The following is an abridged version of a homily given at the Green Mass on Sept. 25.
St. Augustine of Hippo, the great theologian and Doctor of the Church, asserted that there are two ways of knowing God — first, the Book of Revelation (meaning the Bible), and second, the “Book of Nature.” Together, they provide a complete and complementary picture of God the Creator.
Augustine preached about the Book of Nature, “Look above you! Look below you! Note it. Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that? Why, heaven and earth shout to you: ‘God made me!’ ” (Sermon 126.6).
In our celebration of the Mass, we have (at least) two moments that emphasize God the Creator. In the Nicene Creed, we proclaim, “I believe in one God, the Father the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.” Affirming God as our Creator is the first and foundational doctrine of our faith.
Secondly, in the Eucharistic prayer, the presider prays, “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.”
We see, in the simple bread and wine, the awesome work of our Creator, and his ongoing participation in Creation.
But the Eucharist is also celebrated in cooperation with human beings. Bread and wine do not grow directly out of the ground or on trees. They require the participation and labor of human beings. We are co-creators in the production of food and drink, and in the holy sacrament itself.
Every Mass is a Mass of Creation that connects us to our Creator, with the earth and with all creatures. This vision enables us to see our own place in the vast, interconnected web of life. Like St. Francis of Assisi, we can see the wind, the sun and fire as our brother; the moon, the stars and the earth as our sister; and all living things as our family.
We are in a sacred relationship of mutuality, with human beings existing within Creation, not above it. And that is why it is so important for us to care for Creation.
As we all continue this work, let us look for those signs in nature that point us to God for our source of inspiration — whether it be our daily or weekly reminders in the Eucharist, with the lived example set by St. Francis of Assisi, or whenever we get a glimpse of the night sky.
Let us go forward together, following the sign of the cross as members of this great family of Creation and as workers of this good earth.
May we be filled with an abiding faith in Creation and love for the Creator who made us.
Deacon Ned Berghausen is a permanent deacon at St. Agnes Church.
