Pope John Paul II, Page 4

The Church has understood this truth made known since the dawn of Revelation, and she sees it as an objective to be proposed to people as a way of life (Acts 2.44-45, 4.32-35). In more recent times, she has repeatedly preached the universal destination of the goods of creation, both material and spiritual, as a central theme of her social teaching. Continuing this long-standing tradition, the encyclical Centesimus Annus ... is meant to encourage reflection on this universal destination of goods, which comes before all particular forms of private property and which should give them their true meaning. However, it is sad to see how, in spite of the frequency with which these truths have been proclaimed, the earth with all its goods -- which we have compared to a great banquet to which all men and women have been invited -- is unfortunately, in many ways, still in the hands of a few minorities. Wonderful are the goods of the earth, both those which come directly from the hands of the Creator and those which are the result of the activity of human beings called to cooperate in the work of creation through their intelligence and labor. It is thus painful to note how many millions of people are excluded from the table of creation. For those people and for all the dispossessed of the world, we must work hard and without delay so that they can occupy their proper place at the table of creation.

-Lenten Message, 1992

Burning Problem of Ecology

We make an appeal that everyone will make a determined effort to solve the current burning problem of ecology, in order to avoid the great risk threatening the world today due to the abuse of resources that are God's gift.

-Common Declaration Signed in the Vatican by Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Bartholomew I, June 29, 1995

Our Savior

And how can we remain indifferent to the prospect of an ecological crisis which is making vast areas of our planet uninhabitable and hostile to humanity? Or by the problems of peace, so often threatened by the specter of catastrophic wars? Or by contempt for the fundamental human rights of so many people, especially children? Countless are the emergencies to which every Christian heart must be sensitive....

We are certainly not seduced by the naive expectation that, faced with the great challenges of our time, we shall find some magic formula. No, we shall not be saved by a formula but by a Person, and the assurance which he gives us: I am with you!

--APOSTOLIC LETTER NOVO MILLENNIO INEUNTE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS CLERGY AND LAY FAITHFUL AT THE CLOSE OF THE GREAT JUBILEE OF THE YEAR 2000, January 6, 2001

Most Pressing Issues Facing Humanity

Reflecting in the light of reason and in keeping with its rules, and guided always by the deeper understanding given them by the word of God, Christian philosophers can develop a reflection which will be both comprehensible and appealing to those who do not yet grasp the full truth which divine Revelation declares. Such a ground for understanding and dialogue is all the more vital nowadays, since the most pressing issues facing humanity—ecology, peace and the co-existence of different races and cultures, for instance—may possibly find a solution if there is a clear and honest collaboration between Christians and the followers of other religions and all those who, while not sharing a religious belief, have at heart the renewal of humanity.

--ENCYCLICAL LETTER FIDES ET RATIO OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND REASON, 14 September 1998

An Environmental Ethic

Who cannot but be deeply concerned by the prospect of the already existing and ever expanding danger from pollution and other side effects of the production and use of chemicals? Indeed your discussions reflecting the highest levels of scientific competence will be of great relevance to the growing public concern about the environment.

In most industrialized countries attention is paid to the risks to human beings and to the environment through man-made chemicals. In some countries regulations are in place. But in the developing countries, where most chemical hazards have their origin in the import of chemical substances and technologies, a lack of expertise and of necessary infrastructures often renders efficient control difficult or impossible. Very few countries, in fact, have a specific legislation regulating the handling and use of toxic chemicals. Other problems in developing countries concern the introduction of highly polluting industries, not subject to the more rigorous control that is applied in developed countries. It is a serious abuse and an offence against human solidarity when industrial enterprises in the richer countries profit from the economic and legislative weakness of poorer countries, by locating production plants or accumulating waste which will have a degrading effect on the environment and on people's health.

Man's spiritual nature and his transcendent vocation imply a fundamental solidarity between people, whereby we are all responsible for each other. Respect for the natural environment and the correct and modulated use of the resources of creation are a part of each individual's moral obligations. In this context the technical dimension of the theme of your discussions is inseparable from its moral aspects. It would be difficult to overstate the weight of the moral duty incumbent on developed countries in their efforts to solve their chemical pollution and health hazard problems.

