"The universe, by definition, is a single gorgeous celebratory event.
- Thomas Berry, “Returning to Our Native Place,” in The Dream of the Earth
- Thomas Berry, “Returning to Our Native Place,” in The Dream of the Earth
 “Evolution means that nature does not operate according to fixed laws but by the dynamic interplay of law, chance, and deep time; that is, one cannot understand natural processes apart from developmental categories. The interaction of forces creates a dynamic process of unfolding life, pointing to the fact that nature is incomplete; there are no fixed essences. Instead, nature is consistently oriented toward new and complex life.”
― Ilia Delio, From Teilhard to Omega: Co-creating an Unfinished Universe “[O]ur human economy is derivative from the Earth economy. To glory in a rising Gross Domestic Product with an irreversibly declining Earth Product is an economic absurdity.” ― Thomas Berry, The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era--A Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos  Water is the cradle and source of all life on earth, it is a sacred gift. We need to recognize that regardless of its commercial worth, water has a social, cultural, medical, religious and spiritual value. -13 Indigenous Grandmothers
Here's an enlightening reflection on the importance of the Cosmic Story in our lives by Gail and Milt - lovers of the natural world and avid participants of the 'Great Work.'
"The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner."...Thomas Berry, "The Great Work: Our Way to the Future"  “Humanity is exalted not because we are so far above other living creatures, but because knowing them well elevates the very concept of life.” - E.O. Wilson More on E.O. Wilson and Biophilia  "The contemplative gaze renders the whole world sacramental."
- Elizabeth Johnson, csj Elizabeth Johnson in America Magazine
 We are not lacking in the dynamic forces needed to create the future. We live immersed in a sea of energy beyond all comprehension. But this energy, in an ultimate sense, is ours not by domination but by invocation.
- Thomas Berry,“The Dynamics of the Future” in The Great Work, p. 175  Here we might observe that the basic mood of the future might well be one of confidence in the continuing revelation that takes place in and through the earth. If the dynamics of the universe from the beginning shaped the course of the heavens, lighted the sun, and formed the earth, if this same dynamism brought forth the continents and seas and atmosphere, if it awakened life in the primordial cell and then brought into being the unnumbered variety of living beings, and finally brought us into being and guided us safely through the turbulent centuries, there is reason to believe that this same guiding process is precisely what has awakened in us our present understanding of ourselves and our relation to this stupendous process. Sensitized to such guidance from the very structure and functioning of the universe, we can have confidence in the future that awaits the human venture.
- Thomas Berry, “The New Story,” in The Dream of the Earth, 137 |
|
RSS Feed
