It Is A Time For Restoration

[Note: Today’s guest blog is written by Mary Ann Schifitto, member of the parish of Spiritus Christi and an active member of the Mother Earth Committee at Spiritus. She says, “I am a mother, grandmother, wife, friend and a retired reading specialist.  I look to God and Mother Mary to guide me in my quest to love the Earth and to bring about real change for future earthlings.” Thank you, Mary Ann for today’s contribution!]

Today’s reading touches upon a sense of celebration, a turning away from sorrow, injustices and darkness.  The people were in exile, and there is hope for a joyful return to their home and land. The Lord will make it possible for the people to find their way back.  God will restore the land that was once theirs and, “Along the way they shall find pasture and they shall not hunger or thirst.”

The people of Israel are assured that they are not alone.  God is with them, “He who has pity on them will lead them and by springs of water will guide them.”  Furthermore, God will bring freedom to the prisoners and light to those in darkness. It is a time to rejoice, a time for exaltation and the earth itself will rejoice.  For those who doubt and feel forsaken, the Lord speaks of a mother and her love for her infant.  Even if she should forget her infant God proclaims that the people will never be forgotten.

How does this reading speak to me?  As a member of the Mother Earth Committee I often observe what surrounds me through an environmental lens.  With that in mind, here is what I hear in Isaiah 49 – a  time for restoration of our lands, a time when things will be made possible, a time of freedom from hunger or thirst and a time of celebration for the people with the guidance from God.  

But the people were in exile when this promise was made.

I feel like we are globally in exile.  Our lands and our environment have been, in many ways, irreparably changed and we are feeling hardship and suffering.  Is there hope? I believe so.

Lately I have been rereading a book by Alice Waters entitled, “We are What We Eat.”  Alice Waters is a chef, author and founder of the restaurant Chez Panisse in California, famous for helping to create the farm-to-table movement in the US. Waters advocates for organic farming and local foods.  

I thought of her during this reading because she discusses at length two key concepts in particular: stewardship and regenerative agriculture.  She explains that stewardship is about taking care of the land, which in turn means we take care of the environment including plants, animal species and ultimately ourselves. 

A step beyond stewardship is regenerative agriculture. It is a way to repair the damage we have caused on our planet and on ourselves. As Alice Waters states in her book, regenerative agriculture focuses on increasing biodiversity, rebuilding the health of the topsoil and composting. Moreover, she says that nature guides us in this process.

In today’s reading, God is the guide for the people, and I believe God guides us as well right now as we look to nature to give us signals.  Through our care and stewardship along with regenerative agriculture, we can act as agents of God.  It is a way to restore the land we once enjoyed.

This hardship and suffering we feel more each day, connected to the environmental consequences of global warming, feels hopeless at times and impossible to remedy. God reminds us that even in our darkest moments God will not forget us.  We must not feel that the Lord has forsaken us but instead with our will to act and faith in God we will rejoice!  It is a time for restoration.  In God’s hands we will wait no longer.

We are children of the earth.  We rely on the earth, and the earth relies on us.  Whether the earth is beautiful, fresh and green, or arid and parched, it depends on our way of walking. Please touch the earth in mindfulness, with joy and concentration. The earth will heal you and you will heal the earth. (Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk)

Also, please look for further details coming up in the bulletin, but mark your calendar as the Mother Earth Committee will be hosting an evening of reflection for anyone from the community on Wednesday April 24th from 7-9pm at Spiritus. We hope you can join us!