We share a deepening concern about human-caused climate change as the window of opportunity closes on effective action. Individual conservation and simpler lifestyle modifications are certainly needed, but collectively will not address the core causes of this crisis. This goes beyond popular discussion, personal choices by the inspired, and a host of innovative ecological studies. The environmental crisis has deep roots that we must realistically address and be prepared to make radical changes in a dysfunctional System for the sake of all our brothers and sisters who are poor. Believers in Earth's future must be ready to question, critique, and confront a consumer-oriented economy that is generating pollution and waste of resources.

A widening disparity of wealth allows the select and privileged few to squander what belongs to the poor;² their wealthy example entices tens of millions to strive to be like them. Rampant affluence exacerbates the insatiable consumerism that demands more and more energy and other resources in processing and use. This results in additional greenhouse gas emissions, something the vast majority of the scientific community recognizes as anthropogenic climate change that will have catastrophic effects by 2100. In prudence, we need to confront this prevailing culture with brave hearts and strong voices. We must implement individual and global community self-control, a revolutionary undertaking to ensure our planet's vitality for present and future generations. This is why I write to you.
--------------

A growing disquiet prevails about the current environmental situation and it calls for radical change. We must address root causes of the environmental crisis and not merely tweak a dysfunctional economic System, as many concerned people are attempting to do. The place to start is here, the time is now, and those charged with the task are the global believing community. You and I agree that agents of change must be present at the right place and time, acting somewhat like chemical and biological catalysts. This requires eco-revolutionaries, even though some see this in violent terms and forget the violence done to hungry and ill citizens who are victims of inequality. Every child who dies from hunger, every adult with cancer and lacking medicine for treatment, and every person who suffers from extreme weather conditions caused by climate change is a victim of a crescendo of silent but real violence. The vast extinction now occurring as butterflies and bird species struggle to stay alive,3 coral reefs fading, and mammals poached for a hungry animal parts market is violence that is seldom acknowledged by those blinded by their own affluence.

Granted, in times of hunger and unemployment the temptation to violence is greater because of justified grievances on the part of the poor and oppressed, who lose patience and strike out. A sudden awakening may cause this counter violent behavior. Thomas Paine, an instigator of the American Revolution said in his effective pamphlet "Common Sense," that not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right. He speaks of a long and violent abuse of power by the ones who perpetrate that violence.⁴ Paine's words were directed to a swelling conflict between a reigning monarch and American colonies. A historic similarity is that an entire world is becoming aware of a serious inequality between a privileged few and billions of those struggling for life. While that 1774 cause was liberty and independence, the focus today is equality, interdependence, and planetary vitality -- a far broader issue.

        Radical change is urgent but must be justified if we are to succeed in halting anthropogenic climate change and to redistribute the accumulated wealth of a privileged few. Included in this relatively small group of the privileged are those who profit from non-renewable energy sources (coal, oil and gas) and seek to retard the transition to renewable energy sources. Documented studies indicate that a massive surging inequality (partly due to uncontrolled globalization factors) exacerbates social ills such as community breakdown, drug abuse, and high levels of incarceration.⁵ With private wealthy citizens acquiring vast sums of money, their funds are used to subsidize political allies who refuse to sufficiently address the climate change issue. Pope Francis, you speak of a widening gap between those who have more and those who must be content with crumbs.⁶ The ecological and economic problems are closely associated and are most likely a single issue.

       Here the conflict of God versus mammon surfaces. A materialistic culture fed by an economy based on unregulated consumer-use of resources threatens our physical and spiritual life. Establishing the facts of environmental damage due to excesses has been sufficient to call for prudence, but new dangers constantly arise. The battle is between good and evil, between the desire for a higher quality of life by all and that of greed, selfishness, and individual enrichment. An unregulated materialistic culture that enriches privileged financial and administrative managers of industry entices many of the world's have-nots to strive to imitate these "successful" affluent captains of the consumer economy. For the spiritually discerning, this enticement comes from the Evil One and must be exposed.

       Coupling the two components needing change means that merely finding excess non-renewable energy to fuel the expanding consumer economy is self-defeating and is to be challenged.   However, simply replacing these current energy sources (coal, gas, and oil) by renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, tidal, and others) does not totally alleviate the impending disaster, if consumer expenditures in goods continue at an insatiable rate. Urgency demands hastening remedial action. Materialists living for the present day have the luxury of time to eat, drink, and be merry because consequences will come sometime after their mortal span of life. However, their grandchildren will suffer, as scientific experts such as Jim Hansen see the hand-writing on the wall dealing with climate change.⁷

       The basic argument seems irrefutable: wealth in the hands of the privileged few can and is misused, creating a model of billionaires setting the tone of which the growing tens of millions of middle class with money hope to imitate -- like lemmings racing to the sea of global catastrophe. In an age of uncontrolled financial accountability these wealthy few press legislators to abide by their bidding, encouraged by financial gifts to help pay for expensive election campaigns. Democratic values are threatened. Thus, even with all current discussion, an annual three percent increase in climate change gases is not being stopped, much less reduced. The window of opportunity closes if we do not act immediately -- and that is what believers are urged to do. Thus, uncontrolled wealth fuels an economy that moves us ever closer to disaster, for the wants of those who can afford to use resources are insatiable, and the slippery road to a culture of death ensues.

In order to act and to act quickly to save our wounded Earth we must be able to focus on agents of change, a core believing group encouraging each other and vowing to get to the heart of the issue. If this is to be a democratic process, then all people of good will ought to participate. Current elites will naturally strive to continue status quo practices, and thus want little if any change. However, the hungry and unemployed cannot wait. Priorities give way as minimum and maximum wages must be adjusted, the poor people and threatened plants and animals addressed, and the privileged confronted. Attention is given to the poor who are to rise and take what is rightfully theirs. Hopefully, the privileged will concede to this change, and all parties act in a nonviolent fashion.

The disquiet is very deep and the allurement of a nouveau riche in many countries increases the social addiction of a consumer culture. When cultures measure growth and success in material terms, addictions go beyond individuals to entire societies. To counter this, agents of change look for people who are balanced; these act in non-violent ways and are at peace with themselves, feel an urgency to act and are willing to work cooperatively with others. We hunt for the unique individual who can get to the heart of the crisis and is humble, inspiring, enthusiastic, and compassionate; an individual willing to serve as model for others to follow. Christian believers find a perfect healer in Jesus Christ, a faithful follower in Mary his mother, and a need for faithful eco-revolutionary agents of change. These three (Jesus, Mary, and faithful believers) become the three-part components of this story.

Part One: Jesus Master Healer¹

I have come to bring fire to the Earth and how
I wish it were blazing already! (Luke 12:49)

Jesus Christ is an activist who moved a world in his coming. He teaches, heals, and serves an expectant world. The cures lead to the establishment of God's reign in a cooperative effort among those who join in the grand enterprise as eco-revolutionaries confronting the raw reality and willing to undergo a transformation in this troubled world. Through trial, Jesus' disciples discover qualities needed for the task at hand; they can improve efficiency in hastening radical changes needed to confront the materialistic culture which threatens Earth's vitality. We Christians approach the awesome task knowing our limitations and our power: limitations in our imperfections and power in the Risen Lord.

Christian believers participate in Jesus' saving deeds and thus are involved in a hidden fulfillment of the mystery of his coming to save and spread Good News. We are called to be evangelists. And part of this spreading is healing Earth, which is wounded by our sins. Only through a balanced interior ecology with intellectual, social, emotional, and physical components can we participate fully in the work to which we are invited.

Jesus' interior balance manifests a soft side of mercy and compassion (weeping over Jerusalem and at death of his friend Lazarus); still he shows holy anger when denouncing Pharisees or driving moneychangers from the temple. Individuals need healing and so do social structures and misguided cultural practices. Jesus addresses more than individual wants; he drives out those buying and those selling and who have taken for private profit a place meant as a commons for the people; he overturns the moneychangers' tables; he prevents anyone from carrying any vessels from the temple precincts; and he teaches through deed.² Jesus' concern is for the poor's access to the temple, "A house for all peoples" (Isaiah 56:7). He becomes more than a prophet announcing Good News to come. He speaks of a profoundly different view of the world and is willing to manifest radical change through an action of cleansing mentioned in all four gospels.

Jesus the activist shows extraordinary dedication, intensive focus, and seeks team cooperation from others; he heals the sick when they approach, and teaches Good News in a compassionate manner to the wayward and suffering; he is intensely centered on his upcoming Calvary for that is his reason for coming. With his rising from the dead, Jesus goes before us and continues his presence in a Body of believers who are commanded to go forth to all the world. Jesus' words are revolutionary, and so are his actions. He is the premier agent of change, exercising perfect self- control while calling others to take a risk to follow him. Jesus exudes a sense of authority making him initially popular, even to the point of some wanting to make him king. Once the demand for personal perfection becomes clear, the popularity wanes. Jesus' personal balance and control along with his focus on mission prove challenging to us all.

Certainly, the eco-revolutionary spirit is present. In his teaching Jesus likens himself or is compared to various parts of the world around us. Besides calling himself the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), Jesus identifies himself at numerous times as "light of the world," (e.g., John 8:12) and this light illumines the way and directs those on the journey who are also called "light" for fellow travelers. Jesus identifies with plants and animals: he is the vine (John 15:5); he is called lamb of God and calls himself the gate of the sheepfold (John 10:7) and the good shepherd (10:11). In balance and in imagery Jesus expresses his humanity and closeness to Earth.