The human family is at a crossroads in its relationship to the natural environment. Not only is it necessary to increase efforts to educate in a keen awareness of solidarity and interdependence among the world's people, it is also necessary to insist on the interdependence of the various ecosystems and on the importance of the balance of these systems for human survival and well-being. Mere utilitarian considerations or an aesthetical approach to nature cannot be a sufficient basis for a genuine education in ecology. We must all learn to approach the environmental question with solid ethical convictions involving responsibility, self-control, justice and fraternal love. For believers, this outlook springs directly from their relationship to God the Creator of all that exists. For Christians respect for God's handwork is reinforced by their certain hope of the restoration of all things in Jesus Christ in whom 'all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell' (Colossians 1.1-19)

-To scientists concerned with chemical hazards, 1993

Presence of the Holy Spirit in Creation

Creation is God's free communication of love, a communication which, out of nothing, brings everything into being. There is nothing created that is not filled with the ceaseless exchange of love that marks the innermost life of the Trinity, filled that is with the Holy Spirit: "the Spirit of the Lord has filled the world" (Wis 1:7). The presence of the Spirit in creation generates order, harmony, and interdependence in all that exists.... The presence of the Spirit in creation and history points to Jesus Christ in whom creation and history are redeemed and fulfilled. The presence and action of the Spirit both before the Incarnation and in the climactic moment of Pentecost point always to Jesus and to the salvation he brings. So too the Holy Spirit's universal presence can never be separated from his activity within the Body of Christ, the Church.

Light of the East

In the liturgical experience, Christ the Lord is the light which illuminates the way and reveals the transparency of the cosmos, precisely as in scripture. The events of the past find in Christ their meaning and fullness, and creation is revealed for what it is -- a complex whole which finds its perfection -- its purpose -- in the liturgy alone. This is why the liturgy is heaven on earth and, in the Word who became flesh, imbues matter with a saving potential which is fully manifest in the sacraments. There creation communicates to each individual the power conferred on it by Christ. Thus the Lord, immersed in the Jordan, transmits to the waters a power which enables them to become the bath of baptismal renewal.

Within this framework liturgical prayer in the East shows a great aptitude for involving the human person in his or her totality. This total involvement of the person in his rational and emotional aspects, in ecstasy and in immanence, is of great interest and a wonderful way to understand the meaning of created realities: these are neither absolute nor a den of sin and iniquity. In the liturgy things reveal their own nature as a gift offered by the Creator to humanity -- 'God saw everything that He had made and it was very good' (Genesis 1.31). Though all this is marked by the tragedy of sin, which weighs down matter and obscures its clarity, the latter is redeemed in the Incarnation and becomes fully 'theophoric' -- that is capable of putting us in touch with the Father. This property is most apparent in the sacraments of the Church.

Cosmic reality is also summoned to give thanks because the whole universe is called to recapitulation in Christ the Lord. This concept expresses a balanced and marvelous teaching on the dignity, respect and purpose of creation and of the human body in particular. With the rejection of all dualism and every cult of pleasure as an end in itself, the body becomes a place made luminous by grace and thus fully human.

To those who seek a truly meaningful relationship with themselves and with the cosmos, so often disfigured by selfishness and greed, the liturgy reveals the way to harmony of the new man and invites him to respect the Eucharistic potential of the created world. That world is destined to be assured in the Eucharist of the Lord, in His Passover present in the sacrifice of the altar.

Illusions of Consumerism

Devote time and attention to the laity, particularly to the young, who are the Church's future: teach them to meet Christ in liturgical prayer... to strive for difficult goals as befits the children of martyrs. Teach them to reject the facile illusions of consumerism, to stay in their land, so that together they can build a future of peace and prosperity....

Man is Priest of All Creation

According to the apostle, St. Paul, prayer reflects all created reality -- it is, in a certain sense, a cosmic function. Man is the priest of all creation: he speaks in its name, but only insofar as he is guided by the Spirit. In order to understand profoundly the meaning of prayer, one should meditate for a long time on the following passage from the Letter to the Romans: 'For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved' (Rom 8:19-24). And here again we come across the apostle's words: 'The Spirit, too, comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings' (Romans 8.26).

One can and must pray in many different ways as the Bible teaches through a multitude of examples. The Book of Psalms is irreplaceable. We must pray with inexpressible groanings in order to enter into the rhythm with the Spirit's own entreaties. To obtain forgiveness, one must implore, becoming part of the loud cries of Christ, the Redeemer (Hebrews 5.7). Through all this one must proclaim glory. Prayer is always an opus gloriae -- a work, a labor of glory. Man is priest of all creation. Christ conferred on him this dignity, this vocation. Creation completes its opus gloriae both by being what it is and by its ability to become what it should be.

