Earth is facing an environmental crisis. This crisis threatens the very life of the planet. The atmosphere we breathe is being polluted. The forests that generate the oxygen we need to survive are being depleted at a rapid rate. The fertile soils we need to provide food are being poisoned by pesticides. The waters that house organisms essential to the cycle of life are filling up with chemicals and waste. Global warming has become a frightening threat. The list goes on and on.
The crisis facing the earth is more than an environmental issue; more than scientific understandings and biological interdependences, more than facts and figures about sustainable levels of acid rain and tolerable levels of toxicity. Essentially, the earth crisis is about responsible relationships. Human communities that are intended to live in harmony with creation are exploiting the earth and destroying other species within the earth community. Human communities that are intended to be agents who care for creation have become greedy, ruled by economic rationalist thinking and "acceptable levels" of abuse.
Earth is a sanctuary, a planet chosen by God as the locus of life in all its majesty and mystery. Even more importantly, God has chosen to fill this planet with God's presence and glory. Earth is a sanctuary and we, as Christians, are summoned to revere it and to work with Christ to restore its full fruitfulness and flourishing.
If we are serious about our commitment to the task of healing the earth, we need to do more than occasionally urging each other to "reduce, recycle and reuse" (as important as those principles are). During the five weeks leading up to October 5, which is traditionally known as the festival of Francis of Assisisi, we will introduce the Season of Creation.