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Newfound Respect for Creation
Technology gives us a sense of power over creation
In a recent article in "America" magazine called Our Responsibility to All Creation, Kate Blake reminds us that we are all part of creation. The 20th century saw amazing progress in science and technology. This progress gave humanity a sense of power and control over the natural world. We have upended the order of things by altering the very fabric of the life around us. Animals that once ran free and were fed natural products are now cruelly confined to small boxes and injected with chemicals.
Many animals today are not treated with respect
The problem is not that we consume animals. It is how we treat them that contradicts our Christian beliefs. St. Francis of Assisi always saw himself as a part of creation along with all the animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. This sense of self as a part of creation instilled in Francis respect for everything around him.
Francis always remembered that he was equal with all of creation
With the catastrophic threats of global warming as well as the danger of animal extinction, we need to take Francis’ respect for creation and apply it to the world around us today. When God made us stewards of the world, he surely expected that we would treat it with loving care, ensuring its survival into perpetuity. If we let St. Francis of Assisi inspire us, then all will not be lost; creation will thrive once more. And since we are an integral part of it, we will thrive as well.
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