Characteristics of Jesus the Healer

This identity and balance is doubly shown in the many aspects of Jesus' personality. While most individuals are not gifted with more than one of these qualities, we know of one rare agent of change who is. Our hope is that a core of people working together will have a composite of these talents needed for radical change. Jesus possesses all of these:³

1. Serenity -- Look at the birds in the sky...Think of the flowers growing in the fields...(Matthew 6:26-28). Jesus tells us that as believers (eco-revolutionaries) we need to look out and learn from the creatures around us. We are not to be overly worried about the concerns of tomorrow and focus on the present that has enough troubles in itself. A peace of soul by those trusting in God is most necessary. Calm comes in being ourselves -- a breath of fresh air.

2. Assertiveness -- Zeal for your house will devour me (John 2:17). Citizens step forward and say openly what they hold dear. Jesus says we cannot hide a lamp under a bushel basket, but must allow it to give light to the room. Opportunities avail themselves and need creative response from eco-revolutionaries. Times are too pressing to remain silent or to withdraw from the battle, for it takes the fortitude of the Holy Spirit to make us break silence and speak up for the oppressed and overlooked. The zeal of Jesus shows itself in cleansing the temple.

3. Loyalty -- This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12). Eco-revolutionaries have a loyalty that extends beyond the human family to all God's creatures, near and far away. A loyal heart discovers a freedom to act and be focused and steady in pursuit of one goal -- a viable planet on which to live and flourish. We are reminded of the hungry, the homeless, and the threatened plants and animals. Loyalty avoids self-centeredness and looks out for the needs of others in the manner that Jesus is of service to us all.

4. Joviality -- Fill the jugs with water, and they filled them to the brim... (John 2:7). Balance is an important aspect of the life of an eco-revolutionary. We are expected to be light-hearted and at the same time sensitive to the needs of others, especially those seeking to enjoy a celebration. His mother triggers the need for continuing the marriage feast's entertainment, and Jesus realizes that need for celebration by his first public service for others. Through joviality we bring out the best in others who are to aspire to a higher quality of life and accept that life can be light-hearted in serious times because God is in command.

5. Solicitude -- No, anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant (Matthew 20:26). Eco-revolutionaries serve others and are willing to sacrifice in order to reach those in need. This requires a concern for the physical and spiritual health of others. Caregivers of individuals learn this characteristic through experience; so must healers of Earth. These are called to solicitude for the hungry and destitute, and for care of the plants and animals that are threatened or endangered.

6. Discipline -- I have come not to abolish but to complete them (the Law or the Prophets) (Matthew 5:17). This requires an exacting person who does each thing just right. A person must be attuned to details and have a handle on them, or be willing to find those who can execute detailed work. Discipline allows the eco-revolutionary to muster intellectual resources for the difficult work ahead, for spreading the Good News and continuing the harvest work. The ultimate in discipline is living simply in a world of excessive waste, all the while confronting wasters for their lack of conservation.

7. Sensitivity -- As he drew near and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it (Luke 19:41). Eco-revolutionaries are moved by the merciful Jesus to help all who are in need -- and Earth herself is in need of mercy. Jesus the healer shows deep sensitivity to the sick, the daughter of Jairus, the city of Jerusalem, and on and on. Again, he teaches through healing as in the many instances during his public life. The ill approach in need and Jesus responds by drawing further acts of faith from those healed.

        8. Ambition -- Repent, and believe the Good News (Mark 1:15). Jesus completes the initial steps taken by John the Baptist by calling forth a group of followers, most of whom succeed in the conversion process and remain faithful. Eco-revolutionaries see the goals clearly and the need for association with like-minded persons, some of whom must be drawn to deeper levels of commitment. Jesus challenges the habits of those who are holding back; he launches a body of believers growing in confidence for the work of healing the wounded and teaching the Good News.

        9. Wisdom-- His teaching made a great impression on the people because he taught them with authority... (Matthew 7:28-29). Eco-revolution is the fruit of wisdom and prudence, not of an uncontrolled emotional person. The wise know that one's time is short (Psalm 90:12), and thus through growth in experience hone their efforts on important issues and realize the precious resource of doing the right thing at the right moment. The wise are more willing to set priorities and avoid foolish waste of precious resources. Wisdom deserves respect, and those with self-control and prayerfulness stand out with an authority the world lacks.

          Agents of change who are effective individuals and cooperating in a group embody these characteristics listed for Jesus. These agents are the ones who must catalyze the reclaiming process that, though lacking in resources, manifests a hidden power to attract those who hunger for justice. Jesus speaks of yeast (a biological catalyst and agent of change), and expects his chosen followers to be immersed in the world but not belong to it (John 17:14). They are to effect change while standing apart from the material world being changed (a catalytic quality). Jesus carefully selects and trains followers, and chooses them for special tasks. He sends them two-by-two without added resources to touch the lives of others. They come from ordinary ranks of people, yet are capable of greatness.

Jesus shows universal love and a special divine option for the poor. The blessed Jesus lists at the Sermon on the Mount are the happy ones, and shows Jesus is close to them. In turn, Jesus expects that they be willing to extend blessedness in their hearts to others. The poor in spirit are those who are subjects for the kingdom of God, the true candidates for the revolution ahead. The same is said of those who are the persecuted. Truly, to be poor and profess faith does bring on possible opposition, for the potential power of the poor reveals insecurities and aggression in the consciences of the highly placed.

In the divine reversal of order, the poor are the spiritual haves and materialists the have-nots. The spiritual haves find happiness in suffering with Christ. They are consoled for throughout Scripture God's gives special favor to the poor and weak. God is offended when the anawim are oppressed or the privileged act excessively (Isaiah 4:8-). Throughout salvation history the lowly are given significant roles: Abraham the herder of flocks, David the shepherd, prophets who were common laborers, carpenters who spend life hidden in dignified work, apostles who were fishers. Israel itself is a small nation and yet an agent of change as chosen people.

Jesus tells the rich man that in order to be perfect he must sell what he has and become a consecrated agent of change (somewhat devoid of material resources). As Peter says (Acts 3:6), "I have neither silver or gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!" Healing comes through a spiritual power and goes beyond acts of material charity. Down through the centuries healing through God's grace and favor has occurred, whether as special miraculous events or curing through a period of concern and care. Overall, this is a revolution with moments of drama and long periods of the ups and downs of human life.

At the start of Christ's ministry, the change that John the Baptist his precursor preached is one of turning from evil ways -- a reform and healing of individuals, and a conversion to the ways of the Lord. And John actually named specific examples for the way soldiers and others are to act. Conversion involves the option of spiritual life or spiritual death-- and Jesus in his public life enhances on the healing theme and life option. Interestingly, the way we treat our world also involves the option of building it up or sapping Earth's vitality. This planet can be better for our sojourn on its surface, or worse through misdeeds with mortal consequences of which we are the culprits.

Revolution comes in degrees: some aspects demand immediate change and some occur over long periods of time, e.g., the Industrial Revolution. Some positive changes are needed NOW in bold letters because a revolving lively planet can become a revolving lifeless one. When we reflect on Jesus' words we find the stamp of ASAP (as soon as possible) upon our service. This is not pretending or pushing rocks uphill, to allow them to roll down and starting again. We are involved in mortal matters, and the urgency goes beyond individuals to include an entire social order. Brakes are needed now, not only on private misdeeds, but also on those of greedy corporations, governmental agencies, and hedge funds that smash the bars of justice and erode the social capital needed for healing. When Jesus speaks on Calvary to forgive them for "they know not what the do," the "they" includes a social order (or disorder) pledged to a consumer culture addicted to the spoils of our commons.

Emergency caregivers are first responders. Within the range of individual healing the ill or wounded need immediate diagnosis; this is followed by emergency treatments to curb bleeding and life-threatening conditions; beyond this is the longer-term nursing, which demands compassion as a remedy to help healing. Patients must accept the challenge to participate in the healing process through confidence in advice and treatment by physicians and attending therapists. All these regularly accepted procedures are superseded by miraculous cure, but ordinary healing is the routine. Through gratitude, the ill appreciate the cooperative role in healing; in compassion, the immediate step of determining benefits and putting these into effect begins the process; in justice, the best possible procedure for longer term treatment is proposed and initiated; and in courage we launch out on a renewal journey directed towards eventual healing and wellness.

The Mystery of Creation

I look up at your heavens, made by your fingers, at
the moon and stars you set in place. (Psalm 8:3)

Devout Christians discover the Christ image shining forth. It is not enough for believers to be mere spectators. At restful moments we justify our quietude by sitting and staring into space -- and the image comes, and comes. Jesus! It may be youthful Yuletide, or on an ordination card, "Faith is seeing the brilliant countenance of Christ looking up at us from every creature;" this may occur at a subway stop, a chapel decorated with fresh summer flowers, or when an accident is narrowly avoided.

We pause, we gaze as though emerging from blindness, the figure is like a shadow that grows more distinct with time. It is macrocosmic and microcosmic, a litany of divine glory that we magnify (make ever greater) through our praise of both the universe on a star-lit night and the micro world of ants and bees. In an unexpected moment we offer praise and magnify the Lord. There's joy in sunsets and waterfalls, in spring flowers and autumn leaves. God gives us good gifts for which, upon reflection, we often forget to say thanks. In an atmosphere of freedom we choose to say or do a definitive "yes" or "no."