In a certain sense, science and technology also contribute to this goal. But, at the same time, since they are human works, they can be led away from this goal. In our own civilization, in particular, there is such a risk, making it difficult for our civilization to be one of life and love. Missing is, precisely, the opus gloriae, which is the fundamental destiny of every creature and, above all, of man, who was created in order to become in Christ the priest, prophet, and king of all earthly creatures.

Human Health and the Environment

The environment, in fact, is connected with the health of the individual and of the population: it constitutes the human being’s “home” and the complex of resources entrusted to his care and stewardship, “the garden to be tended and the field to be cultivated”. But the external ecology of the person must be combined with an interior, moral ecology, the only one which is fitting for a proper concept of health.

Considered in its entirety, human health thus becomes an attribute of life, a resource for the service of one’s neighbor and openness to salvation.

-MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER FOR THE WORLD DAY OF THE SICK FOR THE YEAR 2000, August 6, 1999

Hearing the Word and the Spirit in Cosmic Revelation

"How greatly to be desired are all his works, and how sparkling they are to see! Though we speak much we cannot reach the end, and the sum of our words is: 'He is the all.' For he is greater than all his works" (Sir 42:22, 43:27-28). These wonderful words of Sirach summarize the song of praise raised at all times and under all skies, to the Creator who reveals himself through the immensity and splendor of his works.

Even though imperfectly, numerous voices have recognized in creation the presence of its Author and Lord. Looking at his sun god, an ancient Egyptian king and poet cried: "How numerous are your works! They are hidden from our sight; you, the only God, outside of whom nothing exists, you have created the earth according to your will, when you were alone" (Hymn to Aton, Cf. J.B. Pritchard [ed], Ancient Near Eastern Texts, Princeton 1969, pp. 369-371). A few centuries later, in a wonderful hymn, a Greek philosopher praised the divinity that manifests itself in nature, particularly in man: "We are of your stock, and we have your word as a reflection of your mind, we alone among all the animated beings that on earth have life and movement" (Cleante, Hymn to Zeus v. 4-5). Paul, the apostle, took up this prayer, quoting it in his address to the Areopagus of Athens (Cf. Acts 17:28).

The hearing of the word that the Creator has entrusted to the works of his hands is also asked of the faithful Muslim: "O men, adore your Lord who has created you and those who were before you, and fear God, who has made the earth a carpet for you and of the sky a castle, and has made water come down from the sky with which to extract from the earth those fruits that are your daily food" (Koran II, 21-23). The Hebrew tradition, which flowered on the fertile terrain of the Bible, discovered God's personal presence in every corner of creation: "Wherever I go, you are! Wherever I stop, you are! You alone, you again, you always! Heaven, you; earth, you; above, you; below, you! Wherever I turn, whatever I admire: only you, again you, always you!" (M. Buber, Stories of the Chassidim, Milan, 1979, p. 276).

The biblical Revelation is embedded in this broad experience of the religious sense and human prayer, sealed by the divine. By communicating the mystery of the Trinity, it helps us to extract from creation itself not only the imprint of the Father, source of every being, but also that of the Son and the Spirit. When he contemplates the heavens with the Psalmist, the Christian turns to the whole Trinity: "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth" (Psalm 33:6). "The heavens," therefore, "are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" (Psalm 19:2-5).

The soul's ear must be free from sounds to hear this divine voice that resounds in the universe.

Therefore, along with the revelation specifically contained in Sacred Scripture, there is a divine manifestation in the shining sun and in the nightfall. In a certain sense, nature is also "God's book."

We can ask ourselves how the contemplation of the Trinity can be developed through creation, perceiving not only generically the reflection of the only God but also the imprint of the individual divine Persons. In fact, if it is true that "the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three principles of creation, but only one" (Council of Florence: DS 1331), it is also true that "every divine Person carries out the common works according to his personal property" (CCC258).

