2007-2009 YEAR OF PLANET EARTH

A MOMENT OF GRACE

In responding to the Chapter’s call for continued discernment of our relationship with Planet Earth, the Josephite Justice Network (JJN) have taken for their theme for 2008,  Right  Relationship with Planet Earth.

In this the International Year of Planet Earth, we take this opportunity to delve deeper into understanding what this actually means. This tells the story of who we are and where we come from.

“ To tell the story of anything, you have to tell the story of everything.”

-Thomas Berry-

We are The Universe in the form of the human. It’s an amazing new understanding of ourselves that is so profoundly inclusive.  Everyone is part of this, everything is part of this and we discover as well a profound kinship that no matter what being we are talking about we are related… This is a massive change in human consciousness.

In the beginning the energy of silence rested over an infinite horizon of pure nothingness. About 13.7 billion years ago the Universe erupted into existence. Everything came out of a blazing moment we call the ‘primeval’ fireball.

                       “In the beginning”  -  What a moment of grace!

As the temperature dropped it became possible for elementary particles to form electrons, protons and neutrons. These lasted and made bonds linking together in patterns that would endure. In the vast community of being that would eventually come forth, to be at all was to be in relationship. Eventually atoms formed from the subatomic particles.

The atoms – What a moment of grace!

Hydrogen and helium began to assemble into clouds. Then just as a cloud of water vapor that under the right conditions, will suddenly flutter forth into billions of snow flakes, the galaxies came forth, each with their hundreds of billions of stars. If the tempo had been altered even a fraction, the Universe would have collapsed back on itself and ceased to develop.

                         The galaxies – what a moment in time!

What a moment of grace!

In the centre of the galaxies the stars were formed. Millions of years later, children would stand in awe and gaze at the heavens, experiencing the light that left the stars before they were born.!

The stars – What a moment of grace!

Some stars became super novas. It was out of one such supernova that our solar system was formed. Eventually nine different planets gathered themselves together, moving around our sun. Earth created its atmosphere. At that moment all of earth’s beauty was there in potentiality. Earth drew forth her creativity for the emergence of life. This occurred in the oceans.  65 million years ago our planet reached its most beautiful expression - everything a face of numinous mystery – everything existing in relationship and interdependence in the one great community of being.

Earth we call home

What a moment of grace!

Out of this line of emergence, the human was born, a being destined for self-reflective consciousness.  A being who could sense the profound sacredness of all life.

To be human

What a moment of grace!

Right relationship with Planet Earth

What a moment of Grace!

Prepared by members of the Victorian Ecology and Spirituality Group 

We acknowledge the work of Veronica Littleton

in “Eternal Music” in preparing the above

________________________________________________________________

As a follow up to Earth Hour

We REMEMBER, we can’t live without the earth,

but the Earth can live without us.

We RECOGNIZE that we have overused and misused Earth’s resources,

polluted our waterways, made our air toxic and brought about a major imbalance as evidenced in climate change.

We RECTIFY this when we change seemingly minor behaviours and in doing so reduce our footprint on the planet.

ACTION:

• Only boil as much water as you need

• Try doing your own Earth hour once a month

• Turn off lights when not in use

• Do not leave appliances on stand-by

Teach your children what we have taught our children-

That the earth is our mother.

Whatever befalls the earth

befalls the children of the earth. 

This we know

The earth does not belong to us; We belong to the earth.

This we know

All things are connected like the blood which unites one family.

All things are connected

Whatever befalls the earth

Befalls the sons and daughters of the earth.

We did not weave the web of life,

We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves….

• Chief Seattle

Prepared for you by the Josephite Justice Network

__________________________________________________________________

REMEMBER the past........RECOGNISE what is happening now.......

RECTIFY the situation

We REMEMBER our image of Earth as a living breathing organism.

We RECOGNISE our relative ignorance of the functioning of living Earth systems.

We RECTIFY this by honouring the sacredness of air, water, soil and all   living beings.

*****ACTION*****

Use your power of choice to reduce your share of pollution and waste. Inspire, by your example, others to do the same.

Some suggestions for ACTION:

• No paper plates, cups or serviettes.
• Recycle bottles and aluminium cans.
• Compost all vegetable scraps.
• No aluminium foil or gladwrap. Food can be put in a container with a lid.
• Pray before a meal as a reminder "to use no more than our share."

(prepared by the Josephite Justice Network)