ECOJUSTICE CALLS FOR A NEW RESPECT FOR ALL LIFE ON EARTH

By Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer,OMI
Bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas

Planet Earth is our home and also our garden and our loving God has entrusted this home and garden to the care of humans. We are told in the first book of the Bible that as our God brought the world into existence that "God looked at everything God had made, and found it very good" (Gen. 1:31). Earth Day, April 22, is a reminder that good stewardship of the gift of earth demands that we develop a system of ecojustice that respects all forms of life on Planet Earth.

Ecojustice recognizes that the web of life is one. Creation has an integrity and an inherent value beyond its usefulness to human beings. Human beings are to be responsible stewards of creation. In that activity they work in harmony with God as co-creators. The sin of "species-ism" is now coming more clearly to be acknowledged and recognized. We cannot do just whatever we want with the created order and the whole system of ecology. Adequate science, common sense, and appropriate faith values teach us to respect the web of life and each member of it and the delicate balance of the ecosystem of the garden God has placed in our care.

The great poetic prophet, Isaiah foresaw a new Garden of Eden. Lion and lamb lie down together, cow and bear live in peace. "There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain," says the Lord. Children happily at play are an important part of this vision. Do we dare hope to regain such a garden on planet Earth? The Bible says yes. The prophets of old taught that justice and peace among human beings would bring harmony to the world of nature. There were ecologists before their time. We have begun to catch up with their teaching. We realize more and more that many of the ills in the environment come from carelessness and greed and exploitation. As God's children, we are called to practice justice in the Lord's garden on planet Earth and to enjoy the joy that results from it.

Although the word ecology may not have been known to previous generations, it is at the forefront of our global awareness today. To toy with one area of the vast ecosystem, is to effect all of it. For example global warming could change how and where it rains, who lives on the coast and who lives in a desert and where certain crops will grow and where they will not. The ecosystem is an interrelated whole - every part relies on another part. Ecojustice teaches us to care for all the parts.

We cannot continue to ignore the implications of the ecological crisis surrounding our rivers, steams, forests and cities. Care for the ecosystem is also a moral and ethical responsibility. It is a life issue that cannot be separated from social justice. Ecojustice requires a radical shift in the way we think about ourselves in relation to the rest of creation.

Ecojustice stresses that the ecosystem is a community. The more we learn about the ways of these communities function, the more we realize the relatedness of all that forms them - human, animal, vegetable, plant, tree and mineral. We share with other species a common origin in the created act of God that began billions of years ago and continue to unfold around us. Each species has its place in the ecosystem, and as we are learning to our dismay, one species cannot be destroyed or displaced without upsetting the whole system.

Ecojustice calls for a new respect for all life on earth, but especially human life. In his 1990 World Day of Peace message, Pope John Paul II declared that, "The most profound and serious indication of the moral implications underlying the ecological problem is the lack of respect for life."

When the quest for ever greater productivity in profits takes precedence over the welfare of workers, when people are forced to earn a living in an environment with polluted air, exposure to hazardous waste, and other unsafe working conditions, then their dignity as human beings is being violated. When delicate ecological balances are destroyed by reckless exploitation of natural resources, whole cultures are in danger. When biological resources involves experimentation with human embryos and the unscrupulous manipulation of genetic materials, the dignity of the human person is being ruthlessly disregarded.

Human understanding and control of natural processes empower people not only to improve the human condition but also to do great harm to each other, to the earth, and to other creatures. As concerns about the environment have grown in recent decades, the moral necessity of ecological stewardship, a system of ecojustice, has become increasingly clear.

Our position, informed by revelation and confirmed by reason and experience, views human stewardship that unlocks the potential in creation for all earth's inhabitants as good. Humanity alone of all the created order is capable of developing other resources and can thus enrich creation, so it can properly be said that the human person is the most valuable resource on earth.

Humans are the reflecting consciousness of our ecosystem. Only we, of all species, have the ability to reflect on the consequences of our actions and make choices that would determine the future of our communities. By developing a new planetary vision, based on justice, for Planet Earth, which is our home and garden, then we can fully embrace our role as co-creators with God.