Laudato Si 80--83: Our journey to the fullness of Christ.

In a world where power is measured by wealth and beauty...
Thank God we have Francis to remind us that the fullness
of God's beauty  is found in the broken and humble of our world.

Today I continue the reflection that was initiated by Lauren on section 3 of chapter 2, a section entitled 'The mystery of the Universe.' As  we read from her entry, part of this mystery is that we're drawn by our faith to question how we relate to all of creation. It can be a difficult question to address, one that could paint a rather grim picture of the ways in which we've related to creation so far in human history: While many people understand that we are stewards of God's creation and respond to that invitation with deep authentic care, many others have limited their interpretation of that responsibility by seeing it as an an opportunity to express our power and domination over the created world. This has given rise to (as we saw in Lauren's entry) what Pope Francis calls 'the modern myth of unlimited material progress'(78).This myth has been the source of a brokenness in the way we do relate to creation.

It's been perpetuated even more by people who believe that God does not interfere with our own autonomy for one specific reason: She/He gives us the freedom to chose the path we want to chose. This allows people to act without really having to deal that nuisance of a conscience which asks us to consider how our actions reflect (or don't reflect) our faith, or our relationship with the divine or with other aspects of creation. This type of behavior reflects another modern vision (or myth) that Pope Francis mentions has been rather dominant in our world: "Might is Right" or another variation of it 'the Winner takes all'. This is a 'philosophy' that has been a burden upon our whole world by engendering 'immense inequality, injustice and acts of violence against the majority of humanity, since resources end up in the hands of the first comer or the most powerful.'(82)

 When faced with this reality, it's easy for even the greatest of  activists with the biggest heart to lose hope as we confront the mess created by these false myths so many in our world still cling to.Ever the champion of hope, Francis reminds us that ' The Spirit of God has filled the universe with possibilities and therefore, from the very heart of things, something new (and something good) can always emerge'. (80) From the heart of things, means everything, even the more discouraging situations, even the most stubborn of people.

Scripture certainly becomes a source of that hope for us as well, when we remember that " in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ( Col 1:16-17). Hundreds of other passages could be quoted to remind us of the importance of connecting with the Spirit of God at work all around us. The point of this is to remember that with all the richness and beauty we see in this world, with all the gifts and talents we see in others, we CAN NOT ever treat anyone, or any aspect of creation as 'object',(82) but only as something/someone that is co-created in the same spirit of love and dignity as we are. That,in the end, we all share the same journey and destiny: To find within us and all around us, the fullness of Christ (83)  and to relate to it accordingly. In other words, to remember that we are all journeying to finding the fullness of God together. Separately, according to our own talents and abilities (1 Cor 12) but always remembering how united we are in this journey. Our sense of unity will play an integral part in our efforts to restore right relations with creation, as we collectively start moving away from the rampant individualism of our age, and towards a more holistic, more spirit centered experience of all creation as gifts that are meant to be cherished and celebrated every day.

Have a blessed weekend, and may your path to discovering
the fullness of God in your life be fruitful!

Brother Dan