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Wichita wheat harvest and environmental theology
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It's storm season! Those who haven't been affected by the recent thunderstorms have probably seen the reports on TV. A few days ago, Hutchinson was hit hard by severe weather, tearing the roofs off buildings and damaging the local animal shelter. Right now, it's easy to get caught up in the special alerts, especially when you can hardly watch a program without it being interrupted for emergency weather information. Even long time residents get a little scared when there are heavy, dark clouds on the horizon.
But June is not just a time for thunderstorms and tornadoes. It's also time for the wheat harvest, which provides a good opportunity to reflect on our relationship with God's creation. Environmental theology is a fairly recent development in the course of Catholic thought, which is traditionally centered on the human person rather than on nature. The Church, however, has recognized the need to pay more attention to the environment. A year or so ago, the Church announced an "updated" rendition of the seven deadly sins, which includes genetic modification, human experimentation, social injustice, causing poverty, financial gluttony, taking drugs, and polluting the environment.
Christians traditionally refer to God as the Creator, which in the past has indicated (for some) a gap between the creator and creation, where one is given precedence over the other. Catholic theologians have presented an alternative to that kind of thinking with a theory that they call "creation spirituality." Creation spirituality addresses the world as a whole: everything is connected, God, humans, creation and the entire cosmos. The most important part of creation spirituality is that it calls humans to be responsible (or "co-creators," as theologian David Keen describes) for creation, and this, in turn, allows us to enter into a closer and more complex relationship with God. When we take care of the environment, it allows us to better realize what it means to be made in God's image.
While we weather through the thunderstorms and pray for a good, successful harvest, we should keep in mind our connection with God and creation. Each person has a unique relationship with God's creation, just as each person has a unique relationship with God. Reflecting on the beauty of June is a great way to explore both!
