“Moreover they should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which bear the imprint of the Most High, and they should strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the Franciscan concept of universal kinship” (Article 18, Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order)
As a Franciscan, watching the scenes of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill leaves me full of sorrow. An ocean that is teaming with life surrounded by beautiful beaches and marshes, all of it a gift from a Father who loves us. It is now all spoiled by oil, all because we did not know or we belittled the risks of drilling so deep. We failed to consider the various disaster scenarios, nor prepared the technology to deal with all possibilities. We failed to be responsible with the gift we were given.
Now, all most of us can do is pray that somehow, the well will be stopped; that the beaches will be restored; that some of the creatures will be saved. We will need to open our hearts and our hands to those on the Gulf coast who could lose their livelihoods. And we need to recommit ourselves “to respect all creatures, animate and inanimate.”
As a Franciscan, watching the scenes of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill leaves me full of sorrow. An ocean that is teaming with life surrounded by beautiful beaches and marshes, all of it a gift from a Father who loves us. It is now all spoiled by oil, all because we did not know or we belittled the risks of drilling so deep. We failed to consider the various disaster scenarios, nor prepared the technology to deal with all possibilities. We failed to be responsible with the gift we were given.
Now, all most of us can do is pray that somehow, the well will be stopped; that the beaches will be restored; that some of the creatures will be saved. We will need to open our hearts and our hands to those on the Gulf coast who could lose their livelihoods. And we need to recommit ourselves “to respect all creatures, animate and inanimate.”
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