order of creation Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph Page

Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph*

Humans are called, God's work of art

The word 'harmony' means “agreement in relation – fitting together of parts so as to form a connected whole". The parts need not be of the same stature. The possibility of plurality is envisaged in the very concept of harmony. For Social Harmony, we need to create strong social bonds through the power of love. Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but looking outward together in the same direction. Art, whether poetry, music, painting, sculpture, dance or other forms of eco-formations would serve the purpose of harmony if people look outward together with a common purpose. There is so much wonder and thrill in nature. "All that breathe” (Ps.150.6) have a common future in God's order of creation. In Eph 2:10, St. Paul speaks of Christians as "poiemia" of God. The Greek word poiemia could be translated as creation, composition, poem etc. In the Jerusalem Bible, it is rendered as "we are God's work of art”. What a noble expectation of us by God in the plan of Salvation! This is to happen in the world as the oikonomia (Divine plan of administration) of God.

For a common future we need to reflect harmony in the art of living. A flower that is kept in a flower vase at an altar speaks volumes to us. The orderliness and the fragrance of the flower are supposed to create poems within us. The plastic flower in a vase kept at the altar of the Church is not a substitute for a live flower, which represents the glory of God in creation. In the Eucharist, the worshipping community should bring before the Lord not only the elements – bread and wine (which are made of wheat and grapes!), but the glory of plurality in God's order of creation.

The web of life

The question of the integrity of creation speaks of authentic relationship. It is impossible to create authentic living without a caring attitude to nature. The world is the household of God (oikos), which rests upon relationships. The environmentalist may call it “the web of life”. The following eco-poem speaks of the connectivity in nature.

Look at the spider web, What a wonderful sight! I asked myself: Am I the hub of life? Or am I its web? A hub is a centralized ego; A web is an interconnected home. I asked the spider, Who has taught you to weave your net? Are you not afraid of your fate as your net is very fragile?

The Spider replied: I have no permanent abode. One day for me is thousand years! I live in a web. I make my own web with my own body fluid. I am proud of my own professional skill. Do you know that I ward off insects from your bed room? I am really your bodyguard. I keep you safe from the biting insects. I eat very little. I eat the flies that bite you! I have only one plea, Allow me to build my own dwelling; Do not destroy the work of my hand; Learn from me the art of life. Life is interconnected You and me are part of the whole, In the household of the Creator, you and I dwell together

In God's order of creation, everything has the right to exist. The translation of a folk song composed by an Adivasi from Kerala reads like this: We have always lived in these forests. Wild animals used to roam freely in search of food. Neither of us was frightened of the other. We are all parts of one family. What a great eco-vision!

We talk so much about the uprooted people or the refuges. But we seldom speak for the environmental refugees. The very talk of man and nature requires a review. As man is part and parcel of nature there is no point in making such a distinction. The conjunction "and “is irrelevant in an eco-centric attitude to life. To say that the tail of a monkey has separate existence from the monkey is a false statement. Man and nature are two sides of the same coin. As nature is the art of God, we ought to perceive God's nature in creation In Romans 1:19-20 we read: “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So, they are without excuse"

There is a message of transcendence through God's art of work in creation. It transcends the borders of caste and religion. The poetic symbols and imageries taken from nature play a significant role in the communication process. In Job 12:7-8, we have a scriptural basis for the greening of ethics.

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you The birds of the air, and they will tell you Or the plants of the earth and they will teach you”. William Wordsworth, the celebrated nature poet, writes: "One impulse from a vernal wood May teach you more of man Of moral evil and of good Than all the sages can.