Fifth Sunday – Easter Cycle C
Reflecting on Revelation 21:1-5
Ah…May. Is there a more delicious celebration of the senses? And how on earth does it all happen? The bush outside our window has been empty and barren and boring for months and months, and just in time for Earth Day last week it popped open with the most gorgeous pinks and whites. And now all the trees on the block are clapping their hands and saying, Ha!! Look what we’ve been getting ready for all winter! And we did it right in front of your eyes and you didn’t even notice!! Surprise!!!
Colors of Spring
But these days my husband Ben, whose carbon footprint is nearly undetectable, is staring with astonishment as I start up the car for the one-mile drive to church. Uh oh. I guess the world’s resources aren’t mine alone. Even the ancient author of the Book of Revelation knew that someday the former heaven and earth would pass away, but why should I contribute to that event before God’s own time?
Listen to Pope Benedict XVII in his address for the World Day of Peace 2010: We must ensure that human activity does not compromise the fruitfulness of the earth, for the benefit of people now and in the future…If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation… As we care for creation we realize that God, through creation, cares for us.
I love that. I remember all those long talks I had with God as I rode my Schwinn through the apple-blossomed Mays of my youth. God was caring for me then, mediating grace through the exquisite beauty of nature.
Okay, maybe just this once I’ll try biking to church.
Google World Day of Peace 2010 to read the entire papal address.
Sharing God’s Word at Home:
In what ways do you experience God’s care for you as you care for creation?