Eucharist and Ecology

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Abstract: The Directory for Catechesis emphasizes that care for creation is "an integral part of the Christian life" and indicates that appropriate catechesis should heed "the signs of the liturgy." In Laudato Sí , Pope Francis focuses on the Eucharist as "a source of light and motivation for our concerns for the environment." With particular reference to writers from the Eastern Orthodox tradition, which has retained a strong awareness of the cosmic aspects of Christian faith and the sacraments, the article considers the relationship between human beings and creation that is expressed when bread and wine, fruit of the earth and work of human hands, are offered to God in the Eucharist. Christ fulfills the biblical understanding of humanity as steward, even priest, of creation, and the regular celebration of the Eucharist, through him and with him and in him, forms the Christian community in a right relationship with creation. The ecological problem is seen to be primarily spiritual in nature, and to need a solution that is essentially religious. Rightly understood, Christianity holds the key to its solution, though for too long, particularly in the West, it has seemed concerned only with the salvation of human beings or even simply with saving souls. Christ promised the new heavens and the new earth, and the current crisis is an opportunity for Christians to embrace once again the full dimensions of the salvation he has won and to bear witness in the world accordingly.