg. xx)
Albert J. LaChance outlines, “[This book] is an attempt to put between two covers the insights and wisdom of persons who are part of a New Catholic Mysticism that believes Jesus is that Word, God’s very ‘sophia-hokma-wisdom’ incarnate, the carrier of the great cosmic code that is ultimately saving mystery, good news for earth and all who dwell on her.” (Pg. xxiii-xxiv)
John E. Carroll argues, “On what grounds can we put forth the premise that ‘neighbor’ should be limited to other members of our species? How can we be sure… that other animals, plants, indeed the inorganic universe of water, air, and rocks are not our neighbor? We are totally dependent on all these things… So, how can they not be our neighbor? Can we be so sure of our narrow interpretation of this term?” (Pg. 31)
David S. Toolan observes, “Very few advocates of birth control programs… have much trouble with what the Catholic church promotes as an ideal of sexual morality… The stumbling block lies in a few sentences in Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae. Married couples can exercise ‘responsible parenthood’… by taking advantage of the natural rhythms of fertility and infertility, but they may not use ‘artificial means’ to hinder the procreative function… the church objects when rich nations… dictate to poor nations… in the culturally sensitive area of sex and family planning… the church would prefer the UN to be neutral in this quarter…” (Pg. 41-42)
Beatrice Bruteau suggests, “I want to introduce another icon for the sacred world… This is the icon of the Theotokos. The Father/Son icon emphasized the generative character of the Invisible … The icon of the Theotokos takes up the birth-giving character of the world and regards the offspring as divine… the Cosmos becomes the Theotokos.” (Pg. 56-57)
Albert J. Fritsch proposes, “The technology needed for earth healing must manifest a human and earthly face… Green economics calls for locating nearby sources for bulky necessities such as food, water fuel, and building materials in preference to distant ones. The ecological savings are immense.” (Pg. 107)
Richard Rohr (a Franciscan) states, “Creation spirituality reveals our human arrogance, and maybe that’s why we’re afraid of it. Maybe that’s why we are afraid to believe that God has spoken to us primarily in what is… Francis … lived in the middle of nature. And if we want nature to come to live for us, we have to live in the middle of it for a while. When we get away from the voices of human beings, then we really start hearing the voices of animals and trees. They start talking to us… And we start talking back.” (Pg. 132)
William J. Wood observes, “Humankind, having come forth from the womb of the earth just a short while ago in cosmic time, has come to a crucial turning point. Either we will change our was radically, or will continue to transform the planet into the hell that it has already become for hundreds of millions of people and the millions of other species who are unable to eke out an existence on this planet, who have no place to call home… Jesus of Nazareth emerged from the wilderness to announce the good news that, if we undergo a radical change in our attitude, we will be able to make out way through the narrow gate and over the hard road that leads to the home the Creator has been building for the whole creation since the beginning of time… many ways of following Christ have arisen and passed the test of time. Among them, in the Catholic heritage, are the traditions associated with names such as Benedict… Teresa of Avila…. Hildegard of Bingen, Francis, Clare… The ancient spiritual ways have perdured … not because they embody a classical moment of arrival at absolute truth, but… they were born of the experience of the living Spirit that constantly makes things new.” (Pg. 174-175)
Tessa Bielecki explains, “Gaia is the name … for the Earth Mother goddess. The word has come into our language recently through the Gaia hypothesis of British scientist James Lovelock… This idea is startling to modern science… But it is … automatically assumed---by most primitive peoples. It is also assumed by most Christian mystics… As Christians, we refer to the earth as the Body of Christ, rather than the body of an earth mother goddess…” (Pg. 192)
Paula Gonzàlez observes, “A spirit of genuine love and concern for our planetary home is being inspired by insights from both science and spiritualty. We are invited to reenvision the role of the human family in the story of the universe, in order that we may ensure continuation of humanity as part of creation’s long story Yet… If we read the signs of the times correctly, we find that we are the first generation in history that cannot assume that human life will continue… unless the industrial assault on earth is educed drastically in the very near future, this planet may not be able to support huma life by the late twenty-first century.” (Pg. 214-215)
In the concluding chapter, Wayne Teasdale says, “Nature-mysticism is a very precious form of spirituality that can be profoundly beneficial in transforming attitudes toward the earth and patterns of behavior destructive to the natural world. Eco-spirituality is actually a more contemporary type of nature-mysticism. Nature-mysticism itself is essentially panentheistic and depends on the metaphysical insight expressed… in the biblical text, ‘In Him we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28). All reality, life and being, the entire cosmos subsists in God. Nature-mysticism is first the awareness of the divine Presence encompassing us. It presupposes a sacramental understanding of the earth… It is also an experience of unity with nature.” (Pg. 268-269)
This book will be of great interest to Christians (not necessarily just Catholics) interested in ecological issues.
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