Chew On This!
John 6:51-58
"I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die . .."
"Chew On This!
Gail R. O'Day and Susan Hylen note that the Eucharist (The Lord's Supper; Holy Communion) is not a single event instituted on Holy Thursday. Instead "all of Jesus' life institutes the sacrament of the Eucharist, not one single event in the life of Jesus.
When the disciples gnaw on the flesh of Jesus they are irreversibly changed in a manner that leads to new world views, ethos, and behaviors. The Eucharist is a transformative phenomenon that alters the course of one's life.
The Eucharist calls us to see a new worldview and transform our attitudes and lives in our view of climate change.
“The climate disaster is here. Earth is already becoming unlivable.”—The Guardian.
?Humankind faces a crisis of its own making. Most scientists agree that human activity is responsible for global warming. This temperature rise has already changed the climate and brought disastrous consequences. These include the following:
?The climate crisis has affected every corner of the earth. After documenting conditions in 193 countries, a New York Times report stated: “The planet is sending an SOS.” Because of the death and suffering climate change has caused, the World Health Organization has called it the “single biggest health threat facing humanity.”
Climate Change is creating hell on earth. I see it in working with homeless individuals. The consumption rate of food, housing, and all elements has left behind thousands of people in San Francisco, and millions worldwide.
The Mayors most recent comment illustrates what one observes in the lack of empathy for individuals on the street:
"We have had to move from a compassionate city to a city of accountability. I have also been leading the efforts to ensure we address this issue differently.
The answer of our elected leaders is the sweep of the belongings and pushing of people without housing outside of the downtown. In some parts of the Bay Area homeless are being forced into shelters.
New cities are suggested to be built, destroying farmlands and nature, for the "rich" in Sonoma County and in the Desert.
More housing in the City being built or suggested is for the upper class, in the process the outdoors is being ignored. Individuals have told me they take long walks and never notice wildlife or the surrounding land.
My friend Chris Montesano sums up growing vegetables in the present day in Sonoma:
"I have been growing vegetables for the last 40 years. When you are growing food, you become aware of how the climate affects what you grow. I have grown my family's Italian beans for the past forty years. When I first began growing them, I grew them from spring through fall. Now I an only grow them in the early spring before the heat of summer comes into full swing.
This is because the temperatures now especially in July have more consistent days of 95 to over 100° temperatures for more and prolonged periods of time. The longer the time period of 100+ degree weathers continue the more difficult it is for some plants to grow. we are seeing these kinds of spikes in various different locations all over our country. But this is not only affecting our country, but it has been affecting deeply, the countries near the equator for a more prolonged period of time than we have been experiencing here. This is making it more and more difficult for people in those areas to grow their own food.
One of the books I found that helped me understand better. The effects of global warming was the book Drawdown. The scientist who put together this book are from all around the world. One of the things that most surprised them was that one of the huge greenhouse gas contributors was the industrial worldwide agricultural system. What they discovered that surprised them was that if worldwide industrial agricultural system was a country of its own it would fall right behind the United States and China as the third largest producer of greenhouse gases. This was the case when the book was first published. This book has helped confirm my belief that one of the most effective ways of combatting global warming is to grow some of your own food.
However, this is a task that is not easy to achieve in a society that is moving in the direction of more and more urbanization with more and more cities that cannot survive without this massive industrialized agricultural system. It has become clear that we need to create a different model for the development of society in a healthy manner.
The massive amount of migrants, moving around the world and the spread of so many homeless people as well as refugees throughout the world are all related to the effects of global warming.This in turn creates instability in our political and social structures and also this leads to more war and violence creating a cycle of ever increasing instability.
We need to work on building a new society in the shell of the old. We need to work on creating new social structures that create cooperation instead of competition, simplicity, instead of complexity, and respect for the dignity of all."
What on earth are we doing to creation? We have disrupted the ecological balance of all God created on earth and we owe it to God, to each other, and to all species to restore and to balance. Awareness of the Infinite opens us up to protecting the immediate--the very planet on which we live.
The light of spirituality can spark a more hopeful approach with a deeper and broader effect. Here are three reasons why:
????????First, Religion Can Persuade People to
????????consume in Moderation as they find True
????????Satisfaction in Spirituality, Community,
????????and Family. Spiritual living should bring
????????awareness of our consumption.
????????Second: Religious Teachings Help Instill
????????Foresight and Longterm Thinking. The
????????Rabbis of the Talmud taught about 1500
????????years ago: "Who is the wise person? The
????????person who can see the effect of their ????????actions." Spiritual awareness can help us
????????recognize the link between our actions and
????????the large problem while cultivating fore--
????????sight, concern, and change.
????????Finally, and most importantly religion Em-
????????bodies Hope. Some people out--out of terror,
????????anger, or depression-despair of our
????????returning to personal and planetary balance
????????and sustainability.
????????Yet, to reiterate Rabbi Sacks words: "Hope
?????????is a human virtue, but one with religious
????????underpinnings."
If there is any moral precept shared by people of all beliefs, it is that we owe ourselves--and future generations--a beautiful, rich, and healthy environment. It is time for us to truly become the Bread of Life, to live out the Eucharist that is with us. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Dr. River Sims, D.Min, D.S.T.
Put me in jail, then. Throw me behind your religious bars since you have dubbed me a breaker of your law. I live my days in the courtroom of your criticism. I move unbothered under the gaze of your gavel. I have no interest in defending myself before your bench. Go on, clench your fists, raise your voice to make your point. Type the rebuke that you must make on my page. Who asked you to come through anyway? Is this rage your duty? We operate under a different set of obligations and get worked up to frustration for different reasons, even though we both claim fidelity to God. If you were interested, which I doubt, here is where my passion lies: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, defend the rights of the orphan, plead the widow’s cause, and woe to you who unjustly enforce God’s Law. Why spend your energy policing me when that same energy could be used to love, fiercely? Justice, mercy, and humility. Go learn what this means. Drew Jackson
#spirituality; Jesus;
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Temenos Catholic Worker
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