While reflecting on the mystery of creation we are startled to discover that natural beauty has been marred by the misdeeds of our own choosing or that of other human beings. We experience the endangering and threatening of many species of plants and animals and feel the pain of what occurs. A crash now occurs, perhaps more severe than the end of the dinosaurs of 65 billion years ago. Writer Elizabeth Kolbert refuses to end her book on impending extinction on an optimistic note. "Life is extremely resilient but not infinitely so."⁴ Lovers of nature find something terribly disturbing; human wrongdoing threatens the very vitality of Earth. Interestingly, previous Christian generations understood the need for human salvation and experienced the impact of personal sin; however, they did not see how much social harm by human individuals or groups could threaten planetary life through careless use of resources and resulting air, water and land pollution. We now are starting to experience social sin -- and are asked to respond.

The Mystery of Redemption

This is why the country is in mourning, and all who live in it
pine away, even the wild animals and the birds of heaven;
the fish of the sea themselves are perishing. (Hosea 4:3).

Certainly, many Christians place greater emphasis on Jesus' redemptive act than on a general far-reaching, creation-centered approach to spirituality. In fact, both creation and redemption-centered approaches have validity if not considered in opposition, but rather part of the fullness of God's revelation. The eco-revolutionary needs to be more than a creation-oriented person who minimizes confronting and conquering misdeeds, and thus lacks a full social dimension. Inherent evil that fuels the materialistic culture must be met and challenged. This is something far deeper than a vague oneness among creatures, for this exploitation of nature is part of the human condition. These approaches require more than mere philosophical debates and neither accepted singly address the broader environmental issue of the current dysfunctional economic System. Too often, the creation-approach bears a libertarian flavor and the redemption-centered people find compatibility with status-quo seekers who overlook threats to the vitality of our planet and focus on individual sin alone.

Compassion or suffering with others is at the heart of the Mystery of Redemption. As a community of believers we must see that all of us be devoted to love of Christ5 ; we start to understand that we must work together to express the need for radical change in company with co-sufferers. We Christians are aware with St. Paul of the need "to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church" (Colossians 1:24). This sharing does not enhance the value of the redemption (which cannot be increased), but it makes us co-sharers and thus more compassionate people who experience the awesome price that Christ has endured for us. Through compassion we resolve to continue the healing process while serving as the hands and feet of God in this world today. Urgency in this healing movement makes us hear once more: Now is the acceptable time (I Corinthians 6:1-4).

Both respectful observation and profound listening are part of our expanding mission. If we listen attentively, we hear a cry to heaven coming from those who are hurt -- and from Earth herself. That cry becomes global anguish when military coupled with financial powers continue to ensure the vast chasm between wealth and poverty, haves and have-nots. What have we allowed to happen, and are we willing to break through the paralysis of inaction? How should we confront those who show no fear of God? Our very fears, which move us to anticipate facing the judgment seat of God, cause us to see urgency and resolve to act rather than to be silent. Those who show no fear of God continue to exert a destructive influence through an uncontrolled consumer culture. On top of this is a social addiction to emission products endangering our planet's life community. We are caught in our own impoverishment and reach for solidarity as "we the poor."

The Mystery of Earth Renewal

The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with
three measures of flour till it was leavened all through. (Luke 13:21)

The resurrection event invites us to participate in the glory of Jesus who was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). Even in the moment of our impoverishment we are called to be Easter people, to express faith in the renewing power God gives us by sharing in the divine family. Such a realization touches on a Resurrection-Centered Approach to earthhealing.6 The mystery of new life first in Christ and then permeating believers incorporates the mystery of creation with that of redemption, a new creation in which we are renewed at Baptism/Confirmation. Looked at as serving others, we enter by reclaiming our fragile Earth harmed by the mishaps done in the name of "progress." This entry into mystery demands an eco-revolution or treating the planet kindly, and a new way of seeing things -- a Resurrection way incorporating our new-found Easter faith.

Renewing Earth becomes our mission, but we must work together because our actions could be imperfect and we need corrective measures subject to peer review. Our wounded Earth is fragile and not totally resilient; we can mean well and yet do things with unforeseen consequences. While lack of respect for creation and for people brings on exploitation and destruction of the planet, so deepening respect brings on renewal. Furthermore, social harm is done through our inaction and social good through our cooperative efforts; these must extend beyond the human community and include learning from nature and creatures around us.

If you would learn more, ask the cattle, seek
information from the birds of the air. The
creeping things of Earth will give you lessons, and
the fishes of the sea will tell you. (Job 12:7-8)

We need all the help we can get in renewal, and that includes recruiting from all people of good will, who are believers in the future. We hear Christ say to his agitated disciples, Anyone who is not against us is for us (Mark 9:40). We realize that the grand enterprise of healing our wounded Earth takes all the people willing to help. The Spirit inspires all to justice, and part of the Good News is a willingness to be cooperative and work with others in halting an impending disaster and beginning a renewal process as suggested here. This faithful service to the Lord is ennobling, not in a sense of blood or entitlement, but through the action of people graced with the privilege of cooperative service. Jesus serves us, suffers and dies for us, and invites us into being those of service. In his agony and death he becomes the suffering servant as foretold by Isaiah the Prophet; in his Resurrection/ Ascension he opens the door for the Spirit to inspire us for the needed work ahead.

Earth renewal is all the more imperative due to the closing of the climate change window.7 We must both understand the situation, experience the urgency, and move forward in a community of believers to renewing action. To heal our wounded Earth involves all people willing to have a change of heart, to reject the addictive enticement of our material culture, and be willing to become eco-revolutionaries. The call goes out to all the poor: the sick and prisoners, laborers and students, young and old, scientists and community organizers -- and to all of us who desire to be poor in spirit. The call is universal and inclusive to all of good will. In reality, the mysteries just discussed have a feminine side of healing, and Jesus' mother Mary is a model. Renewal of Earth in all its wholeness needs both masculine and feminine -- a bringing back to life of a forgiving father for a Prodigal son and a tender motherly embrace as well.

Part Two: Mary Our Model

We need a model of those who champion gentle revolution in a feminine way, transparent through purity, who has weathered deep suffering, and who remains merciful and compassionate. We need someone who composed a revolutionary "manifesto" that becomes our battle hymn (granting militaristic terms in the cause of healing and bringing peace). We need someone who is party to a transformative action, the greatest in human history. Mary announces the coming of a universal savior through a simple "fiat" (let it be so) that she pronounces in total freedom.

        Mary's song of praise, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-54), proclaims a new creation and a coming of God, and is called by Rene Coste The Revolution of God."1 This proclamation is described by Blessed John Paul II as the prophetic announcement of the mystery of the total salvation of humanity. Mary's message is radical because it gets to the root of our calling to participate in salvation history; it is radical change because it goes beyond past levels of human awareness and has a godly character to it.

        Mary's song contains the following components of radical change: thanksgiving, joy and blessings; compassionate non-violence; and grass-rooted participation and service to others:

        * Change cries out because a time of deliverance is at hand: the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen; demand for resources grows as tens of millions of Asians and others enter into the highly-consuming middle class); experts predict an impending planetary catastrophe.2

* The world's lowly majority respects Mary: many of the over two billion Christians, along with large numbers of the two billion Moslems, respect Mary;

* Mary's song, the Magnificat, is regarded as a liberation hymn that addresses the poor and lowly of the world;

* Mary's whole being is one of giving service to and for others in humble ways -- and God's ongoing favor is upon her;

* Mary is aware of urgent times, or major changes in her world and reflects on these unfolding events deeply; and

* Closeness to Mary has been experienced in spiritual events with particular attention by her to the lowly.3

     To her who is Mary,
     because she is full of grace.
       To her who is full of grace,
     because she is with us.
       To her who is with us,
     because the Lord is with her.⁴

1) Creation: Blessings through Motherhood

My soul proclaims your greatness, O God,
and my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior.5

Mary is joyously thankful. She proclaims the greatness of God in her whole being through praise, exaltation and glorification. Her very existence is the primary privilege in which all creation participates, and in which she shows exaltation in a way that grateful human beings can do in thanking God for all life around us. In her joy, Mary establishes a happy environment of prevailing gratitude, a sense of profound respect for what God has done for her. Through her purity and transparency, Mary manifests openness within that act of freedom, an act that allows her to make great or "magnify" the Creator of all. And she does this in pure joy of her magnificent femininity.

God gives to Mary a special privilege to participate in the monumental moment of salvation history, for through obedience she is a new Eve. She is to be the Messiah's mother, to be the flesh and blood wherein the divine and human meet and kiss. The entire being of Mary manifests God's majesty, power, and mercy in the creative act that now reaches an apogee in the conception and birth of the Lord. Rejoice, so highly favored! (Luke 1:28) Mary, full of grace, is a pure crystal through which Divine Light within now shines forth. Christ within allows her whole being to magnify God's love and thus she becomes a living jewel of divine light. Mary exalts with the joyful words, "Let it be," an act of surrender to God's will, an enthusiastic moment of "the God within."

Mary magnifies God's gift of her immaculate condition, and so her joy and love exceed those of other human beings in glorifying God's presence. Mary shares this presence with her cousin Elizabeth and through this sharing the magnification increases. Mary has within her womb the Lord and thus, during this gestation, she magnifies the Lord both physically and spiritually. Incarnation occurs, and Mary is instrumental in making this happen. Mary's motherhood, a uniquely feminine gift, enhances the divine gift and stands ahead of us all in glorifying and enhancing all of creation. Mary is model of all that is pro-life, from human generation to proper enhancement of our Earth.

