Missionaries of the Sacred

The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds,
the world and those who live there.
(Psalm 24:1)

Our prayers continue for the recovery and welfare of all those affected by the Gulf oil spill. Particularly, we are in solidarity with those persons whose sustenance is dependent upon the fishing industries. We are also united in prayer with those family members who lost loved ones in this tragedy as well as those whose jobs have been lost.

Certainly, this Gulf experience draws our attention to ecological stewardship. It reminds us that we need to better care for our environment. When we see creation as a sacrament of God’s presence in creation, we realize that we are inhabitants and stewards, not owners of creation. Responsibility to and accountability for creation are constitutive elements of the stewardship, which God has entrusted to us. Indeed, “Disciples, who practice stewardship, recognize God as the origin of life.”¹