Weaving Together the Beloved Community - God’s Intent and Our Role

Jane Goodall

“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” - Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall reminds us that “the greatest danger to our future is apathy.” And it can be so overwhelming. Change feels like it happens at an evermore rapid pace. Not only is it happening through technology and innovation but also now through our changing environment.

I know pandemic still weighs heavily on some individuals and families. Our family experienced strong breaks as a result. Climate catastrophe has become regular and commonplace for some places in our world. Relatives of former parishioners in the Philippines wonder if the next natural disaster, and they are bracing for hurricane/typhoon season, will bring the end to all of their infrastructure. (One of the reasons the Philippines has one of the most advanced plans to reduce emissions). Put on top of all of that major wars and civil unrest which carry so much death to so many in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti. And it feels like any of those could balloon into something much more.

We are nature. And in the midst of so much ugliness, we can forget that we must find our own alignment. When human beings find themselves out of sync with nature - when we lack sleep, when we feel cramped by the small spaces which winter has held us in, when we're smothered by those walls, when we lack fresh air and a sense of the seasons - why are we surprised that we become depressed, sluggish, irritated, and on edge? Nature is our home. And I hope some spring warmth and sunlight will remind us of who we are as the Beloved Children of God.

Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister tells the story. "One day, I overheard a conversation between two old men, one of them sitting on a stool at the edge of the roof, the other still inside the building: 'Come out here and see my garden,' one old man said to the other. 'There's something new in it all the time.' The other old man, obviously new to the place and the view said, 'Well, ain't this really somethin’. We're really lucky to live in a pretty place like this.' "

Apathy ends when we begin finding ways to cultivate both places for our own souls which then radiates out to wanting goodness and life for the world entire. God loves this good earth. How do we show our obligation to make life beautiful so that we remember God’s intent?

✝