When we now admiringly contemplate the universe in its grandeur and beauty, we must praise the whole Trinity, but in a special way our thoughts go to the Father, from whom everything springs, as the fullness and source of being itself. If we then look at the order that rules the cosmos and we admire the wisdom with which the Father has created it, giving it laws that regulate its existence, it is spontaneous for us to to look to the eternal Son, whom Scripture presents as the Word (Cf. Jn 1:1-3) and divine Wisdom (Cf. 1 Cor 1:24,30). In the wonderful song that Wisdom intones in the Book of Proverbs, which was mentioned at the beginning of our meeting, the latter appears "constituted since eternity, since the beginning" (Prov 8:24). Wisdom was present at the time of creation "as master workman," ready to delight "in the children of men" (Cf. Prov 8:30-31). Christian tradition has seen the face of Christ under these aspects, "He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Col 1:15-17; Cf. Jn 1:3).

In light of the Christian faith, creation then evokes the Holy Spirit in a special way, in the dynamism that contrasts the relations of things within the macrocosm and microcosm, and that manifests itself above all where life is born and develops. In the strength of this experience, even in cultures that are foreign to Christianity, the presence of God is perceived as "spirit" that animates the world. There is also Virgil's famous expression: "spiritus intus alit," "the spirit nourishes from within" (Aeneid, VI, 726).

However, for the Christian such an evocation of the Spirit would be unacceptable, as it refers to a kind of "world soul" understood in the pantheistic sense. Yet, excluding this error, it remains true that every form of life, animation, love goes back in the last analysis to that of the Spirit, of whom Genesis says that he moved "over the face of the waters" (Gen 1:2) at the dawn of creation and in which Christians, in the light of the New Testament, recognize a reference to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. In fact, in its biblical concept, creation "implies not only the call into existence of the being itself and of the cosmos, namely the giving of existence, but also the presence of the Spirit of God in creation, that is, the beginning of the saving communication of God to the things he creates, which is meaningful first of all for man, who was created in the image and likeness of God" (Dominum et vivificantem, n. 12).

Before the unfolding of cosmic revelation, we announce the work of God with the word of the Psalmist: "When you send forth your Spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth" (Psalm 104:30).

New Era Brought by Christ

God's plan for salvation, "the mystery of his will" (Ephesians 1:9) concerning every creature, is expressed in the Letter to the Ephesians with a characteristic term: "recapitulate" all things, heavenly and earthly, in Christ (see Ephesians 1:10). One can imagine the rod around which was wrapped the scroll of parchment or papyrus of the volume, bearing the writing: Christ gives a unitary meaning to all syllables, words, works of creation, and of history.

The first to take up this topic of "recapitulation" and develop it in a wonderful way was St. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon, great second-century Father of the Church. In face of any fragmentation of the history of salvation, any separation between the Old and New Alliance, any dispersion of revelation and divine action, Irenaeus exalts the only Lord, Jesus Christ, who in the Incarnation brings together in himself the whole history of salvation, humanity, and the whole of creation: "He, the Eternal King, recapitulates everything in himself" ("Adversus haereses" III, 21,9).

Let us hear a passage in which this Father of the Church comments on the words of the Apostle relating, precisely, to the recapitulation in Christ of all things. In the expression "all things" -- Irenaeus affirms -- man is included, touched by the mystery of the Incarnation, when the Son of God "from invisible becomes visible, from incomprehensible comprehensible, from impassible passible, being Word became man. He has recapitulated everything in himself, in order that, as the Word of God, he has primacy over supernatural beings, spiritual and invisible; in the same way he may have it over visible and corporeal beings. Assuming this primacy in himself and giving himself as head to the Church, he attracts everything to himself" ("Adversus haereses" III, 16,6). This confluence of all being in Christ, center of time and space, is fulfilled progressively in history, overcoming the obstacles, the resistance of sin, and of the Evil One.

In order to illustrate this tension, Irenaeus takes recourse to the opposition, already presented by St. Paul, between Christ and Adam (see Romans 5:12-21): Christ is the new Adam, namely, the first born of faithful humanity, who accepts with love and obedience the plan of Redemption that God has designed as the soul and goal of history. Christ must, therefore, cancel the work of devastation, the horrible idolatry, violence and every sin that the rebellious Adam has spread in the secular affairs of humanity and on the horizon of creation. With his complete obedience to the Father, Christ opens the era of peace with God and among men, reconciling in himself scattered humanity (see Ephesians 2:16). He "recapitulates" Adam in himself, in whom the whole of humanity recognizes itself; he transfigures him into son of God, he brings him to full communion with the Father. Precisely through his fraternity with us in the flesh and blood, in life and death, Christ becomes "the head" of saved humanity. Again, St. Irenaeus writes: "Christ has recapitulated in himself all the blood poured out by all the just and all the prophets who have existed from the beginning" ("Adversus haereses" V, 14,1; see V, 14,2).

