Humanity must cooperate with God’s creation… or face consequences

By Kaelanne Jordan

mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org

Martin Luther King Jr once used the same scripture from Amos 5:24 in one of his iconic speeches, ‘I have a Dream’, August 28, 1963. In it he declared, “We will not be satisfied until justice flows like a mighty river, until righteousness comes down like a mighty stream.”

His words resonate with the struggle for justice and equality, a struggle that is not confined to human rights alone but extends to the very essence of creation.

In the same way, people must awaken to the cries of the Earth, to the cries of creation.

“If we do not respond to the death of justice within creation, creation will respond in its own way…We either cooperate with God’s work or destruction,” said Fr Kwesi Alleyne in his homily at a September 2 Mass to celebrate the start of the Season of Creation. The Mass was celebrated at the outdoor Divine Mercy Shrine, La Vega Estate, Gran Couva. It was organised by the local chapter of the Laudato Si Movement, the Franciscan Institute for Personal and Family Development, and the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.

From September 1 – October 4, the Christian family unites worldwide in prayer and action for creation during the Season of Creation. This year’s theme is Let Justice and Peace Flow. The symbol is the mighty river.

Destruction, Fr Alleyne emphasised, is not God’s intention; God is the giver of life. It is one’s choice and responsibility to cooperate with God’s work, be responsible stewards, just as the Church and the people of God have a role to play.

Fr Alleyne opined that The Laudato Si movement, along with the Season of Creation offers an opportunity to cooperate with God consciously. If persons do not actively engage in this “ecumenical moment” and allow their lives to be part of that stream that may bring justice and peace, “we open the space for destruction.”

Quoting from Martin Luther King Jr that,”A riot is the language of the unheard”, Fr Alleyne explained when the cries go unanswered, consequences follow. Similarly, what people witness in the natural world can be likened to a riot, creation’s response to being unheard and unheeded.

Fr Alleyne then invited the gathering to be open to God’s voice in cooperating with His work. “I don’t want to play mad and say I fighting this torrent of God. I want to run with it and cooperate and do whatever God asks me to do in my space so that creation may be renewed. So that that river may be channelled correctly, so that the destruction can be abated, so that we can all learn to let justice, peace, righteousness, care to extend through our lives,” Fr Alleyne said.

He reminded faithful that the Season of Creation is God’s project and the people of God have the privilege and duty to allow God to manifest this project through their lives.