Faith and Family
In Praise of Nature
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I am always amazed at this time of the year. The beauty of the leaves, the blue sky, and cooler air, all announcing the coming of a new season, Fall. No one has to flip a switch, or pay for the event to occur, or receive so many clicks on their Instagram account. It comes on its own, without human help or government approval. I think there is something to learn in this seasonal rotation. Nature has its own schedule and may take its time or surprise us with dates and weather effects that may shock some of us with their fierceness or pleasantly astonish us with their kind presentation. The great art historian Sir Kenneth Clark, in one of his presentations on nature, says it was "Nature naturing." Nature has her own ways of weather and seasonal performances.
I just want to point out here that nature is under the rules and control of its creator. God is the creator. I think looking at the night sky and realizing the billions of stars, galaxies, and galactic activity that take place should tell us something about our creator. Often people dismiss the natural world as a given. Most humans operate, especially today, on a screen that may be 2×5 inches wide. Our entire world is an electronic gadget-driven universe. The natural part of our lives is currently very limited.
Could the electric universe we are all bathed in have produced disconnects between people, created ideas that isolate us from others, and made us see only our needs and wants? Is it any wonder that we are seeing mental illness in younger and younger children, that teen suicide is a reality? It is difficult for me to grasp some of the things I hear in the news. Young people killing themselves over internet bullying. In my day, that was unheard of. Why is it occurring now? Do you think there may be a connection to our magical and pervasive use of technology?
Technology is not the only driver of this behavior, but family life and the bonds it produces between parent and child have changed over the years, and the family has become, believe it or not, a lonely place to be raised. Children are not the focus of family life but a product, and in many cases, they have to be endured until they are eighteen. Love has become a by-product, not the emphasis of family life. Love, in general, is a word used so often in our society. We can love a candy bar or our car, but we often reduce loving another human being to sentimentality. Love’s true meaning is sacrifice, endurance, and forgiveness, as St. Paul says: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ( 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8). What
has happened to this understanding in our times? What has changed? In my estimation, what has changed us into who we are is the loss of human communication, human concern for others, and human interaction. If you are a child in elementary school today, you want a phone. Why? Because all the others in your class have one. What is so necessary about the phone? We need it to be like everyone else and to participate in the online world; it is raising children in our times. Communication has become electric and instant. I have to say, in my day, you did not use a phone to call your friends; you stood outside the house and called them. The mother usually came out and said Johnny could not come out to play. That was the end of the call, so to speak. One kid on our block had a bike, and the whole neighborhood learned to ride it. Yes, I admit, it is a different world, but you know there is so much more to life than things. We seem to have lost our sense of what truly matters. God loves us no matter what we own or where we live. He tells us to love one another, not just to abide one another, and not just to sell to one another. Look at the universe; see how nature is cared for. How the seasons come and go, without human help. Our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, God, is always with us. Take time to communicate with your God in prayer of thanksgiving. Take time to ponder how beautiful our planet is; it is part of God's gift to us, His children.
You have set your glory in the heavens. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place (Psalm 8: 1-3)