Mother Earth, a Gift from our Lord and Creator to Mankind
HE Bishop Charles Mrad on “Days of the Season of Creation” Program:
‘We are all the brothers and children of one Nature, and mankind is invited to sanctify Mother Earth’
This interview is also available in Arabic.
“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.” (Genesis 1: 1-2). This is how God created Earth and everything on it, and gathered all of them in one environment, thus creating Man in His image, and after His likeness, making him guardian of the Earth "Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground." (Genesis 1:26). But has man really managed to live up to the responsibility entrusted to him by God towards the environment? Was he able to preserve the home that the Creator gave him?
It seems that our common home is not doing so well, as the "Season of Creation" Christians celebrate around the world between September 1 and October 4 of each year comes to push us to dive deep into ourselves and try answering these questions, especially since the environment is threatened today to be destroyed at the hands of Man. The Church devoted great attention to the environmental cause throughout history, as God Himself turned the dry land into a paradise of his own making. This is what His Holiness Pope Francis emphasized on in his Encyclical Laudato Si' on caring for the common home.
What does the Encyclical really mean? How does the Bible mention the environment? What is the role of Man, especially the youth, towards it? How does change begin in order to preserve God's ecological grace?
These are all questions answered by the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Vicar of Eparchy of Beirut, Our Lady of Annunciation Syriac Catholic Cathedral in Beirut, His Eminence Bishop Mathias Charles Mrad, in his TV interview on the second episode of the “Days of the Season of Creation” program on Télé Lumière and Noursat. It was launched by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches during the celebration of the "Season of Creation", and for the first time in the East through the season’s guide the Council took the initiative to translate into Arabic.
First, Bishop Charles Mrad defined the environment in three words: earth, air or sky, and water, being the surroundings of Man and his home. Therefore, Mrad stressed the “importance of the Season of Creation, and it becoming a new topic for us and our youth… In our spiritual conversations, we usually focus on the teachings of the Church, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary and the saints, but today our orientation lies in the spirituality of creation, often considered present and important in our prayers or the way we think.”
The Bishop explained that the word “environment” was not explicitly used in the Bible, but the Bible presents, especially in the Old Testament and Psalms... Many verses centered around creation, indicating that God is the one Lord and creator of Earth...". For example: “Think! The heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the LORD, your God, as well as the earth and everything on it.” (Deuteronomy 10:14).
Mrad continued: "If we pray these verses and explain them spiritually, we will discover that God is the Creator, especially in the Book of Genesis and the story of creation, that shows that Earth belongs to God, not man." He then reminded us of the general Encyclical of His Holiness Pope Francis “Laudato Si’” through which he explains this idea. Mrad invites everyone to read it because it gives out the Church’s view of the environment and creation and all its artificial, social, and industrial matters... He also pointed out that Saint Francis of Assisi, friend of creatures and the environment and a writer of their hymn, inspired His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff to choose the title of the Encyclical "Laudato Si".
Due to all the crises and concerns surrounding us, some consider it a waste of time to think about the cause of nature and its preservation, while others believe that the environmental cause is very important in order to ensure a more sustainable future. Is the concept of environment clear to people? In his answer, Bishop Charles Mrad presented the environmental reality that we are going through. "We do not have enough balance to give nature and the environment what it deserves. In our conception, we consider the environment to be limited to "cleanliness", meaning that we do not throw waste on the ground."
The Church contributes through initiatives such as “the Days of the Season of Creation” to provide further and deeper meanings. Just as Man would care about his smaller home, he must also preserve the environment in which he lives. "God created everything and prepared a home for mankind for Man to be the last creature he created, giving him authority over creation and a responsibility towards it. However, Man acted as the owner of the land that originally belonged to God."
His Eminence sees the “Season of Creation” as a reminder “that God is the Creator and Lord of heaven and Earth, and Man is a confidant and proxy. The Old Testament and the Book of Genesis show that Earth was empty and deserted. God turned it into a paradise, while Man empties and deserts it once again, and this is his sin.” He added that His Holiness Pope Francis talks about repentance, "When I repent, I understand the value of the land, especially since the corruption comes from human sin, through the use of weapons, chemicals, causing fires, wars and evil... This is how Man kills the environment God provided."
Mrad added: "The primary idea behind the Encyclical of His Holiness Pope Francis "Laudato Si" lies in our responsibility towards what we will leave behind for future generations. From this point of view, the "Season of Creation" invites us to think about the land God has entrusted us with, and in turn we have to preserve and protect it."
Many of the Earth population talk about ways to limit the destruction of the environment, but HE Bishop Mrad primarily considers “that we must reconsider the upbringing of new generations, not only on a spiritual and social level, but also on an environmental level, especially since the environmental culture begins with the education and guidance of parents for their children." From here, he pointed out that "His Holiness Pope Francis focuses on the work, courage and drive of young people, considering that they can achieve change in a faster and easier way, unlike children who do not have the necessary will."
“We are all brothers and children of one Earth,” he continued, “God placed the Church in an environment, Christ and the apostles lived on Earth, and Man was created from earth. He is the son of the environment and creation.” The responsibility of a Christian believer lies in preserving “the trust that God has given us so that Earth remains a paradise future generations would inherit and preserve until the end of time. Unfortunately, Man distorts his environment. This is why His Holiness Pope Francis has warned the concerned organizations from this danger. “By not respecting each other, we distort Mother Earth, and by not respecting Mother Earth, we distort the will of God, and this is our sin. Man’s vocation is the sanctification of Earth. For that purpose God created him, gave him authority, and made him responsible.”
With a hopeful heart, Bishop Charles Mrad ended the interview by raising a prayer on behalf of our common home to remember that we are all the children of this land and we are responsible for preserving it despite all the circumstances we go through. “When we pray, we should always thank God for the gift He blessed us with.” Finally, he called everyone to pray for this cause so that we realize the value of God's creation and begin to respect and sanctify it.
Communication and Public Relations Department