"Ecotheology" is a word which suggests that thinking
about the created world and thinking about God cannot be
separated. Anyone who believes that the universe is no
accident and that it has a creator and a purpose must
theologize about his or her own relationship to that
universe. This was the notion around which this year's
Monastic Forum at St. Meinrad, IN, was built. In true
monastic fashion, the topic was approached from many
different facets. An art display and slide presentation by
Sister Marion Honors, CSJ, celebrated the mystery and unity
of creation while recognizing the danger humanity has
imposed upon it.
In his talks on the Benedictine tradition and ecology,
Hugh Feiss, OSB, shared both the general and the specific.
His monastery at Jerome, ID, exists in a region of the
country where water is in dangerously short supply. That
which does exist is being threatened by the storage of
government weapons and waste in the sparsely populated areas
and by years of mining. Today, he points out, gold is used
almost exclusively for decorative purposes and, because so
much has been removed already, the remainder can be mined
only by the massive use of cyanide which is put into the
earth. There are also few restraints on the waste from large
corporate farms or on the devastation caused by overuse of
land for recreation, especially by off-road vehicles and
snowmobiles. Individuals socialized to assume that they have
a perfect right to do whatever they wish on land which they
own continue to engage in poor ecological practices and to
use water liberally for lawns and golf courses. Bishops of
the northwestern states are currently preparing a statement
on the water crisis and Christian responsibility.
This individual and corporate Christian responsibility
was the topic of Sister Pamela Smith, a Sister of St. Cyril
and Methodius, who is a noted ecotheologian. She began by
examining the interpretation and misinterpretation of Thomas
Aquinas which has been both typical and influential in the
understanding of creation of the past several centuries.
In examining the contemporary understanding and crisis,
she addressed the difficulties in helping people to be safe,
healthy and employed while still protecting the earth and
the future. She recognizes that this is no easy task and
that potential solutions are extremely complex because the
questions themselves are so complex. Some questions which
she raised and about which others may want to reflect
include the following:
1) What about our patterns of food consumption? How
should meat-eating be considered? At this point in history
it is not merely about health issues or sensitivity to other
living things. The pollution and invasion of huge animal
production operations are now major issues. In other
countries, land which once sustained families and enriched
the earth by crop diversity have been increasingly turned
over to cattle production for the massive demand of large
fast-food chains. The money economy which this, and other
corporate farming for export, has generated has removed
people in many countries from the control and production of
their own food supply and made much of the earth's
population dependent on others for their sustenance.
2) Do we need to confront our own middle-class consumer
lifestyles? Monasteries are no longer the self-contained
units they once were and monastics, like everyone else,
depend on others for much of what they consume. Advertising
and heightened expectations of what is "necessary" for life
have influenced consumption choices. She acknowledges that
this is a particularly difficult area as there is no one
simple definition of what is necessary. While one may object
to air conditioning, another may find it absolutely
essential for health reasons. That which is easy for one
person to go without in the way of food may be a severe
asceticism for another. To raise one's own food or do more
recycling may result in sacrifices of time, energy and money
which are not to the benefit of the community's financial or
physical well-being.
3) Is being conservationist enough? This is a time when
there are serious crises which will require active
responses. In the motto "reduce, reuse, recycle," recycling
is the bottom of the hierarchy. If conscious efforts are not
made to change policies, behaviors and long-range plans,
just being careful with what currently exists may be
insufficient. One must find ways to be informed and
proactive.
4) What about voting? Sister Pamela points out that it is
almost impossible to find candidates with a consistent ethic
of supporting life. One who is against abortion may favor
capital punishment; one who battles for adequate health care
may support the poisoning of the earth by corporate
interests; an enthusiastic environmentalist may see no
problem with assisted suicide. While the support of every
individual's right to life is absolutely important, there
will be no life for them if they have no planet upon which
to live. Yet it continues to be difficult to find out the
whole range of a candidate's ideas as more and more special
interests advocate and disseminate information based only on
isolated issues.
5) What principles are used to negotiate conflict between
people's needs and environmental needs? This is a question
which is often at the heart of political and social
tensions. It is often a matter of species protection pitted
against local jobs, or common sense about a practical need
placed blindly against a broad policy. The example was given
of a road which had been the site of several serious
accidents, but which could not be widened because of a
designated wetland which was not being used by wildlife
anyway because it was between the highway and a railroad.
The current strife between animal rights activists and those
engaged in medical research is another well-known case which
defies easy solution.
6) To what extent do we infuse environmental awareness
into our ministries? To act consciously and personally is
always a challenge. Many feel that they can do very little
as individuals or that they do not want to sound
self-righteous and "preachy" to others. In the monastic
world, as elsewhere, there is often a fear about taking
corporate stands which will alienate supporters such as
alumni, benefactors and neighbors.
7) Do I consciously and deliberately cultivate reverence
for life in my prayer? This is one area which is necessary,
accessible and influential for every believer. This is where
hope and resolution may be found and where the person
becomes transformed to cause the other transformations to
occur.
In commenting on monastic life, Sister Pamela said that
she has great hope for Benedictines as their life has
generally had a countercultural thrust and a spirituality
which can offer hope and new possibilities. The tradition of
cultivation of the land and care of place makes the
monastery an ideal place to model reverence for all of life
and to become a center of ecological awareness. She points
out that the monastic way is ideally an "integrated,
holistic way to live with God, self and others," and that
this is certainly the meaning of ecology, "the study of
home." Her challenge to every community, family and
individual who reads this is to sit down and develop an
intentional ethic, a creed regarding commitment to the earth
and its continued health and survival. A personal and
communal commitment to lifestyle issues which affect local
conditions and global awareness is the first and most
essential step towards insuring that God's creation will
continue and thrive.
