The earth was entrusted to us and our human dignity and welfare are deeply connected to our care for the whole of creation.
However, history presents a very different context. It reveals a morally decaying scenario where our attitude and behavior towards creation obscures our calling as God’s co-operators. Our propensity to interrupt the world’s delicate and balanced ecosystems, our insatiable desire to manipulate and control the planet’s limited resources, and our greed for limitless profit in markets have alienated us from the original purpose of creation.
The consequences of this alternative worldview are tragic and lasting. Our obligation to use the earth’s goods responsibly implies the recognition of and respect for all people and all living creatures. The urgent call and challenge to care for creation are an invitation for all of humanity to work toward sustainable and integral development.
It is every Christian’s role to take part in urgently appealing to those in positions of social, economic, political, and cultural responsibility to hear the cry of the earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalized. Above all to respond to the plea of millions and support the consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation.
Genesis 2:15 “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
