SOME BIBLICAL AND CHRISTIAN LITURGICAL THEMES

1. The Good Friday Liturgy

INSIDE UJJAIN CHAPEL

Every year we have a reminder in the beautiful ceremony of the exaltation of the cross in the good Friday liturgy, as the minister unveils the cross; all of us sing ‘Behold the wood of the cross on which hung the saviour of the world,’ we answer- come let us worship. But the truth is that we never ponder on the cross the wood, rather on the figure of Christ, which was nailed to it. Thus, we discard the natural world from our Christological presentation or understanding. Don’t we mess up with divinity of Jesus Christ, forgetting the humanity of Jesus within the larger earth-community and cosmic context. If the theory of evolution is accepted; how can we reconcile that all bacteria, flowers or mammals or human being, including Jesus ever walk on the earth.

2. The Lacuna in Christian Theology



It is a major lacuna of our Christian theology and spirituality that we overlook or forget the creation-centered doctrines of our catholic faith; thus fail to have a belief in god’s action in creation, the doctrine of the incarnation which proclaims that God becomes part of creation, and our belief that we encounter god in a special way in the sacraments which involve created realities like bread, wine, water and oil. Why are we so blind to what is happening to the natural world? Why do we reject the role of natural world in our faith, spirituality and understanding of mission? We have every aspect of theology to touch the creation theology from its own perspective but a clear ‘creation theology’ as such needs yet to be ascertained in seminary formation?


3 An Oldest Celtic Thought on Ecology


THE DOOR UJJAIN SEMINARY

 A view of beautiful thought comes from an early Celtic theologian called Pelagius, who was later, condemned for plagiarism. In one of his letters of Pelagius, written to a friend has this account to say.

Look at the animals roaming the forest: God’s spirit dwells within them. Look at the birds flying across the sky: god’s spirit dwells within them. Look at the tiny insects crawling in the grass. God’s spirit dwells within them. There is no creature on earth in whom god is absent, when God pronounced that his creation was good, it was not only that his had had fashioned every creature: it was that his breath had brought every creature to life… the presence of God’s spirit in all living things is what makes them beautiful: and if we look with God’s eyes, nothing on the earth is ugly.



Thus the pervasive presence of God in all creation, is interpreted by Pelagius crossing the boundary of the great commandment to love of God and our neighbors to extend beyond the human community to include all of creation.

FRONT OF PHILOSOPHY
CHAPPEL

4. A Poem on the Ecology

The words of Louis Armstrong in a song: whose sentiments are very much closer to the gratitude for creation of Ps 139, 13-14 “I thank you for the wonder of myself, for the wonder of your works.’

I see trees of green, red roses too,

I see them bloom for me and you,

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white,

The brightness of the day and the darkness of night,

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

5. The First Papal Document on Ecology

The first papal document devoted exclusively to environment and development issues, entitles peace with God the creator, peace with all creation, and was published on 1 January 1990. In it Pope John Paul II draws attention to the moral and religious dimensions of the environmental crisis. He declares that ‘Christians in particular realize that their duty towards nature and creator are essential part of their faith’ no.15. This teaching is arguably is the best kept secret in the Catholic Church.

It is also important to acknowledge that his document is heavily dependent on the justice, peace and integrity of the creation (JPIC) programme, which the world council of churches launched at its assembly in Vancover in 1983. To its credit, the world council of churches is one of the few Christian institutions that has consistently focused its attention on ecology, development, justice and poverty during the past 25 years.

Biblical Themes Which Speak of Eco-Justice and New Ecological Setting of the Earth

6. Mt 25: the exhortation of Christ for the kingdom of God can be ascertained from Mt … “where were you when I was hungry, imprison, naked.,.. can also be said about the environment.



7. The vision that is told in Isaiah 11:6-9 is about the tranquility envisaged by the prophet in the end times. In his vision the prophet sees something contrary to the known or normal way of life.

The wolf shall………..



This is the vision of god’s family living together in perfect harmony and unity. This vision becomes a reality “when the earth is filled with the knowledge of God.” This is the new community of God. In building a new community of god our mission is engaging ourselves in dialogue with people of other faiths, dialogue with indigenous religious and cultures and also ‘dialoguing’ with the nature