Season of Creation - Reflection

This past Tuesday, I attended 15 Minutes for Peace with Fr. Art, where the guest speaker was Fr. David Pride. It was specially dedicated to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Fr. David began by bringing forward a children’s toy used to tell the story of Noah’s Ark. He invited participants to place the figures of Noah, his family, and the animals inside the ark, and then opened a conversation about what we know—or think we know—about this familiar story.

In closing, he offered a profound insight: the unique circumstance of the ark was that every creature had to coexist within its confined space. To survive, they had no choice but to get along. Otherwise, chaos would have consumed them. In this light, one of the lessons of the Noahic Covenant is the call to live together in harmony. As passengers on the vast ark we call “Earth,” we too are reminded that we are not alone. Countless other species share this journey with us, each one here because God so willed it.

We are bound together on this voyage. Together with all created beings, we struggle against anything that disrupts the sustainability of our common home, and we strive toward the hope that Earth may flourish as God intended.

It was a poignant moment as we learned of the passing yesterday of Jane Goodall, the world-renowned primatologist and anthropologist. She dedicated her life to teaching us what it means to be human within creation —and also what creation teaches us about being human. Her legacy does not end with her death, but continues and must be carried forward by all who were inspired by her living witness. By the same token, the wisdom of First Nations peoples invites us to honor the land, seek balance, and find our right place within the intricate web of the whole creation.

This work begins in the ordinary places where we live. It starts by paying attention: noticing when the space and dignity of another being is taken away simply because of human desire for more than what we truly need. Even in small ways, we can learn to make room, to return what rightfully belongs, and to live more justly alongside others. Getting along with one another is not passive or simple. It is an art—an art of attentiveness, empathy, humility, and determination—drawn together by the one common goal of sustaining life in all its sacred fullness.

From Fr. James