Homebodies

We have been watching in horror as first Hurricane Harvey, now Hurricane Irma have created havoc in the American South and Caribbean. The torrential rains which accompanied Harvey resulted in loss of life, the displacement of thousands, along with property and infrastructure damage so extensive that this will probably be the most expensive weather disaster in history.

Meanwhile, fires are raging across North America, again causing people to flee their homes and huge areas of forest to go up in flames. In Canada's British Columbia the economy has taken a big hit this summer, including the loss of important tourism revenue. We have friends who cancelled their trip to BC because the pall of smoke would have made in impossible to engage in outdoor activities.

We're also told that BC has far exceeded it's CO2 estimates for this year because of the extent of the fires in the province. Actually, what goes up tends to travel and the map above shows the vast plume of smoke from fires in Western Canada and the Western States.

Sometimes we're told that we can't fix the environment without ensuring a strong economy, as though jobs and profits always trump care for the systems of our planetary home. Yet we are witnessing the catastrophic outcome of this wrong-headed approach to economics. The words economy and ecology come from the same Greek root meaning "home."

Scripture teaches us that God is the Creator of this home and instructs us to live in with respect and care and love. How can we not pay attention, repent of our hubris, and find a different path for the wellbeing of all living creatures?