The good and the evil, therefore, are considered in the light of the redemptive work of Christ. The latter, as Paul helps us intuit, involves the whole of creation, in the variety of its components (see Romans 8:18-30). Nature itself, in fact, subjected as it is to lack of meaning, degradation and devastation caused by sin, thus participates in the joy of the deliverance brought about by Christ in the Holy Spirit.

Thus is the full action of the original plan of the Creator delineated: a creation in which God and man, man and woman, humanity and nature are in harmony, in dialogue, in communion. This plan, upset by sin, was taken up in a more wondrous way by Christ, who is carrying it out mysteriously but effectively in the present reality, in the expectation of bringing it to fulfillment. Jesus himself declared he is the fulcrum and point of convergence of this design of salvation when he affirmed: "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself" (John 12:32). And John the Evangelist presents this very work as a kind of recapitulation, "to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (John 11:52).

This work will reach completion in the fulfillment of history when -- as Paul, again, reminds us -- "God may be everything to every one" (1 Corinthians 15:28). The last page of the Apocalypse -- which was proclaimed at the opening of our meeting -- describes in bright colors this goal. The Church and the Spirit await and invoke that moment when Christ "delivers the kingdom to God the Father, after destroying every rule and every authority and power.... The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For God has put all things in subjection under the feet" of his Son (1 Corinthians 15:24,26).

At the end of this battle -- sung in wonderful pages of the Apocalypse -- Christ will fulfill the "recapitulation" and those who will be united to him will form the community of the redeemed, which "will not be wounded by any longer by sin, stains, self-love, that destroy or wound the earthly community. The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1045).

With her sight fixed on that day of light, the Church, beloved Bride of the Lamb, raises the ardent invocation: "Maranatha" (1 Corinthians 16:22), "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Apocalypse 22:20).

Secret of True Peace

The dignity of the human person is a transcendent value, always recognized as such by those who sincerely search for the truth. Indeed, the whole of human history should be interpreted in the light of this certainty. Every person, created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gn. 1:26-28) and therefore radically oriented towards the Creator, is constantly in relationship with those possessed of the same dignity. To promote the good of the individual is thus to serve the common good, which is that point where rights and duties converge and reinforce one another.

The history of our time has shown in a tragic way the danger which results from forgetting the truth about the human person. Before our eyes we have the results of ideologies such as Marxism, Nazism and Fascism, and also of myths like racial superiority, nationalism and ethnic exclusivism. No less pernicious, though not always as obvious, are the effects of materialistic consumerism, in which the exaltation of the individual and the selfish satisfaction of personal aspirations become the ultimate goal of life. In this outlook, the negative effects on others are considered completely irrelevant. Instead it must be said again that no affront to human dignity can be ignored, whatever its source, whatever actual form it takes and wherever it occurs....

To choose life involves rejecting every form of violence: the violence of poverty and hunger, which afflicts so many human beings; the violence of armed conflict; the violence of criminal trafficking in drugs and arms; the violence of mindless damage to the natural environment. In every circumstance, the right to life must be promoted and safeguarded with appropriate legal and political guarantees, for no offense against the right to life, against the dignity of any single person, is ever unimportant....

The promotion of human dignity is linked to the right to a healthy environment, since this right highlights the dynamics of the relationship between the individual and society. A body of international, regional and national norms on the environment is gradually giving juridic form to this right. But juridic measures by themselves are not sufficient. The danger of serious damage to land and sea, and to the climate, flora and fauna, calls for a profound change in modern civilization's typical consumer lifestyle, particularly in the richer countries. Nor can we underestimate another risk, even if it is a less drastic one: people who live in poverty in rural areas can be driven by necessity to exploit beyond sustainable limits the little land which they have at their disposal. Special training aimed at teaching them how to harmonize the cultivation of the land with respect for the environment needs to be encouraged.

The world’s present and future depend on the safeguarding of creation, because of the endless interdependence between human beings and their environment. Placing human well-being at the center of concern for the environment is actually the surest way of safeguarding creation; this in fact stimulates the responsibility of the individual with regard to natural resources and their judicious use....