For you have looked with favor upon your lowly servant, and
from this day forward all generations will call me blessed.

Mary recognizes her own unique station as a humble handmaid (servant); she experiences her utter unworthiness in earning a part of the mystery of salvation. I am the handmaid of the Lord; let what you have said be done to me (Luke 1:38). Divine greatness shines through Mary's lowliness because she realizes her station is not from her own or any human source; God works through her.

Mary blesses God in the Magnificat; she will be blessed by all generations for the privilege of mothering the Incarnate One. Mary sees her call to be the Lord's handmaid as blessing, and her immediate response is itself a blessing. The first blessing is from God before any human effort; the second is through God's grace as her accepting words extend blessing back to God. Mary acknowledges God as origin of all blessings; God is the divine source of her being able to recognize gifts as such -- thus, this double blessing is humbling, but also a Marian feature in which we learn the gift and art of blessing. Mary receives the public proclamation of blessing through her cousin Elizabeth's words, and then from all who through future generations will proclaim her "Blessed Mary." Jesus, her gestating blessing, is through birth to a waiting world a blessed unfolding act of salvation history -- and Mary has a key role.

For you, the Almighty, have done great
things for me, and holy is your name.

Mary's profound humility is manifested by her proclaiming that these "great things" are pure gifts from God. The birth of a savior is God's greatest gift to us all, and we have a role through Mary's participation in this gift-giving event which extends in space and expands in time. "Great things" include the greatest, namely, a person: God-man; but bearing this gift is great enough indeed. The Word is spoken and Mary is first in the chorus; she starts to reflect on the greatness of Incarnation, which becomes more than a moment; it is a process. More "great things" will follow for her and for us, including the privilege of being compassionate and co-suffering with the Messiah. Mary's privilege to be one with the Lord follows from her free "yes" to being the Christ-bearer, Theotokos.

Just as the reflection of Mary to these events, so our own reflection shows us the gifts as well. Her magnifying envelops all who reflect as well, and becomes an invitation to participate in an environment we help enhance. Great things done include the call to move beyond Annunciation to the mission of her son. Through reflection, an awareness grows in Mary of just how great this event is. In a gentle way Mary beckons us to reflect and to grow through the grace of becoming magnifiers, seeking to enter into an eternal journey of praise. Together with Mary our own magnifying acts becomes ever greater.

Your mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear You.

Mary sees God's mercy and simultaneously fears God. Mary is not a fearful person, but rather she has the deepest respect for the God of mercy -- and in that the virtue of fear of God resides. In such an arena of love, Mary seeks with her whole being to please her loving parent. Fear of not pleasing another is utterly natural, and Mary is one of us. Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favor (Luke 1:30). An awe for the greatness of God elicits the deepest emotions from faithful people. Fear of God, a gift of the Holy Spirit, involves Mary's deep respect for her Creator. Mary asks Jesus when finding him in the temple, My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you (Luke 2:48). Mary experiences concern when raising and educating Jesus just as any parent; her concern extends throughout his public ministry, and well into the public ministry that followers will endure through the ages. Mary's maternal concern extends to a world in need.

Mary's visit to Elizabeth is the happy sharing of two expectant mothers with all the joy that this entails -- and far more. Mary bears Christ to the world, a privileged service; through Baptism/Confirmation and our active working with God, we are privileged to bear Christ to others. Mary's exaltation involves her whole being freely given to God; in turn, Mary is invited to accompany her son in his sufferings and death. The "great things" include addressing the vast social ills afflicting so many people and Earth herself. Mary leads the way so that we will follow with ease and enthusiasm. As you say, Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness.6

2) Redemption: Compassion

Mary reflects deeply on the saving work of her son; she takes pains to act as a mother raising and educating her offspring, but she does more. Mary is the first to truly suffer with the Lord as Simeon foretold: And a sword will pierce your own soul too -- so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare (Luke 2:35). Secret thoughts include the aspirations of a lowly people, which are articulated in the primer of sufferings. The sword (lance) involves her co-suffering with her son and with co-sufferers in Christ down through the ages. Jesus suffers the wrongdoing of this human race for he takes our burdens to himself, and Mary helps to lay those burdens bare through her transparency.

Mary is compassionate in her suffering with others. In her reflection she sees evil and the burden that weighs us down. Countless believers pray that she may intercede -- "Pray for us sinners." She sees what these sinners do to her son and throughout the growing clouds of his ministry and his suffering and death she becomes all the more aware. Our misdeeds cause suffering and a disturbance of the social order, and Mary is acutely aware of this. With time even the eco-misdeeds (air, water, and land pollution and waste of resources) pierce her heart.

You have shown strength with your arm,
you have scattered the proud in their conceit,

Amid the problems of our world Mary recognizes the power of God, a spiritual phenomenon, not a physical or military power, though power all the same. God's power exposes the proud of heart and their weaknesses -- and Mary begins to perceive this power in all its depths. God works wonderful signs for the people of the Exodus; God guides the chosen people to the Promised Land; God reproves Israel through the prophets; God routs and scatters the conceited but does not mercilessly destroy them. The divine victory is founded in hope that ultimate salvation descends gently and mercifully from above. Kingdoms come and go; humble people remain. Mary stands on the side of humble folks who are closer to God through suffering and patient endurance.

You have deposed the mighty from their
Thrones and raised the lowly to high places.

Revolution revealed! The humble and lowly are exalted while the materially prosperous are pulled down -- and Mary enters the arena of compassion, though the true dynamics become clearer with years in her journey of faith. Mary's words prove a monumental embarrassment to status-quo seekers; she utters words of spiritual liberation, a continuation of Israel's trek to freedom from Egypt. Through the birth of the Lord in lowly circumstances (within a remote Roman province, by a humble people, in a stable for a birthing place, to escapees from the wrath of the ruler), we find Mary and Joseph amid their hidden greatness. Theirs is a humble spiritual mission, an unfolding of salvation history.

Worldly princes of every age appear fearsome to the secular mind lacking a spiritual sense. However, princely reigns are short-lived; their roles are tiny in comparison to that of Mary's. The lowly ultimately win; Mary repeats Hanna's words --

Yhwh makes poor and rich, humbles and exalts, raises up the poor from the dust, lifts the needy from a dunghill, gives them a place with princes, and assigns them a seat of honor. (I Samuel 2:7-8)

Mary's starting point is not the grief of being barren, as was Hanna's, but the far deeper spiritual insight that God has done great things for her and for a fallen world now being saved. And Mary is steeped in the Old Testament traditions and wording.

You have filled the hungry with good things,
while you have sent the rich away empty.

Mary realizes the differences between the haves and the have-nots -- the rich and the poor, for class differences do exist in virtually every age and certainly in the time of the Roman Empire. Mary's sensitivity extends to all the hungry of the ages, those hungering for divine favor and those who lack the physical essentials of life. The good things given to the poor include both a sense that victory will ultimately come and that the poor will be victors. To divorce spiritual from material hunger would be a mistake, for such a division fails to see our spiritual needs even when our bellies are full. As human beings, we hunger for God, though some of us to not recognize and act upon the pangs.

        However, Mary begins to perceive that all good things include the mighty power of God at work among the lowly and poor. God's power is more than offering patience to those in low places. God loves these folks with an intense love wherein they can become the subject of mighty deeds -- if they truly believe. A hidden and emerging sense of power comes at a moment of powerlessness, when the world offers little and yet the Spirit offers everything. The contrast is overwhelming and yet it is there all the same. Take what is rightfully ours for the sake of our needy brothers and sisters. But there is not a taking of mine apart from the community. We are not bystanders, but party to the march to freedom which must always have a social ring.

      Mary is the first to be acquainted with Jesus, Savior and Liberator. His mother stored up all these things in her heart (Luke 2:52). The person within her womb, who plays around the house and who leaves on mission is divine and human. Of all human beings, Mary is foremost in reflecting on the divine and the human, on the spiritual aspirations and the physical needs of people. If and when the hungry seek and place their trust in God, they perceive good things that have an emerging spiritual power; when the rich or poor trust in material things alone and crowd out the spiritual, they journey on a sure road to ruin.

      Mary's compassion allows her to come close to the saving work of Jesus in a way no one else does. Near the cross stood his mother (John 19:25). While disciples scattered and hid from the worldly powers that seemed so triumphant, Mary stands with a mostly a womanly cluster as public witnesses of compassion. To Mary, Jesus addresses his legacy: Woman, this is your son, (John 19:26); for now, John (and all believers to follow) are to be part of her mothering care, her own sons and daughters. She receives Calvary's gift to the world in all its rawness and tenderness. Jesus makes the legacy complete as a total act of self-giving, for Mary is his most precious gift to give. To John (and to all believers) he says, This is your mother (John 19:27).

Here in this supreme act of compassionate sharing, Mary becomes mother of us all; this is a mission she continues to carry in an ongoing Calvary that occurs amid today's sufferings. Mary is a co-sufferer supreme; she takes the lead in a compassion in which we are all invited to participate. Jesus gives up his mother so that her compassion might reach to our hearts. We respond with John by coming close, for Mary and Church are mother to us all.

Eco-compassion, or suffering with Earth, emerges. When we touch the rock of Calvary, we hear Jesus saying, "See what they have done to my Earth." This modern lamentation involves the shuttering of Earth herself and all who are willing to suffer accordingly through a universal love. Jesus Christ redeems us all -- a universe of all creatures and all people. In this sweeping redemptive act our neighborhood expands. Those closest to Jesus on Calvary join in compassion for Earth. We suffer as united hearts, and Mary as Mother of Earth enters into its environmental travail. "From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, is groaning in one great act of giving birth" (Romans 8:22). Creation is undergoing a transformation and Mary and all of us become party to what is occurring, all through joining in Jesus' sufferings.

