Revelations of Creation

Ecological crisis is at rise. The demands to conserve the same pour in with the contentions that the ecology should be preserved for the survival of human life. The conservation of the ecosystem and wildlife stemming from the exclusive bias of sustaining humans is itself anthropocentric. Ecological diversity needs to be conserved not because human life is at stake but because the rights of the Nature need to be affirmed. Humans have mastered the art of distorting the creation and fashioned a pious façade of sacerdotal anthropology (the Orthodox anthropology) under the pretence of consecrating the already consecrated creation. For instance, Orthodox Ecological Worldview cannot call humans “Priests of Creation” without the overtures of anthropocentrism. St. Catherine of Sienna who lived in the 14^th century identifies the inherent holiness of all the elements of creation. She remarks;

All has been consecrated.

The creatures in the forest know this,

The earth does, the seas do, the clouds know

as does the heart full of love.

Strange a priest would rob us of this knowledge

and then empower himself with the ability

to make holy

what already was.[1]

The love of Jesus with ecology is really seducing. He does not consider creation as a palliative entity worthy only of survival at the mercy of humans but he gives credence to the educational prospects the wider creation has to offer. Entwining the elements of creation with his parables Jesus poses a challenge before us to reconsider our prevalent mode of pedagogical initiatives. The education system of our contemporary times is really pathetic.

Our education system is outdated. Look at our schools. Don’t they look like barracks or factories? Yes they are. They are the legacy of our industrial revolution. When the industrial revolution wanted to mass produce workers who have minimal understanding of the world around them, our modern school system began. We are still stuck in the early 19th century. Our schools, classrooms, syllabuses, examination system haven’t changed much from that of the 19th century system.[2]

An eco-centric altruistic consciousness would never spring from an all human educational system. Creation should not be relegated to a means of education rather its very existence should be acknowledge as educative per se. Children should be enlightened about this fact and they should be urged to discover the concealed teachers present in the wider creation. The structured and docile classroom set-up of our education system has nullified the natural human capability of learning through senses like touch, smell, hear, see and taste. How could we expect adults to think out of the box when we do not permit our children to step out of it?

Children were born to be outdoors - as most teachers will attest to, sitting at a desk in a classroom for six or more hours per day is a real challenge for many children. It goes against the grain of our evolutionary history - essentially children are born to be wild, and this is something we must keep firmly in mind when educating our bright young minds of the future.[3]

The seminaries are also being ruined by the egotistic ethos of education. Seminaries have been demeaned to places where a lot of hassle is created concerning the aristocracy of Ordination. Traversing the etymological roots of seminary we are fascinated to find out that it is a derivative of the Latin word ‘seminarium’ which means ‘seed-plot’. Each seed sown in the seed-plot is distinct; their passion and discernment as well. Let each seed decide its own eccentric form of ministry; may nothing be imposed. Seminary should be a place where students are facilitated to discover their unique and creative vocation of Christian discipleship rather than a precursor site for priesthood ordination. Students should be taught that service to the Church in any capacity is in no way inferior to ordained ministry.

The Church should also review its ecclesiological praxis. The faith community must often partake in the doxology of creation along with them by refusing the security offered by concrete walls. The breeze of vulnerability cannot be felt inside a suffocating edifice. Church cannot be eco-centric unless the ecclesia feels the pulse of the soil with their naked feet, the smell of the earth, the moisture of the grass and the warmth of the sun. The glory of the Creator God pervades everything.

Meggen Watt Petersen in her article "Quest for the Sacred: Walk in the Church of the Woods" describes a church in New Hampshire that has no pews, no formal altar, no edifice at all. Led by Episcopalian priest, Stephen Blackmer, the community meets each week in the woods of New Hampshire, rain, snow, or shine. The “homily” part of the service is, in fact, twenty minutes of “sacred aloneness” walking in the wilderness followed by brief descriptions by individuals of what they discovered internally or externally. Through the silent walk and community sharing, Reverend Blackmer believes, “it’s the Earth speaking and people are listening to each other.[4]

Lent should be a time to reconnect with nature and to discern the redemptive power of matter. If fasting essentially means “to sit at the feet of God” then we could do the same by sitting at the foot of a tree or lying on the bosom of the fields. I conclude with the words of Eric Simpson;

The Gospel story emphatically declares: Christ, who as the discarnate Logos is the second Person of the Triune God, was made flesh, a fully material human being, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Through this act alone, all matter becomes subject to redemption and is now not only good because God declared all of creation to be good, but all matter carries the potential for purity, or holiness. The wood of the cross of Christ, Athanasius argues, is transformed from mere wood into the vehicle of redemption for the entire cosmos; it is therefore legitimate to value matter because it is through matter that we are redeemed.[5] Amen

Prayers

Dn. Basil Paul