Peace and the Environment

Here is the text of my "Pasotr's Reflections" for the Good Shepherd Bulletin for Sunday January 3:

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In 1968, the year I was ordained, Pope Paul VI issued the first World Day of Peace message on January 1. Every year since then in unbroken succession, each pope has continued the tradition, sending strong and thoughtful reflections to all people of good will for the benefit of humankind.

It was Pope Paul VI who first made the statement, "If you want peace, work for justice." After 9/11 with so much fear and retaliation in the air, Pope John Paul II added an important phrase: "There will be no peace without justice, and there will be no justice without forgiveness."

Pope Benedict XVI has, year-by-year, explored the ramifications of the theme of peace, touching many elements of spirituality and human life, as you can see from the list of titles of his past messages: 2006, "In Truth, Peace"; 2007, "The Human Person, the Heart of Peace"; 2008, "The Human Family, a Community of Peace"; 2009, "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace"

Although previous popes began to weave concern for the environment of our world into their reflections, the strongest voice for developing a consistent Christian approach to ecology has been Benedict XVI. His newly issued message for the 2010 World Day of Peace, "If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation," develops the theme that he has stated many times: protecting our environment, and working to reverse the degradation of our planet that we humans have already brought about through exploitation and waste is an urgent Christian imperative.

All too often, the biblical command to have dominion over all creation (Genesis 1:28) has been interpreted as mastery without restraint. Whatever we do to profit from the exploitation of earth's resources, in this view, is legitimized and even seen as God's will. Dominion is seen to mean domination. Nothing could be further from the real plan of God, as seen even in the Old Testament, but certainly in its fulfillment in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Dominion really means that we are living in an environment, a world, that in truth belongs not to us but to the Creator. We are stewards not possessors. God has set us over creation as caretakers, not as owners.

You may want to read Pope Benedict's 2010 message, along with his previous ones. You can find them on the Vatican website at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/peace/index_en.htm.

May this New Year bring many graces to you and all those you love. I love you.

Fr. Tom Welbers

Note that John Allen has an excellent article on the reaction to Pope Benedict's World Day of Peace Message, "Revolutionaries, Pastors, and Skeptic in Catholic Ecology."