Eco-compassion glues us to the Lord through the invitation he extends us to be one with him. Yes, while sensing our imperfections and what we have done to our fragile Earth, we take courage seeing Mary standing throughout the Calvary event. We are destined to be more than mere indifferent or insensitive onlookers at the stage of the redemptive act. We join Mary at this moment of sorrow and accept a divinely-given responsibility.

Our journey of faith pauses when marked by this compassion. We cause the damage or are silent when others do this before our eyes. Through Baptism/Confirmation we are invited into the Divine Family. Through our sorrow we discover God's forgiveness for our overuse of resources and the pollution of air, water and land that has resulted. Through divine nourishment we start to become compassionate healers in a broken world. Here, unlike Mary, our human awareness of failure burdens us down and demands contrition. Then, with Mary motherly help we rediscover God's mercy and the power to make a fresh start. Now the past becomes a lived experience but not a hindrance to future action.

Mary does not have our personal experience of sin as such, but she knows the effects of misdeeds done to a loving God. She stands beneath the cross at Calvary, a public witness when others fled. Reluctantly, through a deepening faith, we stumble to Calvary. We ask soul-searching questions: Will we be saved at the end of our journey of faith? Will our planet be saved from our misdeeds? Ought we to first confront our individual faults while striving to also repair the deeds to the social order? We must be humble people while also challenging the privileged who deny others the essentials of life -- though our confrontation must not have the air of self-righteousness.

We have a noble mandate to co-suffer with the Lord, and that includes overcoming our weaknesses. We cannot do this alone. Mary sees our need and becomes our advocate in seeking companionship, for she is touched by God's mercy. Mary is confident that Jesus will act as at Cana. Her confidence is triggered by her compassion for people in need, especially in these troubled times. It is not enough that we realize the urgency of acting; we must confront our lowliness and limitations, and still sense the surging power of God within.

3) Resurrection: Loving and Merciful Service

You have come to the aid of Israel your servant, mindful
of your mercy -- the promise you made to our ancestors
-- to Sarah and Abraham and their descendants forever.

        The sacred mission of Israel is to bring the world's people to worship the one true God. A majority of the world's people believe at least vaguely in divine promises made to Abraham. All three of the Abrahamic religions (Jewish, Christian and Moslem) focus on the exclusive worship of God alone -- no false gods. To some degree, we seek to discover that our service is to be inclusive of all the world's needs -- those of people and all creation.   Furthermore, this call to Abraham is a perpetual calling that has never been rescinded. Christian service, founded in belief in Jesus Christ as Messiah, is part of this universal call, a call found in Mary's life and in her whole being. Mary is a model for us to fulfill our service to our brothers and sisters, human and beyond.

      Mary is an Israelite, a person who is mindful of God's mercy and a believer in the divine promise -- the covenant with Abraham, the father of the faith. She knows the three divine promises to Abraham: to form a great nation; to possess the land of Canaan; and ultimately through him to recognize all nations as blessed. Mary, as mother of the Savior, witnesses to the fulfillment of that ultimate promise. Fulfillment is a single saving event that flowers before our eyes as an ongoing process of which we are part. Thus, this ultimate promise is a cooperative venture involving commitment to work together in serving God.

      Mary is committed to service. Upon hearing that Elizabeth is with child in her old age, Mary responds immediately. Mary set out at that time as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah (Luke 1:39). She serves through the birth of John the Baptist. Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home (Luke 1:56). Service comes to Mary in an instant and involves awareness of those in need. At the marriage feast of Cana, Mary is sensitive to the embarrassing condition of hosts who run out of wine, and she moves with confidence to draw Jesus' attention. Though his hour had not yet come, Mary furnishes the NOW to that coming. Mary knows Jesus, her son, shares her sensitivity for others, and so she tells the servers at the feast, Do whatever he tells you (John 2:5). Through her confidence she opens the way to Jesus' first public miracle. At the cross she stands in place of all the fearful who hid themselves from view, and she stands together with all believers who now act through public service.

Mary hears God's Word and her reflection on it leads to a growing understanding of her Son's mission and her part in it. What went through Mary's mind at the crucifixion and its aftermath? Amid it all it must have been the comfort of absolute trust in God. Jesus gives a sweeping gesture that My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice (Luke 8:21). We must act on that word to be included in his company. Rene Coste says this is not a devaluation of Mary, but rather it indicates that "her biological motherhood was assumed in complete faith and total obedience to the Word of God."⁷

Mary's reflection throughout the rearing of Jesus, her sensitivity at the Cana marriage feast, and her compassion at the cross are templates for our eco-healing. Mary's service is empowering, because she trusts solely in the Lord, the Provider of all good gifts. At the core of our empowerment through Easter faith and the Spirit's inspiration we discover our weakness and need to trust in a Higher Power to save our wounded Earth. We are socially addicted people attracted to the allurement of consumer goods. Being touched by God's tender love we discover we can only rise through a Higher Power, God in whom we trust.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes to the assembled followers of Jesus. A radical transformation occurs in the consciousness of all present, including Mary. A mission to go out to all the world begins at this moment, but that mission does not follow a rote recipe of action but rather a pattern of growing consciousness initiated at the Incarnation. Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor and Mary stored these things in her heart, (Luke 2:52). So too, Christ's body, the Church (Acts 2:1-13) increases in age and wisdom. The travel narrative of Jesus in Luke's Gospel demonstrates that initial unfolding of mission; the travel narrative of the Church in Acts confirms a parallel development. And Mary's mission also grows in wisdom and stature in this age of environmental crisis, for in her we find healing.

Mary, as part of this faithful group at Pentecost, affirms by her presence the unfolding of the divine promise, a growth in mission. Blessed is she who believed that the promise made to her by the Lord would be fulfilled (Luke 1:45). Mary's faith is growing through her presence; she is a key part of an individualized community that is open to the rushing Spirit; she is present at the Church's birth and is at service "as individualizing, fruitful and creatively co-responsible for the transformation of creation in the image of Jesus."8 At Pentecost, all are joined in continuous prayer, together with several women including Mary the mother of Jesus (Acts 1:14); all grow in faith. Pentecost is the definitive beginning of a transforming revolution.

Mary, as bearer of God, has the privilege of great ones to go before us -- and so her assumption. Her successful passing is a prelude to ours some day when the New Heaven and New Earth comes to be. But we have more work to do in renewing this Earth in preparation for our collective destiny. Mary was first to receive Christ; we are blessed by also sharing in the fruits of the Resurrection, the power of the risen Lord acting within us. With this power, renewal of Earth is possible.

        I say that we are wound with mercy round and round as if with air:
                the same is Mary, more by name,
                She, wild web, wondrous robe, mantles the guilty globe,
                since God has let dispense, her prayers his providence...
                                                      Gerard Manley Hopkins⁹

Part Three: Promoting Eco-Revolution¹

A Christian who is not a revolutionary today is not a Christian. Pope Francis

Our role as Christians is to follow Jesus the Healer and to see the feminine quality of healing through Mary our model. This means we are to be prepared for change at the price of being countercultural and even being ostracized from "polite" society. Let's make this undertaking a work-in-progress. Clarification will come from the democratic striving of humble people who freely break away from Communism's systematic state control and from Capitalism's dominance by wealthy and privileged "nobility." Neither System is committed to true democratic process, a necessity to control misdeeds done to our fragile Earth and its human and total communities. Yes, silence with reference to civic duties is not golden, but contributes to the environmental crisis.

Profound revolution is necessary, but many non-Christians and Christians enamored by the material culture do not recognize it. For all intents and purposes they (who are quite numerous) seek to prolong the status quo and be silent about the fact that a global controlling System must be questioned, critiqued, and dethroned. In plain language, this System is unbalancing nature and leading to catastrophe, as attested to by experts who analyze the current resource consumption patterns of an exploding consumer culture. Non-essential consumption continues to rise and too many who ought to take leadership roles have their heads in the sand. Yes, acknowledgement of individual misdeeds is certainly a priority by individuals; however, within democratic societies acknowledgement of social misdeeds is of equal priority as a group. Furthermore, agents of change acting as prophetic witnesses must awaken the general socially addicted public to the real situation.

A profound revolution is a necessity, even though it may baffle us to speak the less radical term of "Healing Earth." Like Jesus, we must confront those who are legalistic in obeying the recognized laws and yet with hearts bent on materialism and its handmaidens: greed, waste, and selfishness. Jesus gives us the nourishment to be ministers of the Good News in this age, to bring the promise of salvation to the poor, to proclaim that these are first to need and then proclaim the Good News, to focus on changing hearts, and to hearing the words of Matthew 25 "For I was hungry and you gave me food." Our personal salvation is tied to our willingness to assist all neighbors who are destitute and threatened, human and beyond.

Eco-revolution means bringing down those in high places and raising the lowly. It cannot be merely a charitable giving by the ones with surpluses, lest this be another exercise of power and pride at wealthy nobles' discretion and then answered by lip service and postponement. Rather WE must act HERE and NOW. The critical condition of our planet cannot await the discretionary charitable giving by those who must act out of justice. Nor can we trigger the temptation of violent revolution by the lowly, lest they become the new princes in high places, dwelling in an atmosphere that lacks mercy. Nor must God be tested with demands for miraculous intervention. We are charged to act and we must.

