Notes in CFE 5A – CICM Mission in Action: JPIC, IPs and IRD

Chapter 1
JUSTICE, PEACE AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION

Lesson 2
INTEGRITY OF CREATION

CONTEXT
The Philippines, a beautiful country gifted with rich natural resources, is
considered among the most remarkable in the world. It has unique topographies teeming
with biodiversity. The character of the Philippines being an archipelagic, volcanic and
tropical country brings about its distinctive natural features and vulnerability to natural
disasters and climate change. These characteristics need to be considered in developing
and implementing programs and projects to obtain optimal use of the ecosystems and
avoid destruction of biodiversity.

Personal Reflection
What are the different environmental issues and problems in our country today?

Environmental problems are prevalent in the Philippines. The destruction of its

natural resources is attributed to and caused by illegal and highly extractive activities like
logging and mining. Although there are laws that cover these activities, people complain
of poor implementation and monitoring of these laws. This is aggravated by inequity in
society, where some greedy people take advantage of many poor people. Rapid increase
in population also contributes to pollution and increases demand for resources. In this
context lies the urgency for widespread education and immediate action for ecological
integrity.

ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY
ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY refers to the balance of life and the state of nature as
God created it. In Ecology, the study of interactions among organisms and their
environment, this is described by the principle of homeostasis or stability despite shifting
in the components in the ecosystem. Despite pollution, extraction, and damage, the
ecosystem has the ability to revert back to its original state if left to recover by itself or by
assisted natural regeneration.
Humans have the capacity and responsibility to maintain ecological integrity and
sustain the Earth’s natural resources. Human activities, infrastructures, industries,
agriculture, and lifestyles should follow the natural law of ecology. Ecosystems provide
services for human survival – water, air, food, medicine and shelter.

INSPIRED WORD OF GOD: The Story of Creation (Genesis 1-2)

The Bible contains insights that can help form the basis for ecological integrity.
Although interpretations may be different, passages indicate that the Bible affirms the
goodness and inherent value of all living things; it points out commonalities and
interconnectedness between human beings and other living things; and it contains the
mandate that we treat the natural world with care and respect. Such insights provide
powerful grounds for the promotion of ecological integrity.
In its pastoral letter, ‘What is Happening to our Beautiful Land’ (1988), the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines wrote:
“As we reflect on what is happening in the light of the Gospel we are
convinced that this assault on creation is sinful and contrary to the
teachings of our faith. The Bible tells us that God created this world, (Gen
1:1); that He loves His world and is pleased with it (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21,
25 and 31); and that He created man and woman in His image and charged
them to be stewards of His creation (Gen 1:27-28). God, who created our

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Notes in CFE 5A – CICM Mission in Action: JPIC, IPs and IRD
world, loves life and wishes to share this life with every creature. Saint John
tells us that Jesus saw His mission in this light. ‘I have come that they may
have life and have it to the full.’ (Jn 10:10).”
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep
it” (Gen 2:15). In the encyclical Laudato Si’ (LS), Pope Francis writes: “Tilling refers to
cultivating, ploughing or working, while keeping means caring, protecting, overseeing
and preserving. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human
beings and nature.” (LS, 67)
In the essay entitled, ‘Biblical Views of Nature: Foundations for an Environmental
Ethic’, Bunge writes:
Genesis 1-11 contains several fundamental ideas about the natural world
and our place in it. Genesis clearly states that God is the source of all life
and that creation is good. The ideas that God is the source of all life, that
creation is good, that human beings are connected to the Earth, and that
God is concerned with all creatures strongly suggest that we are to value
and respect the Earth and its many forms of life. If we are to “have dominion
over” or “rule” the Earth, it ought to be humane and compassionate and it
should result in social justice, prosperity and ecological integrity. Genesis
1:28, as traditionally interpreted, does not advocate tyrannical exploitation
of nature, but rather responsible care of it.

CHURCH TEACHING
In the light of growing environmental concerns, we can refer to important Church
documents for foundations of ecological integrity. The integration of Ecology into the
fabric of Catholic social thought are conveyed in the 2004 Compendium of the Social
Doctrine of the Church. In particular, Chapter 10 is dedicated to ‘Safeguarding the
Environment’ with a reflection that “the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor are one.”
In the 1990 World Day of Peace message, ‘Peace with God the Creator, Peace with all of
Creation,’ John Paul II states that “the proper ecological balance will not be found without
directly addressing the structural forms of poverty that exist throughout the world.”
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis, after analyzing the present ecological situation in the
world (LS, 17-61), presented a theological reflection of the phenomenon (LS, 62-162) and
suggested actions on the structural and personal levels (LS, 163-264). In his theological
reflection, Pope Francis expounded his theology of creation in three areas namely, the
gospel of creation; the human roots of the ecological crisis; and integral ecology. He
writes:
In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us
that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a
beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my
Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and
who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.”
This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted
on her by our own irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which
God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and
masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts,
wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the
soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the Earth
herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and
maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22). We have
forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the Earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very
bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life
and refreshment from her waters.

