Ezekiel 36:25-29a – I'll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You'll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You'll be my people! I'll be your God! I'll pull you out of that stinking pollution. (MSG)

In his encyclical on the environment, Laudato si (Praise be to you), Pope Francis wrote:

Human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbour and with the earth itself. According to the Bible, these three vital relationships have been broken, both outwardly and within us. This rupture is sin. The harmony between the Creator, humanity and creation as a whole was disrupted by our presuming to take the place of God and refusing to acknowledge our creaturely limitations.

This sin needs to be scrubbed clean, not only within our own hearts in relationship to God, but also in the rupture with creation at this time in our history. We give thanks to God that there are those who are seeking such a restoration!

On November 16th, 2020, The Order of Nova Scotia announced its latest award recipients. Stella Bowles first gained attention as an 11-year-old back in 2015, when she started collecting water samples in the LaHave River. She wanted to go for a swim, but was warned against it by her mother due to the sewage being dumped into it, particularly via pipes that went directly from homes into the river. Now, at the age of 16, the environmentalist is the youngest recipient of The Order of Nova Scotia, the highest order in the province. Bowles says that she never dreamed that what started as a school project would turn into a $15.7 million cleanup of the river. What a difference she has made!

What might you set your hands to that will make a difference in the world around you? The waters of creation are crying out for those who will act in their defence. Is there a local pond or stream that needs volunteers to help clean its banks? Is there a watershed that needs a champion to address environmental concerns? The suggestions are endless. Go, make a difference in the world!

Prayer: Lord, may love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight in our lives, so that we may be able to discern what is best. Amen.

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About the author:

Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada
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