We are God's arms, hands, legs and feet. Those impaired by age or illness are God's vocal cords through prayers begging the energetic do their civic duty. All, including the public witnesses and the shut-ins, become one voice calling for radical change. Some can petition and write letters, others encourage legislators and enforcers of laws, and still others must take their message to the streets through peaceful demonstrations and even if necessary civil disobedience. All must listen to and be moved by the Spirit to take part as best possible at various levels of human activity: individual, local, regional, national and international. Through inspiration we can be balanced change agents committed to serving others, with a growing understanding that through humble prayerful action WE the poor can effect social transformation.

Empires rise and fall, sometimes slowly (the Roman Empire) and sometimes quite rapidly (e.g., the fall of the Soviet Union). We as agents of change trust that a proper condition somewhere can trigger the fall of that which is oppressive. Will the present economic order fall rapidly and excessive capitalism be halted and replaced? Most likely, not but the System does not last forever. The Christian hopefully advocates for a more perfect union. In God's mercy, those in high places have opportunities to step down gracefully, for their act of surrender could have immense results. However, materialists are subtly violent people and too often they cling to their privileges at all costs, even through damage to Earth herself. We cannot expect miracles when the devil is all about us. In reality, lack of critique especially by private recipients of wealth, makes religious, charitable and other institutions beholden to wealth and the associated silence to its existence. If the privileged fail to give up, part of revolution is to bring them down to size -- mercifully.

All, including WE the poor, are called to respond and to act in a positive, non-violent manner. Yes, we are confronting violent people who hold to their billions of currency units while one billion people are left in basic need. The current System's violence cries to heaven, and the poor must act not as enlightened autocrats but as a gentle cooperative people firmly convinced that a merciful God is with them (us). Public action is critical; it must involve the radical redistribution of resources, including the opportunity for local cooperatives and new forms of economic systems to flourish. Mega-systems (except in communication and transportation under global governmental controls) ought to be localized or regionalized, not subject to top-down planning and implementation. Exactly how federated groups of cooperative enterprises with grassroots worker controls can flourish is to be the fruit of social discernment, not by me or any other individual. Solutions are forthcoming with lowly involvement.

Radical change with the firmness of Jesus and gentleness of Mary must be open to free decisions by democratic citizens, not autocratic power of dictators or the privileged wealth elites who control the global financial system to which all are expected to conform. The philosophy of so-called "free market capitalism" was advanced by the originator of the shock or crisis concept, Milton Friedman, from the 1970s to well into the twenty-first century. This economic philosophy involves manipulating existing or created crises (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, China, Poland, Russia, South Africa and even the U.S.) to draw attention away from people who propose alternative strategies.² Give the lowly a chance!

Instituting an eco-revolution to expand opportunities for creating a less consumer-oriented world must include:

1) Discovering ill effects of over-consumption (individual health and environmental pollution and resource depletion) demands temperance in our use of material things;

2) Addressing urgent issues such as climate change now, and especially instituting resource conservation and substituting renewable energy in place of fossil fuels through prudent action;

3) Changing an economy at the global level by reclaiming the commons with recommendations to bring forth justice, such as universal fair taxation and wealth limitation controls, along with redistribution of accumulated wealth; and

4) Mustering the courage to call on a Higher Power in whom we trust as people breaking from social addiction. It takes courage to insist on prayer to overcome the powers of darkness and faith to see this through to completion.

Temperance and Conservation

The marvels of all creation envelop us in an atmosphere of praise for what God has given us. In this arena of gratitude we see that we must respond and that first level response is respect for all creation and our utter community with all on Earth. Jesus shares with us from the Sermon on the Mount the beatitudes or blessing for those who must act. Mary shares in cousin Elizabeth's words being "blessed." We too are blessed by divine favor, especially to all who are baptized into the divine family and now charged to bring Good News. Christ is the HERE, a focus before us who is the Incarnate Word, who has made holy the universe by his redemptive act, and who calls through the Spirit for us to help renew the face of Earth damaged by our misdeeds. We must respect and conserve resources and live a simple life, and change those who have grabbed resources and used them in a wasteful manner.

First moment: Our beautiful and fragile Earth is wounded before our eyes. Splendid Earth, product of billions of years of evolution, is endangered in this ultimate moment of geological time by actions of the greedy and privileged few, who are permitted to indulge their extravagances by grace of reckless silence. Resource depletion, waste, and pollution cries to heaven to be exposed and halted by all legitimate means, even to the point of civil disobedience. Through a down-to-Earth approach, we stewards of all creation must see clearly and do more than observe. At this most basic level, we confront our faults of commission and omission, and we resolve to refrain from being misled by merchants of doubt3 bent on material profits. This confrontation demands radical change.

A first kind of eco-humility4 is meant for the saving of our Earth from destruction. It is a realization that the way to add quality to our world has be diverted we have been instruments of impoverishment for our communities and Earth herself. We see others who are distant as poor and attempt to hear and see them -- for our individual salvation rests on awareness of the poor among us (Matthew 25). However, we are also aware that in order to see and respond to people in poor conditions, we must give up allurements and offer almsgiving as part of our conversion. The allurements and luxuries are deadening and result in being blinded by insensitivity and more self-centered in our own thrust for filling our insatiable appetites.

We have performed mortally harmful misdeeds or fail to stop others who do them; this unstable social condition makes us all participate in some way in a social addiction that is at the heart of the environmental crisis. We witness a surging sense of suffering by the needy caused by the forces of inequality, though not readily expressed in economic, social and political terms.

One vivid example of harm occurring today is in Tanzania, where 30 elephants a day (10,000 a year) are being poached for valuable ivory for the flourishing Asian markets of luxury items by the increasing multitude of the nouveau riche. That nation's elephant population has declined from six times the existing number a half century ago to about 60,000 today, and if left unpoliced will see the entire elephant population wiped out by 2020. A second example is pressure by coal-burning powerplants to continue pollution at current levels because cleanup techniques, though effective, are too costly for current profit-making operations.

Actions:
*Pray to God that we have the vision to see what is wrong with the world and do something about it.
* Insist that firm enforcement and protection are needed before healing our Earth can commence. Some of this involves local and regional issues (stop poaching) and some national and international ones (stop marketing of illegal animal parts).
* Petition for national protection agencies, in cooperation with other governments, to halt all forms of air, water, and land pollution and mismanagement, along with legal proceedings to ensure that these actions are undertaken; they must not allow escape industries to go to lax environmental areas.

Prudence and Tranquil Eco-Revolution

We are sensitive to our shortness of time (Psalm 90:12) and the enormity of what appears to be coming. Urgency awaits us and we stand with Mary at the Incarnational event, for she is the NOW of life. As activist she is uncomfortable on the pedestal of passive obedience.⁵ Temptations call for reaction in kind to the violence being done to Earth today. Prudence is a determinant in what we must do. Risks and sacrifices are involved when we act in a prophetic manner and threaten the status quo and those who profit from it. Emotions that rise when action is sought are regarded as nothing compared to a failure to act and the disastrous results that might occur through lack of proper action.

Edward Everett, an early American statesman, said of founding father Samuel Adams that amid explosive times he was "of the few who never lost their balance." He attributed this to a "religious tranquility;" Ira Stoll, an authority on Samuel Adams, comments how paradoxical-- a tranquil revolutionary.6 In honesty, Adams was highly focused on the revolutionary cause and kept up the drum beat through writings and public vocal commentary, along with recruiting others to the cause. However, at times he needed more prudence.

Second Moment: Change is urgently necessary. Time is of the essence, for the window of opportunity for meaningful actions to save our wounded Earth shorten by the day. Looming catastrophic events caused by continued increased greenhouse gas emission are just beyond the horizon. Individuals and small groups face the reality that small efforts are limited in this global crisis. Appropriate technologies are good, but need further refinement and efficiency take precious time. An unchallenged consumer economy is a root cause of the crisis and must be confronted forthrightly, even at the risk of our being designated unpatriotic. This worldly culture entices the affluent to consume all the more with insatiable appetite, and fail to share with those of essential needs. Jesus' drastically different approach is one of sharing.

A second kind of eco-humility is realizing our imperfections in curbing the severe damage being done to Earth. We hope to undertake actions with the poor leading to improving remedies for current polluting activity -- but that is not easy, for our repairs are not perfect. At this level, seekers with some level of superiority share at their own discretion with those who are needy. Still the poor are a "they," and solidarity is limited by a certain distance. Thus, being poor is not fully realized at this level with a toleration of allurements and comfortable living. At this level, seekers desire to reserve judgments without participation by those being assisted.

        Actions:
*Pray that each of us take the proper action at this moment.
* We must demand through petitions and letters equal taxes for all, and not allow the rich to have lower rates than moderate or low income taxpayers; we should ensure that tax benefits for major corporations be removed and ensure that investment income be taxed at the same rate as earned income.
* Recall that civil disobedience is one form of dramatic action that some discern as needed to awaken others to the seriousness of the current crisis. At this writing about 75,000 Americans are pledged to civil disobedience if the Canadian XL Pipeline is approved by the U.S. State Department; this is because such a link would allow a heavy tar material to be extracted, transported and turned into petroleum products, all amounting to sizeable increases in carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions -- and resulting global warming.

