The seventh and last theme of Catholic social teaching is the “Care for God’s Creation.” This obviously deals with our relationship with the world God has made. 

 

The word “creation” here is referring especially to the natural world and its abundant resources as well as the environment in general. One of the most essential things in understanding this theme is that creation is, above all, a gift. It is given for our use and enjoyment, but a use and enjoyment that requires responsibility and mindfulness. 

 

Like any gift, using it in ways contrary to the intention of the gift-giver is ultimately an insult to their generosity. Therefore, as recipients we must ever strive to honor God’s intentions. 

 

To do this, we must first recognize that God has given the gift of creation to all His creatures. But to us humans He has also given the responsibility of being stewards as well. The creation stories in the Book of Genesis make this clear. 

 

The recognition that God’s creation is ultimately His is the first step in actually accepting the responsibility of a steward. Realizing this helps guide our relationship with creation. 

 

At the same time, we must also realize that everyone else is also a recipient of the same gift. This means that I must use it in a way that not only respects the design of the gift-giver, but also the others to whom it is given. The basic question we must ask ourselves is simply, “How does my use of the natural world and its resources honor the Creator while respecting His other beloved children?” 

 

This theme demands that I approach my own use with a spirit of humility and gratitude. Doing so lends itself to greater personal responsibility and helps to distance us from exploitative or selfish attitudes. All of this probably makes sense to us and seems rather straightforward. 

 

The difficulty sometimes comes in trying to figure out what this looks like in practical and concrete ways. Naturally, this will mean different things for different people depending on one’s circumstances. 

 

For someone who relies more directly on natural resources it may require extra personal scrutiny as to the overall impact one has. For others, it may simply mean striving to be  less wasteful and more conscious of what and how much we consume. 

 

Living this theme well doesn’t have to entail radical detachment from the lives many of us live. However, it does require ongoing discernment and a willingness to make better choices if necessary. 

 

Finally, it must be said that the title of this theme can make some people uneasy at first. This is because we live at a time in history when there are different organizations and movements that are centered on environmental concerns. These concerns often become politically charged. 

 

The unease for many is that at times some of the most vocal voices for environmental concerns are also voices which openly reject Christian beliefs and values. For example, whereas Christians understand humans to be the pinnacle of creation, some in the environmental movement see humans as the problem. 

 

This can lead to support for population control efforts which include abortion and contraceptive policies, believing that reducing the number of people on the planet is the best course of action for improving the environment. This becomes an exultation of the value of the natural world over the ones for whom the natural world was created. 

 

For us as Catholic Christians we understand that there is no need to adopt such radical positions in order to care for, appreciate and show respect for the great gift of creation. In fact, as with the other themes, living this one well ultimately flows from our understanding of the dignity of the human person, being made in God’s image and likeness. This elevates both our value and our responsibility in regard to the gift of God’s creation.