Priorities

Let us not be overwhelmed by the distress of the present time. Let us instead open our hearts and minds to the great challenges lying before us:

– the defense of the sacredness of human life in all circumstances, especially in relation to the challenges posed by genetic manipulation;

– the elimination of poverty, through efforts to promote development, the reduction of debt and the opening up of international trade;

– respect for human rights in all situations, with especial concern for the most vulnerable: children, women and refugees;

– disarmament, the reduction of arms sales to poor countries, and the consolidation of peace after the end of conflicts;

– the fight against the major diseases, and access by the poor to basic care and medicines;

Of course, many other demands could also be mentioned. But if these priorities became the central concerns of political leaders; if people of good made them part of their daily endeavors; if religious believers included them in their teaching, the world would be a radically different place.

Birth of the Son of God

In the birth of the Son of God from the virginal womb of Mary, Christians recognize the infinite descent of the Most High to man and the whole of creation.

Spokesman of Creation

Although one can think that the whole of life of the created should be a hymn of praise to the Creator, it is more precise, however, to maintain that a position of primacy in this choir is reserved to the human creature. Through the human being, spokesman of the whole of creation, all the living praise the Lord. Our breath of life, which also spells self-consciousness, awareness, and liberty (see Proverbs 20:27), becomes a song and prayer of the whole of life that vibrates in the universe. This is why all of us must address one another "with Psalms, hymns, spiritual canticles, singing and praising the Lord" with all our heart (Ephesians 5:19).

Flowerbed of the Universe

We praise God for the beauty of the cosmos and of the earth, the marvelous "garden" that he entrusted to men and women in order that they might cultivate it and tend it (cf. Gen 2:15). It is good that people remember that they find themselves in a "flowerbed" of the immense universe, created for them by God. It is important for people to realize that neither they nor the matters which they so frantically pursue are "everything". Only God is "everything", and in the end everyone will have to give an accounting of themselves to him.

We praise God, the Creator and Lord of the universe, for the gift of life and especially human life, which has blossomed on this planet through the mysterious plan of his goodness. Life in all its forms is entrusted in a special way to the care of man.

-Discourse After Testimonies for Peace, At the Day of Prayer for Peace, January 24, 2002

God With Us

God is like this, both distant and yet close, someone beyond us yet beside us, in fact willing to be with us and in us. The earth responds with a chorus of praise to the revelation of his majesty: it is a cosmic response, a prayer to which man gives voice.

Psalm 18 [19]: An Invitation to Discover God's Presence in Creation

    The sun, with its increasing brilliance in the sky, the splendor of its light, and the beneficent warmth of its rays, has captivated humanity since the beginning. In many ways human beings have manifested their gratitude for this source of life and well-being, with an enthusiasm that often reaches the height of authentic poetry. The wonderful Psalm 18[19], the first part of which we have just proclaimed, is not only a prayer in the form of a hymn of extraordinary intensity; but is also a poetic song addressed to the sun and its shining on the face of the earth....

    ...God illuminates the universe with the brilliance of the sun and illuminates humanity with the splendor of his Word contained in biblical Revelation. It is almost like a double sun: The first is a cosmic epiphany of the Creator; the second is a historical and free manifestation of the Savior God....

    But let us go back now to the first part of the Psalm. It begins with a wonderful personification of the heavens, which to the sacred Author appear as eloquent witnesses of the creative work of God (verses 2-5). They, in fact, "narrate," "announce" the wonders of the divine work (see verse 2). The day and night are also represented as messengers that transmit the great news of creation. This is a silent testimony, which nevertheless makes itself forcefully heard as a voice throughout the cosmos.

    With the interior vision of the soul, with religious intuition not distracted by superficiality, man and woman can discover that the world is not dumb but speaks of the Creator. As the ancient sage said, "From the greatness and beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen" (Wisdom 13:5). St. Paul also reminds the Romans that "Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made" (Romans 1:20).

    Then the hymn gives way to the sun. The luminous globe is depicted by the inspired poet as a heroic warrior who leaves the chamber where he spent the night, emerges from the heart of darkness and begins his inexhaustible course in the heavens (verses 6-7). It is like an athlete who never pauses or is exhausted, while the whole of our planet is enveloped in its irresistible warmth.

    Hence, the sun is compared to a spouse, a hero, a champion who, by divine order, must fulfill a task every day, a conquest, and a race in the sidereal spaces. The Psalmist thus points to the flaming sun in mid-sky, while all the earth is enveloped by its heat, the air is still, no angle of the horizon can escape from its light.