Justice and Healing Earth

Injustice to people and Earth's creatures calls for a new economy that needs to be grassroots based and not top down. We may not need a new "global System," but a series of interlocking cooperatives or other sub-entities founded on new or tested appropriate technology models: community controlled at the local level, people friendly, and environmentally benign.⁷ The Mondragon Cooperative Corporation started in the Basque region of Spain is one example of a success amidst the world System.8 This thrives amid an uncontrolled global financial System where the wealth is concentrated in a small number of banks and financial institutions; these are run by elites making management decisions instead of local or regional communities. Frankly, here creative enterprises need to be encouraged, for no one has the perfect answer.

Third moment: WE are called to act in solidarity. At this level of eco-awareness we cannot waste time expecting the affluent to surrender privileges. The Good News is the poor can act through pooling resources, for we have God's option before us. As true revolutionaries, we listen to Mary and join in raising the lowly and bringing down those in high places (Luke 1:52). The harsh news is that we suffer from social addiction to consumer products and so we need both individual and community conversion. Our physically poor brothers and sisters prod all for radical change and keep us focused to the urgency before us. In this moment of grace we must acknowledge our condition and turn to God.

A third and deepest type of eco-humility is to become poor with the poor, to be honestly able to say "WE the poor." This becoming poor does not mean a sham where we pretend to be poor. Distance is now surmounted and one can say "WE" and identify with all who previously were regarded as different or distant. We risk being scorned and laughed at because we now place emphasis at the lowly grassroots. This level of humility requires that all of us who at times act as elites, simply see that we ARE poor. Failure at this deepest level will retard the eco-revolution.

Actions:
* Pray for and proclaim the basic right to life: this includes the right to the beginning and ending of human life, the right to a livelihood and sharing in the resources of this world, the right to human health, the flourishing of plants and animals, and the right to the very vitality of life on this Earth.
* Demand that people have a right to livelihood through work opportunities. Renewing our Earth takes environmental work as well as building housing and infrastructure for all peoples. Work to be done is overwhelming; laborers are plentiful; however, resources are tied up by the privileged few. Justice involves liberating the tied-up resources (now in often hidden tax havens), so workers can work at essential employment.

Courage and Spiritual Privileges

We are called to act and to change the world in which we live. Goals include going beyond merely choosing simple lifestyles and conserving resources; it includes taking necessary steps to halt pollution, commit ourselves to action, work together with others and turn to Spiritual means of assistance. We must abandon the striving for economic competitive advance and champion non-profit and cooperative enterprises. Through fundamental cooperation encouraged by instant global communication, inspired deeds are directed to the grand task of elevating quality of life for all people -- and not profits for the privileged few. Property is honored provided it is not too extensive and is shared by those who have little or none.

Service through love. The two great commandments stand together; we love God with everything we have; we manifest this love through loving service to our neighbor and especially those in need. An overly personal possessive concern in a world of limited resources is unfair and unjust, and occurs most often at the expense of the needed social activity of sharing. Attacking the new nobility of vast sums of money is not an easy task, but it could become popular if we show that bringing down the financial princes is a worthy act of love. Simply permitting the existence of inequality is not virtuous and hinders our own advancement as agents of change. We must break the addiction of wanting more and more material goods, and this will take an immense effort.

* Fourth moment: ANOTHER is at the heart of eco-empowerment. A change directed for and by the poor minimizes elitism and initial material profit motivation and finds success in the rise of us all together as one Body. We may have unique personal gifts, but we are not inherently privileged to be above others in power, wealth, or fame. Rather, we must be moved to be one, as poor folks who work together to fill what is wanting in the sufferings of Christ for his body the Church (Colossians 1:24). Realizing our impoverishment opens us to God's power to help us renew the face of our Earth. Our deeds are directed both to healing a damaged environment and to furnishing essentials of life to the poor. The ultimate end of our collective salvation is for all to be all in Christ (Ephesians 1:12).

Democratic exercise is an added degree of humility for it means some of our personal ideas will have to be sacrificed for the good of the whole. We are not overlords, nor do we look on Jesus as an overlord dictating obeisance (false interpretation by exploiters), but one showing magnanimity through service. And this service is best performed by those who know their lowliness. Christ as king has a crown of thorns and throne of a cross. Mary as a noble woman -- and noble indeed through purity -- is one who refuses a pedestal and appears to the bone poor to encourage them to perform great deeds.

Bearing Christ means knowing who we are and being comfortable in that status. We are truly privileged with the tasks ahead, not to be set above others but to be part of the total enterprise. Mary recognized her lowliness and gave us a Magnificat manifesto in which we can all participate. While sinners, we are still called as part of forgiveness to magnify God's works, harmed by human sin and now renewed through the privilege of healing Earth. To magnify means to confront misdeeds with all our might, to reclaim through benign means, and to propose and help establish renewal programs. Thus, like Mary, we are doubly blessed through being able to serve meaningfully. Our own ancestors were called to do many "great things," but with hardly the stakes as before us. We must help heal an endangered planet that has been damaged by human misdeeds.

Today, believers are expected to hasten (2 Peter 3:12) a growth in freedom for all -- a symphony of the spiritual and the material. We are not to consider ourselves virtuous merely by patiently waiting for God to act. We can hardly expect miracles for the deeper miracle is the privilege to serve through prayer and/or action. Spiritual growth includes our concern about what is happening around us. Our ministry of healing develops through social discernment, an activity of which we are all novices -- and even here I am on tenuous grounds. We are aware that life is short and opportunities are in still shorter supply. Our actions must be in conversation with the Lord.

        Actions:
*Pray for the courage to do what we must do.
* Organize individuals to unite in small groups to bring about revolutionary conditions that are non-violent. Deliberately create distrust of the excesses of the current economic system so that a more cooperative series of sub-systems might be established.
* Institute maximum wages permitted to the wealthy as well as minimal (living) wages for all lower-paid workers. Remove all forms of tax havens and institute international sanctions on tax-dodging practices, along with transparent reporting of accounts to the original source nation of economic activity.
        * Promote spiritual profit-motivation by challenging material profit-motivation. Support a non-profit economy through dedicated groups showing thriving organizations, including worker-owned factories and businesses as well as charitable and educational institutions, along with small farms and services.
* Call for global discernment of Spirit in the radical actions needed to heal our wounded Earth. We seek divine help and pray for a determination to be compassionate with others.
* Insist on media neutrality and democratic operations of the Internet, for this access has been precious for the breaking of isolation among peoples. Earth's farthest reaches are at our doorstep beckoning us to solidarity. The current System is hell-bent to seize and control communications for profits.

Calm the Frightened

It takes courage to confront the System and some are fearful. This letter is not meant to be apocalyptic (as frightening), but in the positive Scriptural sense of enabling believers to find hope during hard times. WE the poor can rise from a prevailing social addiction within our consumer culture and with God's help can renew our damaged world. We can overcome the temptation to deny, excuse or escape the current situation; we can refrain from violence and engage in effective eco-revolution even when specifics are unclear.

* Deniers include those calling themselves faithful Christians but who deny climate change and regard the positions held by most in the scientific community as being false. Generally, they take the word of those from special interest groups bent on profits, who deliberately cast doubt on environmental damage findings.

* Excusers are those who realize the need to tackle the environmental crisis but say they are not the ones who can tackle the issues. Generally, through a false sense of humility they believe others who are wiser, more energetic, or more clever and wipe their hands from the issues involved.

* Escapists realize the urgency of the climate change problem and find it too hard to handle given all the cares they are experiencing at this time. However, they consider the situation too difficult to address and thus out of a personal sense of wellbeing forget their civic responsibilities, and turn their attention to some sort of distracting allurements.

* Violent change agents are responders to environmental problems who lash out at groups or individuals who they perceive to be the causes of trouble. Many of the revolutions of the past have been violent, ranging from the eighteenth century (American and French) to the nineteenth (Latin American) ones, and to the twentieth centuries (Russian or Chinese) ones; in recent years the revolutions of the North African and Middle East countries have often taken a violent turn. Their efforts have mixed results.

* Tweakers are those who wish to make changes to the existing status quo for the betterment of the environment; they believe much more can be achieved within broad-based changes to the consumer economic structure. They prefer to focus on a host of minor changes, not realizing that a host of these should not ignore the deeper underlying causes. They focus on the "moderation trap," thinking that a little good on the part of many or the espousal of Green Capitalistic ventures9 will cure our environmental ills. However, token recycling is not enough; they aspire to act and focus on individual improvement while neglecting social needs.

Eco-revolutionaries are an emerging group who dream of checking the damage being done and are committed to renewing our wounded Earth. Revolutionaries need not be violent, even while the injustice they perceive do violence to the poor and marginalized. These must not be discouraged by reality in all its rawness, but be clever as down-to-earth people; they must exercise their civic duties and realize that the works done have a global thrust. The grand work is a global enterprise expecting all to act in solidarity.¹⁰

*Eco-revolution involves three levels of action: to save Earth from destruction; to replace harmful practices with environmentally benign ones; and to direct resource use to essential needs (housing and infrastructure). Through redistributing resources for those in need we are the hands of God providing all good things "fairly and justly." As Gandhi says, this world has enough to satisfy needs but never enough to satisfy material wants. Our discerning minds must make this reflection a reality. As spiritually-motivated change agents, we fulfill authentic needs and curb excessive wants. Furthermore, sensitivity by being poor adds to our sense of urgency. We feel the terror in a parent who cannot feed a child today or the depression of those denied livelihood without work.

