We Are Creation Too

In a familiar passage Jesus asks the gathered disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29)  Peter jumps in to answer that question.  He says to an earlier question that some folks say Jesus is Elijah, others think he is John the Baptist and even others say he is one of the prophets.  Each of these figures is important in Jewish history.  To associate Jesus with one of these figures is to align him with their ministry.  But that is when Jesus turns to his disciples and ask their opinion.  

Peter responds, “You are the Messiah.” From this, Jesus proceeds to tell the disciples that he must suffer and will probably be killed.  Peter and the others don’t want to hear any of that.  Instead, they want someone more powerful, someone to get after those who have harassed and persecuted Jesus and his followers.  In effect, they want to get even with some folks---to hit back, as revenge so often wants to do. 

I have read and likely spoken from this text many times.  I know what the Greek says and have read commentaries.  I know for Catholics and those who use the lectionary, the text comes back around from time to time.  Every time it comes back is a chance to think about Jesus and his ministry.  It is another chance to ask who is Jesus?  It is an issue of identity.  And so, with some interest, I read the recent article on this passage writer by my Franciscan friend, Dan Horan.

Rather than go down the normal path for interpretation, Dan says, “I found myself reflecting this past weekend on a different question of identity and another kind of serious consequence that comes from whether or not one is willing to accept the true meaning of that identity.”  It is as if I sat up straight anticipating where Dan was going to take me.  He acknowledged he was thinking about the Seasons of Creation, a special period in the Catholic year when Catholics are admonished to consider our creation.  Dan said he wanted to think about what to do “in response to global climate change and ecological degradation.”

Dan wants us to ponder not only the question about who Jesus is, but also the question who are we?  We have an identity, too.  We have a name and we have a sense of self.  Psychiatrist, Gerald May, contends that we all have a self-image, but he adds, that self-image is created.  That is to say, we make up our self-image.  It can change and often does over time.  Dan thinks part of our self-image is our sense of who we are in nature.  And he believes this has been part of the issue when we think about climate change.  In effect, he thinks---and I agree---that we are part of the problem.

For example, he posits, “Put bluntly: we human beings have thought of ourselves as apart from and above the rest of creation.  For many of us, when we hear the words ‘creation’ or ‘nature,’ we think of something outside ourselves, something that provides the background to our interests and activities.”  My way of saying it is thinking that I am “in” nature, but I am not necessarily a “part” of nature.  I agree with Dan when he exclaims in italics, “we are creation too!”

Dan is correct to turn to what the sciences tell us.  “Natural science also confirms this fundamental truth, revealing that our physical composition is absolutely no different from that of other aspects of creation.  We are made of the same elements (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc.) and when we get down to the quantum level, our kinship with all the rest of God's creation becomes even more evident.”  I smiled, because I remember once reading that we are not actually worth much, if you calculate the cost of the various chemical elements that constitute us.  

Contrast that with our self-estimation that we are worth a great deal; perhaps we are even priceless.  In God’s eyes, I think that is absolutely true: we are priceless.  And so is all of creation.  The question is whether we can all agree to this view of creation and begin acting in a way that honors that truth?  Not surprisingly, Dan quotes St Francis to this point.  He calls for us to “recognize, as St. Francis did centuries ago, that we are truly siblings with all other creatures.”

As I think about this, it dawns on me that growing up on a farm made it easier to feel like I was part of nature.  I spent many days outside.  We took care of the land because it was key to who we were and our way of life.  I think about the native Americans and how they were part of the fabric of what Dan calls the “family of creation.”  I want to ponder what it means for me to act on behalf of my cosmic family.

I am not one who tries to read the signs of the time and predict the end of the world.  But scientists and others warn us that we can’t keep doing the same thing expecting different results.  I trust climate change is real.  I am convinced that we all can become change agents toward a livable future.  If it requires some sacrifice, I am up for it.  In faith I affirm that God is in it with us.  We are co-creators of our future and that is exciting.  

Let’s circle up and pray that “thy kingdom come and thy will be done.”  Let’s mean it when we pray that and, then, let’s get to work of kingdom creation.  We are a part of that kingdom creation.

https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/faith-seeking-understanding/who-or-what-do-you-say-creation-its-us-too