    The solar image of the Psalm is taken up by the Christian paschal liturgy to describe the triumphant exodus of Christ from the darkness of the sepulcher and his entry into the fullness of the new life of the resurrection. The Byzantine liturgy sings in the matins of Holy Saturday: "As the sun rises after the night totally radiant in its renewed luminosity, so you also, O Word, will shine in a new brightness when, after death, you will leave your nuptial bed." An ode (the first) of Easter matins links the cosmic revelation with Christ's paschal event: "Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult with it, because the whole universe, both the visible and invisible, takes part in this celebration: Christ, our everlasting joy, has risen." And another ode (the third) adds: "Today the whole universe, heaven, earth and abyss, is full of light and the whole of creation sings the resurrection of Christ, our strength and our joy." Finally, another ode (the fourth) concludes: "Christ our Pasch has risen from the tomb as a sun of justice shining on all of us the splendor of his charity."

    The Roman liturgy is not as explicit as the Eastern in comparing Christ to the sun. Nevertheless, it describes the cosmic repercussions of his Resurrection, when it begins its song of lauds on Easter morning with the famous hymn: "The dawn is radiant with light, the heavens exult with songs, the world dances with joy, hell moans with cries".

    The Christian interpretation of the Psalm, however, does not cancel its basic message, which is an invitation to discover the divine word present in creation. Of course, as stated in the second part of the Psalm, there is another and higher Word, more precious than light itself, that of biblical Revelation.

    For those who have attentive ears and unveiled eyes, creation is like a first revelation, which has its own eloquent language: It is almost like another sacred book whose letters are represented by the multitude of creatures present in the universe. St. John Chrysostom says: "The silence of the heavens is a voice that resounds more intensely than a trumpet: This voice cries to our eyes, and not to our ears, the grandeur of the one who made it" (PG 49, 105). And St. Athanasius: "The firmament, through its magnificence, beauty and order, is a prestigious preacher of its author, whose eloquence fills the universe" (PG 27, 124).

    ...Psalm 18[19] praises God for his works of creation. The first part of the Psalm speaks of the heavens and the marvelous signs of God’s glory contained in them. The second part presents a very poetic description of the sun, which by its light and warmth gives life to man. The Christian tradition gives further meaning to this imagery of the sun, seeing in it a representation of Christ’s Resurrection, of the Lord’s triumph over the darkness of sin and death.

    This Psalm is an invitation to discover God’s presence in creation, and to welcome his saving word, more precious than the light of the sun. Creation therefore remains a kind of first revelation which speaks to us clearly of the Creator and which can lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of God’s love for us.

Psalm 65: God's Loving Care and Saving Grace

...In the Bible, creation is where humanity dwells and sin is an attack against the world's order and perfection. Conversion and forgiveness, however, restore integrity and harmony to the cosmos....

The psalmist uses ten verbs to describe this loving action of the Creator on earth, which is transformed into a sort of living creature. Indeed, the works of creation "cheer and sing for joy." (Psalm 65:14)....

Together, all creatures turn to their Creator and King, as though they are in a procession where they are dancing, singing, praising, and praying. Once again nature becomes an eloquent symbol of God's action: it is a page that is open to everyone, ready to manifest the message that the Creator traced on it, because "from the greatness and beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen" (Wisdom 13:5, see Romans 1:20)....

...The psalmist looks forward throughout his song to an intense encounter where creation and redemption become one. As the earth is revived in springtime through the work of the Creator, so, too, man rises from his sin through the work of his Redeemer. In this way, creation and history are under the caring and saving gaze of the Lord, who conquers the roaring, destructive waters and gives us water that purifies us, makes us fruitful and quenches our thirst. Indeed, the Lord "heals the broken hearted, binds up their wounds," but also "covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, makes grass sprout on the mountains" (Psalm 147:3,8).

Message for the 2002 World Day of Tourism (excerpts)

INTELLIGENT TOURISM aims at valuing the beauty of creation and helps man to become close to it with respect, enjoying it while not altering its equilibrium.

How can we deny that humanity today is unfortunately living an ecological emergency? A certain savage tourism has contributed and continues to contribute to such destruction, since tourist spots have been built without careful and respectful consideration of the environmental impact.