*By recruiting all to the formidable work ahead we turn to ex-addicts for prudent advice and to primitive tribes as how to live with nature in ecological balance. We discover that selfish civilizations misused resources and crashed (e.g., Rome in the fifth century A.D, China's Ming Dynasty in the seventeenth century, the Bourbon monarchy in the 1790s, the Soviet Union in the 1990s).¹¹ Humility demands that we turn to the poor for advice especially by communicating with aboriginals and through anthropological and archeological research to discover past and current practices. We say this mindful that aboriginal people have been oppressed and experienced the horrors of enslavement and allurements brought on by the greed of "advanced" exploiters with profits in mind.

For instance, the Northwest American native tribes are known to have the potlatch, or the redistributing of abundance and therein became successful people.¹² A Kwakiutl chief was known to be of service by redistributing 18,000 Hudson Bay blankets, a dozen canoes, bracelets, sewing machines, outboard motors, pots, pans, clothing and much food. For that tribe service was and is a mark of distinction and gratification; the results is in giving and not in receiving. From historic examples, we could learn the pattern our global service must take. WE must search the aboriginals tribes to discover God's marvels, and in welcoming these become authentic bearers of Good News that is authentic communication.

Healing Earth is a Christian duty in a dysfunctional world. Practicality calls for change, not tolerating any longer the excuses of the status quo -- and affluence-influenced tweakers desiring of enhancing the System. WE the poor realize that limited resources become a challenge. We all need conversion, and a down-to-earth spirituality¹³ reinforces this change. Let's hear the Spirit say: heal our wounded Earth from ravages of exploitation. Jesus the healer leads us and makes us willing to take firm steps. Mary's Magnificat is our manifesto. We need God's help through faith sufficient to move mountains.

Conclusion

We are called to heal our Earth. Christians see this as a work with Christ, the HERE of our lives; he undertakes his public ministry by teaching through healing, suffers and dies for us, rises and ascends so the Spirit can launch a boat call Ecclesia. Christians discover Mary's manifesto, the NOW announcing the presence of God, the Incarnate One in her womb, expressing confidence that enables Jesus to initiate his public ministry at Cana, standing virtually alone with him at Calvary, and being present at Pentecost to be mother of us all.

Now Christians discover an awesome responsibility to be WE who lead the way to renewing our damaged Earth, by being Easter people with a duty. We must reverse the climate changing phenomenon fed by the current consumer culture. We are enthralled by the beauty of creation and overwhelmed by the damage of those who have taken control of the commons. We are drawn to listen to the inspired call to act due to the urgency of the situation. Nevertheless, we are aware of our weaknesses and we seek the support of all "believers in the future." At the same time we are mindful that our consumer culture is a socially addicted one and that we are fighting a massive battle with the Evil One for souls.

        Jesus is principal healer; Mary gives us confidence that healing will occur through him and his company of believers. We are nourished within the Body of Christ with sacramental life. Compassion, a Marian hallmark, frees us to meet human beings in the rawness of their suffering, and to recruit even these sufferers for the grand work ahead. While compassionate, we must be courageous and confront the strong and defend the weak. Our hope is those pulled down will see this as a blessing and those who rise will see this as a privilege and duty.

        We cannot afford to strike out on our own lest we fail again. Strike we must, for we are fighting the powers of darkness and this takes the mighty force that only God can give us. We go from awareness of need and a sense of urgency to tough love and merciful deed. The spiritually privileged must break the spell for excessive wealth; these must compete only to be first to serve others and encourage them to serve both current and future generations. All in all, we find our power to heal Earth in an utter trust in our God.

          A prayer: Lord, help us hear and respond to our sacred calling to serve you. Give us courage to act in non-violent ways and to heal our wounded Earth. Inspire us to spread the Good News and to know our place in creation, alleviate suffering and confront oppressors, and cooperate with all persons of good will to join forces to renew our Earth. Only a trust in you will keep us from being disheartened and bring ultimate success.

EndNotes

1. "Healing" and "Earth" has been used by this author in a number of variations for three decades in over 200 Environmental Resource Assessments performed throughout North America, with R. Sears, SJ in Earth Healing: A Resurrection Centered Approach (Brassica Books 1995, 2011), in our current Earthhealing "Daily Reflections" series since 2004, and in Healing Earth: Our Common Blessing (Seescapes Publishing 2010).

2. "The world's wealth and resources do not belong to the select few; they also belong to the poor." Pope Benedict XVI Sept. 5, 2007.

3. Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Henry Holt, and Bloomsbury, 2013).

4. Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1775 (Fall River Press, New York, 2013 p. 1).

5. Richard Wilkinson and Kate Rickett, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger, (Bloomsbury Press, 2010).

6. Pope Francis, Fraternity, The Foundation and Pathway to Peace,
December, 2013.

7. James Hansen, Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity,
(Bloomsbury, 2009).

Part One: Jesus Master Healer

1. Much of this is taken from my Reclaiming the Commons, (Brassica Books, 2013, Chapter Nine). Use of the term "Reclaimers of the Commons" is the same as eco-revolutionaries and is thus substituted.

2. Chad Myers, Building the Strong Man! A Political Reading of Mark's Story of Jesus (New York: Orbis, 1988), pp. 299-303.

3. Robert J. Nogosek, Nine Portraits of Jesus: Discovering Jesus through the Enneagram (Denville, NJ: Dimension Books, 1987).

4. The Sixth Extinction, as quoted in The Economist, February 22, 2014, p. 74.

5. The "Sacred Heart Devotion" developed through apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century and focuses on the loving Lord wanting our participation in reparations for the sins of the world. Today, this includes the social sins fueling the environmental crisis and is a frontier to be exploited.

6. Robert Sears, SJ and Albert Fritsch, SJ, Earth Healing: A Resurrection-Centered Approach, (Brassica Books, 2nd Ed., 2013).

7. The U.S. Energy Information Administration recent report, "International Energy Outlook 2013," predicts a 56% global increase in energy use in 2040, with 80% of that use still being greenhouse-emitting fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to rise to 45 billion metric tons in 2040, a 46% increase from 2010. Curbing of consumption in North America and Europe will only slow this increase, since most growth is to be in non-Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

Part Two: Mary Our Model

1. Rene Coste, The Magnificat: The Revolution of God, (Quezon City, Philippines: Claretian Publications, 1987).

2. It is uncertain whether to speak in purely apocalyptic terms enhances participation, or leads to withdrawal by many. The simple fact is that knowledgeable scientists predict a 3.5 or higher degree Celsius rise in temperature in this century -- and with rising oceans and melting glaciers that means a catastrophe in the making. This condition increases with added releases of methane in natural gas processing and in thawing of the Arctic permafrost.

3. Note Mary's appearances down through the ages are to poor folks (Guadalupe, LaSalette, Lourdes, Fatima, etc.). The first noted apparition was to St. Gregory the Wonderworker (died in 270 AD); apparitions continued through the Middle Ages. Mary is NOT a foreteller, but one who calls us back to faithful practice.

4. Charles Peguy, "Le Porche du Mystère de la Deuxième Vertu" in Oeuvres Poetiques Completes, p. 211.

5. Wording of the "Magnificat" are from The Inclusive New Testament, Altamira Press, 1996.

6. Evangelii Gaudium, 288.

7. Coste, p, 21.

8. Robert Sears, SJ, "Opening to God: Mary and Life in the Spirit," (2005). p. 97. Available from <www.familytreehealing.com/books>.

9. Gerard Manley Hopkins, "The Blessed Virgin Compared to the Air We Breathe," Poems and Prose of Gerald Manley Hopkins. Ed. W. H. Gardner (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1953), p.55.

Part Three: Promoting Eco-Revolution

1. This is primarily directed to citizens in democratic countries who are able to influence government, and secondarily to those who must discover means to express themselves in repressive regimes.

2. Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (New York: Metropolitan Books and Henry Holt & Company, 2007).

3. Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, Merchants of Doubt, Bloomsbury Press, 2010. These authors document how a few noted scientists (not experts in climate science) are hired by corporate front organizations to cast doubt on areas demanding health and environmental controls, from tobacco smoking to pesticides and climate change. By demanding equal media time with experts, hired "merchants of doubt" delay regulations and add profits to coffers.

4. Taken from St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises, "Three Kinds of Humility," Trans. Louis Puhl, SJ, (The Newman Press, 1954, p. 69).

5. Marian devotees say in the Hail Mary, "Pray for us sinners NOW and at the our of our death." [Emphasis added].

6. Ira Stoll, Samuel Adams, Free Press. 2008, p.265. However, Adams was not without his flaws; his anti-Catholic bias could have had a deciding effect on Catholics of Quebec refusing to join the English-American colonial cause in 1774-5.

7. E. F. Schumacher, Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered (London: Brand & Briggs, 1973).

8. Mondragon is discussed in many places. It is mentioned in our book Reclaiming the Commons (Brassica Books, p. 160) and in The Economist (March 28, 2009), p. 77.

9. Richard Smith, Green Capitalism: The God that Failed, <http://truth-out.org/news/item/21060> (January 9, 2014).

10. Rene Dubos, noted environmentalist and author of The God Within, coined the phrase in the 1960s "Think globally and act locally." However, in the light of the deepening environmental crisis the expanded but less catchy phrase should be an amended "Think and act globally, while thinking and acting locally."

11. Niall Ferguson, "Complexity and Collapse: Empires on the Edge of Chaos," Foreign Affairs, (March/April, 2010), pp. 18-32.

12. Sean Dwan, Columban Mission, (February 2010), pp. 4-5.

Daily Reflections by Al Fritsch, S.J.

Daily Reflections
by Al Fritsch, S.J.