By Sister Carolyn McWatters, RSM
Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for creation was subject to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved.
Romans 8: 19-24
The theme chosen for this year’s observance of the Season of Creation is “To Hope and Act With Creation,” based on this scripture passage.
Let’s reflect a bit on the meaning of the word “hope.”
Perhaps we could each call to mind the small daily things for which we hope: I hope there is little traffic on the way home tonight. I hope I can still fit into the dress I bought last year. I hope that we’ll have some snow this winter. I hope that my team will make it to the Super Bowl. I hope we’ll have ice cream for dessert!
We can each come up with our similar lists of hopes, the outcomes of which are likely out of our control and ultimately inconsequential. These hopes come and go, and we clearly don’t stake our lives on them!
The hope referred to in our theme, however, is much different. This is a hope more aligned with the hope spoken of in the Scripture passage we just heard. It is based on concrete evidence that we are all bound together and headed toward glory. These are BIG hopes. We hope that our world can find its way to peace; that children will not go to bed hungry; that the bounty of harvests will be equitable distributed; that all people will have access to affordable housing and jobs that can sustain their families. We hope that our planet will be healthy and sustainable for generations to come; that our individual lives mean something and that who we are matters. These are the kinds of hopes which fix our gaze on something much deeper and more future-oriented, on things not easily attained. These are the hopes that stir our souls, hopes that deeply matter, hopes that perhaps we would stake our lives on.
Christian hope is what the Church names as one of the three theological virtues. Theological means they are connected to God and tell us something about God. Religious hope is based on what we have been promised by God: that we are infinitely loved; we and all peoples and all creation belong to God and reflect God; we are destined to know abundant life both now and in the world to come.
Hope is enabled and sustained by love. I find it difficult to imagine living in hope without the sense of being held in a benevolent universe and in the hands of a loving God. If I know I am personally loved, I experience a peace and sense of security in my soul that grounds and expands me. It is what enables me to believe in myself, to take risks and attempt new and different things. Christian hope is grounded in the evidence we have of God’s boundless love, concretized most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ. Knowing this love, we become convinced that it is a gift always ours, and intended for everyone and every creature. We are called to share it and make it a source of life and hope for others. Hope provides energy for positivity and action.
Hope is in part the will to live and to thrive. Nature offers clear examples of this tenacious quest for life. Certain insects and water creatures will regrow severed body parts. Cleared and burned forests will show steady regrowth. Species whose habitats are altered or destroyed will often adapt in marvelous ways. And who of us has not observed in concrete sidewalk cracks weeds and flowers reaching upward toward the sunlight?
At the same time, we see far too many examples all over the globe of the groaning of creation, a groaning caused in large part by our selfish and unsustainable actions. Species have gone and are going extinct; land is being clearcut, destroying trees which are the lungs of Earth; the extractive industries pollute waterways and put chemicals into the air, harming the health of those who are most vulnerable; plastics are spoiling our oceans and harming their creatures; temperatures are at record highs and catastrophic climate events a regular occurrence; and the list goes on. Pope Francis has pleaded with us to listen, really listen to the cries of the earth and the cries of those who are disproportionately affected, the very poor, and to feel and enter into their suffering. For another great, often unacknowledged truth is that every bit of creation is connected in one grand web of life, and what we do or fail to do affects all others, for good or ill.
Hope enables us to be steadfast in the midst of adversity, and because we humans are the cause of most of this ecological suffering, it demands that we change. Christian hope fuels transformative action. The first fruits of hope are born when we join forces with others to begin to make visible the changes that we seek. Our optimism is founded on a living hope that recognizes that everything is ordered to the glory of God, that creation is engaged in one great ongoing act of giving birth, on the path toward ultimate fulfillment and liberation.
“To hope and act with creation” — this is a clarion call for us humans to partner with creation, by listening to it and learning its wisdom, so as to create a world in which all life forms are reverenced and valued and helped to achieve their purpose and potential. It is this that we must stake our lives on, or else risk irreversible devastation.
If I love this created world, and recognize myself as part of it, not over or distinct from it, then I know the affinity and strength of interconnection, and I recognize that we live or die together, as ONE. We must be about healing and restoration. We need to see the efforts of others who also have hope in order to fan the embers of our own. In this way hope is contagious, can light fires of action, and can change the world.
And so I ask you: Do we want to show our love and reverence for planet Earth, our Mother?
Do we want our lives to make a difference for the good of our planet, our children and generations to come? Do we want to be filled with passion for all that is good and life-giving?
Then let us live as people of hope. Let us encourage one another in our hope, and let our hope be contagious. Let us commit to actions, large or small, that will help bring this new creation into being. Let the church say: Amen!