Frequently, the unbridled desire to accumulate riches prevails which makes it difficult to listen to the alarming cry of poverty of entire groups of people. Therefore, it is necessary to promote forms of tourism that are more respectful to the environment, more moderate in their use of natural resources and more cooperative with local cultures. They are forms of tourism with strong ethical impetus, rooted in the conviction that the environment is everybody's home and therefore, natural goods are meant for all those who live in it as well as for future generations.

We must be careful that [ecological tourism] does not become distorted and that it does not turn into a means of exploitation and discrimination. If protection of the environment were promoted as an end unto itself, we would run the risk of seeing modern forms of colonialism born that would damage the traditional rights of resident communities in a given territory.

In general, ecological tourism takes people to places, environments and regions whose natural equilibrium needs constant care in order not to become endangered. Therefore, studies and rigorous supervision that combine respect for nature as well as man's right to enjoy it for his own development must be carried out.

[John Paul II concludes by especially addressing Christians], so that they make tourism an occasion of contemplation and encounter with God, Creator and Father of all, and may they, in this way, be confirmed in service to justice and peace, in fidelity to He who has promised new heavens and new earth.

Christ is Our Model

    ...God has given man, a weak creature, a wonderful dignity: he has made him a little less than the angels or, as can also be translated from the Hebrew original, a little less than a god (see Psalm 8, verse 6).... God, indeed, has "crowned" him as a viceroy, giving him a universal lordship: "You have ... put all things at their feet" and the adjective "all" resounds while the various creatures file past (see verse 7-9). However, this dominion is not conquered by man's capacity, fragile and limited reality, nor is it obtained either by a victory over God, as the Greek myth of Prometheus intended. It is a dominion given by God: to the fragile and often egotistic hands of man is entrusted the entire horizon of creatures, so that he will preserve them in harmony and beauty, use them but not abuse them, reveal their secrets and develop their potential.

    As the pastoral constitution "Gaudium et Spes" of Vatican Council II states, "man was created 'to the image of God,' is capable of knowing and loving his Creator, and was appointed by Him as master of all earthly creatures that he might subdue them and use them to God's glory" (No. 12).

    Unfortunately, the dominion of man, affirmed in Psalm 8, can be misunderstood and deformed by selfish man, who often has revealed himself to be a mad tyrant rather than a wise and intelligent ruler. The Book of Wisdom warns against deviations of this kind, when it specifies that God has "established man to rule the creatures produced by you, to govern the world in holiness and justice" (Wisdom 9:2-3). Although in a different context, Job also refers to our Psalm to recall in particular human weakness, which does not merit so much attention from God: "What is man, that you make much of him, or pay him any heed? You observe him with each new day" (Job 7:17-18). History documents the evil that human freedom disseminates in the world with environmental devastations and with the most terrible social injustices.

    Unlike human beings, who humiliate their own kind and creation, Christ appears as the perfect man, " 'crowned with glory and honor' because he suffered death ... that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9). He reigns over the universe with that dominion of peace and love that prepares the new world, the new heavens and the new earth (see 2 Peter 3:13). What is more, his royal authority -- as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews suggests, applying Psalm 8 to him -- is exercised through the supreme gift of himself in death "for the good of all."

    Christ is not a ruler who is to be served, but a ruler who serves and devotes himself to others: "For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). In this way, he sums up in his own being "all things ... in heaven and on earth" (Ephesians 1:10). In such a Christ-centered light, Psalm 8 reveals all the force of its message and of its hope, inviting us to exercise our sovereignty over creation not through domination but through love.

-July 6, 2002, General Audience Meditation on Psalm 8 on Mankind's Proper Sovereignty Over Creation. Translations by ZENIT and National Catholic Register.

[At the end of the general audience, the Pope gave the following summary in English.]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Psalm 8 is a hymn praising God, the Creator of the universe, and giving thanks for the sublime dignity bestowed upon man, the guardian of creation. God entrusted the world to men and women, yet this trust has often been abused, through the damage done to the natural environment and through man's injustice to man. It is Jesus Christ, the new Adam, who reveals the full measure of humanity's vocation to govern the world. In Christ's Kingdom all people are invited to exercise their royal dominion over creation, in justice, freedom, and selfless love....

"...look with wonder at the Creator because of the beauty and rationality of that which He has placed and keeps in existence. Only this humility before the grandeur and mystery of creation can save man from the ill-fated consequences of his own arrogance."

Table of Creation