Earth's story is a sacred story

By Virginia Scissons, NDS

SASKATOON — Sister Judy Schachtel, SMS, gave a presentation titled Earth Story, A Sacred Story to parish representatives of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon gathered May 1 at the Catholic Centre.

“The earth is our home,” said Schachtel. “Do I treat the earth as my home or as a hotel?”

Schachtel gave a brief overview of the first 1,500 years of Christianity. During those centuries, she said, human beings had a connection with the earth.

The writings of the theologians and mystics, several of whom she quoted, reveal their attitude toward the earth. There are two books of revelation of God, said St. Augustine; one is the Book of the Scriptures and the other is the Book of Creation. St. Francis of Assisi looked upon the natural world as his relatives, as his “brothers and sisters,” Schachtel described.

For them and for others, she said, all of life was interconnected and they grasped what we are finding out today through science.

Although the period known as the Black Death lasted only two years, AD 1347 - 1349, one-third of Europe was destroyed as a result of it. The Black Death — which consisted of three distinct types of plague: bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic — precipitated a change in worldview, with earth and nature now viewed with suspicion and no longer trusted, she noted.

The dualistic thinking of the western mind, which looked on spirit and matter as two separate entities, with spirit being the superior of the two, drove a further wedge between humanity and nature. This line of thought, explained Schachtel, was intensified by the Industrial Revolution. Nature became “an object to be exploited rather than a subject to be communed with,” she said, quoting Rev. Thomas Berry.

Schachtel gave an overview of the creation story, a story which scientists now estimate took place over the course of 13.7 billion years. As the story unfolded, said Schachtel, life became increasingly complex.

Using the metaphor of a calendar year, Jan. 1 would be the starting point of creation and Dec. 31 at 10 minutes to midnight would be the time at which human beings emerged on the scene. In the great scheme of life, said Schachtel, “we are 10 minutes old.

“It is an evolutionary story coming from the heart of God,” she said.

“What does God do all day long? God lies on a maternity bed giving birth!” she said, quoting Meister Eckhart.

Schachtel showed a 15-minute video narrated by Rosemary Radford Ruether titled The Universe Drama in Three Parts. Part 1, Creation, the creation story, looks at the Spirit of God active from the start in the unfolding of life on this planet. Part 2, Corruption, recounts the violence done by humans to earth and its inhabitants and Part 3, Rebellion For Life, is a call to treat the earth as sacred and to a commitment to heal this wounded creation, according to Ruether.

The discussion following the presentation centred on how to get this information into school systems to expose children to this worldview and help them to reconnect with nature.

Schachtel, a Sister of Mission Service, resides in Saskatoon, where she gives presentations, workshops, and retreats on the topic of ecological spirituality.