15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – A, JULY 13
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GOD’S CREATION
We
want my nephew, aged 3, and niece, aged 6, to love nature. For a start, we gave them a pet bird,
but it soon died. We replaced it
with a rabbit that soon, was also dead. Then a pet dog also died. Lastly I gave them a turtle, warning
them this time to take extra care of it. A few weeks ago, I asked the kids
about the new pet. My niece looked
alarmed and said nothing. I turned to my nephew to check on the turtle. And he replied: Which turtle, Father, the dead
one? And so ended the pet training
sessions for these kids.
The
Word of God today reminds us of God’s love for creation. The created world is reflected in the
images used in our readings: in
the first reading, Isaiah speaks of the rain and the snow prefiguring the Word
of God that descends from the heavens; Paul proclaims the redemption of
creation; and the gospel allows us to review Jesus’ parable of the seeds that
fell on various types of soil. The
Bible starts with an account of the creation of the world and ends with a vision
of a renewal of all creation.
Saints, mystics and theologians tell us that God’s love enters our lives
through his creation.
It
is shocking though to see how humanity has misused this gift of creation. Because of our greed, animal species
are beginning to disappear. A
merchant of tiger parts was asked what she thought of kids not finding a tiger
in the wild. She replied that they would still find tigers in the zoo. Without planning and monitoring,
industries near bodies of water have polluted our rivers, lakes and oceans.
Many of our country’s once life-giving waters are now declared
biologically-dead. While we are
voting for some of our tourist spots to enter into the Natural Wonders of the
World, we must not forget to do something to straighten up our misconduct over
nature.
And
we are repeatedly dazed when mountains erode over whole villages, when flash
floods claim hundreds of citizens, when springs and creeks dry up and when
boulders fall down on farmlands from the mountains. The pillage of the
environment takes a toll on our wellbeing, safety and future. If we do not
alter our attitude towards nature, more disasters will happen in our land.
God
has given humanity charge of creation but not as its lord, only as its
custodian. God remains the Lord of everything in the heavens and on the earth.
He entrusted the world to us to utilize but also to safeguard and protect for
the coming generations. Pollution in our minds and hearts manifests in acts of
pollution in the environment.
Today, the Lord calls us into account.
As
Christians we are enjoined by the Lord to help preserve the planet from
destruction. Not only do we need
to use wisely the resources of the earth but from our hearts, we must develop
attitudes that show appreciation and respect for the rest of creation. We share God’s goodness with animals
and plants and with the whole material world. Let us start loving our world through little deeds of
concern and responsible stewardship.
Review
your attitudes about cleanliness, about garbage, about wasteful use of food and
drink, about tenderness towards animals and plants. We are blessed to be given all these for our needs. Like all
gifts, let us treasure them and use them properly for the glory of the Lord. Amen.
