Dear friends,
One of the most unappreciated graces in the Lord’s resurrection is the affirmation of God’s presence in creation. In one apparition scene in Matthew, the angel says to the women: “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said” (Matthew 28, 5b – 6a). In Luke’s account we hear a similar message: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has been raised” (Luke 24, 5b – – 6a). “He is not here” means the risen Lord cannot be confined to a particular space and time anymore. He is alive and his presence is not among the dead, but among the living including God’s creation.
Although creation spirituality was not a dominant theme during the time of St Ignatius of Loyola, he affirms God’s presence in creation during the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises. This is the moment when the retreatant spends a great deal of time contemplating on the risen Lord’s apparition to our Lady, the resurrection narratives in the Gospel, and praying over the Contemplation to Attain Love (Contemplatio ad Amorem). At this point, St Ignatius suggests to the retreatant a number of points concerning creation; namely, “to call to mind the blessings of creation and redemption…, to reflect how God dwells in creatures: in the elements giving them existence, in the plants giving them life, in the animals conferring upon them sensation, in the human person bestowing understanding…, to consider how God works and labors for me in all creatures upon the face of the earth….” All these points are to be prayed over in the context of the risen Lord’s apparitions.
This affirmation of God’s presence in creation urges us all to look after creation in the same way that the Lord calls upon our first parent “to cultivate and care for” the garden of Eden (Genesis 2, 15). Easter faith, without regard for God’s creation, is like focusing merely on the empty tomb and missing the point of the risen Lord’s triumph over sin and death, and his indwelling in creation. Easter faith urges us to keep our gaze on God, neighbour, and creation, and not on one without the other two, nor on the two without the other. Our relationship with God includes our resolve “to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudato Sí #50). Easter is a time to hope in the risen Lord, to celebrate newness of life with him, to dispel away the forces of darkness that harm humanity, and to affirm the presence of God in creation. The celebration of Easter inspires us to protect and promote God’s creation now, not later.
Happy and blessed Easter to one and all!
Tony Moreno SJ
President, Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific
Easter 2023