by Pam Tinsley

As this year’s Season of Creation draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on my experiences this past summer. First, a June retreat at The Sacred Waters Center for Restoration and Retreat led me to the shores of the Hood Canal, with the still-snowcapped Olympic mountains towering in the distance. I was greeted on my first morning by an eagle perched atop a pine tree, as if welcoming me to her home. 

Then in July my husband and I drove through Rocky Mountain National Park to join a family reunion outside of Estes Park, CO. Words simply can’t describe the wondrous scene we witnessed above timberline: a majestic moose standing beside a lake; pikas calling to one another; a herd of elk resting in an alpine meadow; pristine streams flowing into lakes, reflecting the brilliant blue sky. We marveled at the mystery and beauty of God’s creation in the midst of our chaotic world.

The late Pope Francis wrote,

To sense each creature singing the hymn of its existence is to live joyfully in God’s love and hope. This contemplation of creation allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us, since for the believer, to contemplate creation is to hear a message, to listen to a paradoxical and silent voice. (Laudato Si, 85)

Yet, as we approached the summit of Trail Ridge Road, the highway that runs through the park, we were in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The paradox was stark. Nature was at its best, and humankind was at its worst. In our eagerness to experience God’s creation, we realized that we were actually contributing to its destruction. Embracing the Season of Creation means acknowledging how inextricably bound we are to creation. It’s also a call to action. We can join and support alliances that work to protect God’s creation. We can vote for public servants who share the imperative to protect and restore creation. And we can be mindful of our own actions.