SEASON OF CREATION
The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and
all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During the
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Notes in CFE 5A – CICM Mission in Action: JPIC, IPs and IRD
Season of Creation, we join our brothers and sisters in the ecumenical family in prayer
and action for our common home.
The season starts 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends 4
October, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many
Christian denominations.
Throughout the month-long celebration, the world’s 2.2 billion Christians come
together to care for our common home.
This “time for creation” offers, in the words of Pope Francis, “individual believers
and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards
of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our
care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the
sins committed against the world in which we live.”

History
Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed 1 September as a day of prayer for
creation for the Orthodox in 1989. In fact, the Orthodox church year starts on that day
with a commemoration of how God created the world.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines proposed in 2003 to celebrate
creation in the 1 September to 4 October timeframe, with the pastoral statement
‘Celebrating Creation Day and Creation Time’.
In 2007, the World Council of Churches invited all to observe the Time for
Creation. The World Council of Churches was instrumental in making the special time a
season, extending the celebration from 1 September until 4 October.
Following the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I and the World
Council of Churches, Christians worldwide have embraced the season as part of their
annual calendar. Pope Francis made the Roman Catholic Church’s warm welcoming of
the season official in 2015. Just months after publishing his encyclical Laudato Si’, he
formally added the World Day of Prayer for Creation to the Catholic calendar as an
annual day of prayer. Last 2019, he officially invited Catholics to celebrate the full season.
In recent years, statements from religious leaders around the world have also
encouraged the faithful to take time to care for creation during the month-long
celebration.

2020 Theme: Jubilee for the Earth

Each year, the ecumenical steering committee suggests a theme to unify Christian
communities in their celebration of the season.
For the 2020 Season of Creation, the suggested theme is “Jubilee for the Earth: New
Rhythms, New Hope.”
Jubilee, in biblical terms, refers to a period of restoration every 50 years, when the
land rests and justice is restored. The theme is, in part, a nod to the 50th celebration of
Earth Day which occurred in April.
This year, amid crises that have shaken our world, we’re awakened to the urgent
need to heal our relationships with creation and each other.
During the season this year, we enter a time of restoration and hope, a jubilee for
our Earth, that requires radically new ways of living with creation.
Christians around the world will use this period to renew their relationship with
our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment.
This year’s Season of Creation is a time to consider the integral relationship
between the rest for the Earth and ecological, economic, social, and political ways of
living.
This particular year, the need for just and sustainable systems has been revealed
by the far-reaching effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. We yearn for the moral
imagination that accompanies the Jubilee.
As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a common role as
caretakers of God’s creation. We rejoice in this opportunity to care for our common home
and the sisters and brothers who share it.

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Notes in CFE 5A – CICM Mission in Action: JPIC, IPs and IRD
This year’s Season of Creation takes place within the context of the 5th anniversary
of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’. The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral
Human Development highlighted the theme earlier this year in announcing a special
yearlong celebration for the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si’.

MISSIONARY RESPONSE AND QUIZ-ASSIGNMENT: My Commitment to the Care

of Creation
Ponder/reflect on how you are causing and affecting environmental issues and
problems. Ponder/reflect also on what you are being called to do in protecting the
environment and caring for creation. Think of at least one CONCRETE, DOABLE,
PRACTICAL and REALISTIC action.
On a Letter Size paper, create a poster-slogan illustrating your commitment to
protecting the environment and caring for creation. You are highly enjoined to make it
creative and artistic.
Outputs are to be scanned or photographed such that the edges of the picture
should correspond to the edges of the output. Name the file as <SURNAME, Given Name
MI> (e.g. EMPIZO, Michael Angelo F.) and submit it in PDF or JPEG format through
Google Classroom by October 19, 2020, Monday, 11:59 pm for Tuesday Classes and
October 21, 2020, Wednesday, 11:59 pm for Thursday Classes.

Prepared by:
MICHAEL ANGELO F. EMPIZO
Saint Louis College, City of San Fernando, La Union
Memorial of Saint Denis, Bishop, and Companions, Martyrs
October 09, 2020

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