Download OCTOBER Revelation - St. Matthias Parish

GIFT: Revelation
October 14 & 17th, 2012
Introduction
This session on Catholic Social Teaching
explores Care for God’s Creation. As the
Catholic Bishops of the United States
explain: “The world that God created has
been entrusted to us. Our use of it must be
directed by God’s plan for creation, not
simply for our own benefit…
…Our stewardship of the Earth is a form of
participation in God’s act of creating and
sustaining the world. In our use of
creation, we must be guided by a concern
for generations to come. We show our
respect for the Creator by our care for
creation.” (Faithful Citizenship, USCCB,
15)
Format for this Gathering…
• Introduction
• Opening Prayer
• Break Out Groups
– K-8th with Catechists
– H.S. and Adults with Fr. Craig
• Return for Summary and Closing Prayer
• Dismissal – Home kits
Opening Prayer
• The Story of Creation: Genesis 1:1-31
• Reader #1 In the Beginning…
– People bring lighted candles to prayer space
• Reader #2 And God said…
– People bring pitchers of water
• Reader #3 And God said…
– People bring plants, fruits, vegetables
• Reader #4 And God said…
– People bring pictures of the sun and moon
• Reader #5 And God said…
– People bring stuffed animals
• Reader #6 Then God said…
– People come to the prayer table
• Reader #7 God blessed them…
– All return to their seats
And we pray…
We join with God’s creation and with each
other. To bring new life to the land
To restore the waters
To refresh the air
We join with God’s creation and with each
other. To renew the forests
To care for the plants
To protect the creatures
We join with God’s creation and with each
other. To celebrate the seas
To rejoice in the sunlight
To sing the song of the stars
We join with God’s creation and with each
other. To recreated the human community
To promote justice and peace
To remember our children
We celebrate God’s creation. Amen.
Break out Groups
Group
Sunday Catechist
Kindergarteners
1st Graders
Wednesday Catechist
Ms. Sharon
Ms. Gigi and Nicole
2nd Graders
Ms. Gigi
Ms. Jenny & Ms. Susan
3rd Graders
Ms. Amy
Ms. Debbie B.
4th Graders
Ms. Laura
Mr. Michael
5-8th Graders
Ms. Sabrina, Ms. Sandy, Ms. Debbie G., Mrs. Rose
H.S. /Adults
Fr. Craig
ADULT/HIGH SCHOOL
SESSION W/FR. CRAIG
Catholic Ethical TeachingsEnvironmental Ethics
Ethics
• Ethics are the explicit reflection on moral
beliefs and practices.
• Its purpose is to clarify what is right and
what is wrong and what human beings
should freely do or refrain from doing
Christian Ethical Systems
• Informing the individuals conscience on what is right and what
is wrong in relation to the environment is varied in Christianity,
because of the differing approaches to ethics amongst the
variants.
• The Protestant variants focus their ethical decision making on
the literal interpretation of the Bible, whereas the Catholic and
Orthodox variants base their ethical decisions on what the
authorities in the church decide and on Natural Law.
• Christian Natural Law is a belief that God implants in creation
a moral law that can be detected by human intelligence apart
from God’s direct revelation (the Bible). That is, there are
further sources for guidance other than the Bible (i.e. logic and
reason)
Environmental Ethics
• Environmental ethics is the part of
environmental philosophy which
considers the ethical relationship
between human beings and the natural
environment.
• Interestingly, both Science and Religion
have only recently begun to explicitly
address moral issues related to the
environment.
• The Contemporary Environmental
Movement is often attributed to a biologist
named Rachel Carson, who wrote a book
in 1962 called “Silent Springs”. This book
changed the world view of many as
Carson questioned the world view of
scientific progress and the often negative
effect humans have on the natural world.
• The important point here, is that explicit
environmental ethics is a recent
Christian Environmental Ethics
Two World Views
Anthropocentric
Biocentric
Anthropocentric
Human Centered
Jesus-1500 a.d.
•Christians placed human concerns at the centre of ethical
considerations and the earth was for humans to do with
what they like.
•The source of this viewpoint was that Christians believed
that the earth and everything on it was given by God to
man to rule over and subdue because Genesis 1:28
states:
And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion
over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over
every living thing that moves upon the earth'" (Genesis 1:28).
• Throughout its history, many Christians literally
interpreted this to mean that “man” could do what “he”
liked to the environment as God gave DOMINION to
“him”.
• Another aspect was that Christianity was also heavily
influenced by Greek philosophy which saw the world
ordered hierarchically with nature being very low on the
hierarchy.
• Science was to adopt a very similar position as early
science was heavily influenced by Christianity.
Biocentric-Environment focus
• The Biocentric view places the
environment at the centre of concern.
• Extreme versions of a Biocentric world
view,, place the environment on equal or
higher importance than human needs.
Very few Christians adopt this stance.
• e.g. Shark Fin Soup
• Current views on environmental ethics
within Christianity are still based on these
two view points.
Anthropocentric
Human centred based on
Dominion principal.
Influenced by literal Interpretation of
Bible to guide ethical decision making
Biocentric
Environment centred based
Combination on all life on Earth was
where human created equally by God.
needs are
important, but
need to look
after God’s
creation
“Stewardship
Principle
Creation Theology/Ethics
(Green Theology)
• As a result of Christians re-evaluating their position on the
environment there has been a push towards a Creation Centred
Theology
• Creation Theology is concerned with the cherishing of all life and all
people, as gifts from God. Creation Theology (or Green Theology)
is influencing the Christian position on the environment as it
encourages Christians to focus on God’s creative power and for
them to appreciate that this is important. By valuing God’s creative
power we as humans would not purposely destroy the environment.
• There are many examples of Creation Theology playing a key role in
our Catholic Church
• If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation (Pope Benedict
XVI, 2010)
• Renewing the Earth – USCCB (1991)
• This Land Is Home to Me (Catholic Bishops of Appalachia, 1975)
Sources for Ethical teachings on the
Environment in Christianity
• Creation theologists have pointed out that
even though a literal interpretation of the
Bible has been used to have an
anthropocentric view of the environment,
they have shown that the Bible also does
reveal to its followers that care for the
environment was mandated by God.
Hebrew Scriptures
• Genesis 2:15 Stewardship
• Deuteronomy 20:19 Care for Earth
• Leviticus 25: 5-6 Responsible Agricultural
Practice
• Leviticus 22: 28 Sustainability
• Deuteronomy 22:6
Biodiversity/Sustainability
Christian Scriptures
• Even though Jesus did not explicitly address
environmental ethics, Creation Theologists say it
was through his actions and parables that Jesus
showed his followers that he had concern for the
environment. This was shown in two different
ways:
• Natural surroundings.
• A close look at Jesus’ public life, he
preached mainly in natural surroundings.
Some key moments in Jesus’ ministry are
in nature
• Parables and nature
• Jesus used nature on many occasions
as a theme in his parables
demonstrating to Christians God’s
creation is important.
Historical Examples
• While Christian history as a whole has not
been conducive to the importance of
environmental ethics there have been
significant individuals who have made
important contributions to environmental
awareness.
Francis of Assisi
(Patron Saint of the Environment)
•
Francis of Assisi was born in the 12th century into a
wealthy family of Italian nobility. He rejected wealth
and power to live in harmony with nature. Francis
celebrated nature as vision of God and is famous for
his prayers and meditations on the beauty of creation
as well as his practical concern for all of God's
creation.
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to
console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
Hildegard of Bingen
• Hildegard of Bingen was a leader of a
monastic community in the 12th century. She
was a famous student of nature who
investigated and made use of the healing
qualities of nature and taught of the need to
respect nature and learn from it. Her
writings, music and art all reflect a profound
sense of oneness with creation and an
immense respect for the work of the creator.
The End
Summary
• Think of everything that we have done in this session to learn about
the environment, the message of the Scriptures and the Church on
caring for God’s creation, and the ways we can live in harmony with
God’s creation.
• What is the most important “lesson”
you have learned today?
• What do you think caring for God’s
creation and living an environmentallyfriendly lifestyle are so important for us
as Catholics?
Closing Prayer
Gather
Response:
All creation reveals God’s
glory and greatness.
Listen
Genesis 9:8-17
Reflection
From Bread for the Journey, by Henri Nouwen,
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997
Dismissal
• Please make sure you pick up a copy of
the People of Faith Generations
magazine to take home and continue
learning!
• Check out our newly designed parish
website: www.stmatthiasparish.org