Anne Lastman —

Surveying our horizon at this moment one could be forgiven for shuddering and thinking that the “end is nigh”

We notice that our common home (Pope Francis, Laudato Si), our earth, is being attacked from all sides and bleeding badly.

Some of us take note of the wrongs of our day but there also seems to be a malaise by the inhabitants of this home which has resulted in the concerted attack from all sides.  Like a war plan.

It will be argued that from all time the same has occurred and yet here we are! Humanity has not only survived but thrived and of course this is true but admittedly we have not learnt from the past.

Watching an evening news broadcast there appeared one disaster after another being reported by a stone-faced young newsreader.  Disaster after disaster.

Of course, the first and main focus is as has been the usual over 18-20 months, daily reports on the COVID-19 situation and its variants, and numbers infected and numbers dead and lockdowns, and restrictions.  I often wonder what news will there be to be reported if we ever come out of this pestilence.

Very recently we have also heard news about devastating wildfires. In USA. Fires in Siberia (of all place).  Devastating floods in Europe especially as we have heard in Germany and the tragic loss of life and even devastating, though smaller, floods in Australia.

Then there are the earthquakes, cyclones, tornadoes and such extreme heatwaves (Canada) and of course other natural and not so natural disaster.

We have the ever-present wars and rumours of wars (civil or otherwise) and these wars causing so much devastation (Afghanistan) and loss of life.

Following these, we know that our planet, our common home, is drenched with the blood of innocents.  50 million abortions per year, year in and year out.  Violent death of innocents.  The legalised murder of babies.  God surely must be hearing the voices of the brothers and sisters crying out to Him (Gen4.19) the numbers making up so many possible nations exterminated violently.

Added to the violence and blood shedding through abortion we now have legalised euthanasia. Another variant on the attack against life.  More blood crying out to God for justice.

A newer and more sinister attack against life, transgenderism, children who survived abortion are now confused and grow into confused young population. Insecure of their identity, and demands with threats attached, that this cannot be challenged but accepted as their right and normal and true.  But only their truth to be acceptable and no other belief or truth to be accepted.  The demand that transgender individuals be recognised as the gender self-chosen and even fluid and woe be tide those who will not acknowledge it as so.  Not even discussion about the issue is permitted as this would be considered abuse.

We have also watched as natural marriage and breakdown of family plunge deeply but rising fast sterile “marriages.”  We are seeing males unsuccessfully attempt to have babies.  We have even seen males unsuccessfully attempt to breastfeed their babies (I imagine hormones) and demanding others to accept this as “normal” and of course we cannot forget the laws passed in USA (where else?) where human corpses can now be converted into compost.  States like Washington, Colorado, Oregon, have already passed these laws and other states are in the process of doing so.  The final disrespect inflicted on the human body which has been designed to continue the work of creation, that is, to bring to life new creation.  Male in their own way and female in her own way or design.  The body, the home, the first home of life considered so precious that even Jesus took on a body like that of the one created a little lower than the angels (Ps 8).

If we look through all the assaults against humanity, we can see a thread which runs through them all.  A clear and unambiguous thread, destruction of life.  Attempted destruction of that which is the total domain of God the Almighty Father.  In this of course, we can see who the mastermind of such destruction is. Satan himself who has vowed eternal animosity against the creator God and His creation.

Fires, floods, famines, pestilences, cyclones, tornadoes, wars, abortions, euthanasia, transgenderism, sterile marriages.  All attack life. Composting of a human body is the disrespect of this particular home. Wherever there are natural disasters there is much destruction of life and life’s needs. Wars are destruction of life. Abortions, euthanasia, et al all speak about destruction of life.

However, for me this latest indignity and iniquity, the turning of human corpses into compost speaks of taunting God into action.  Imagine a mother, a father, a sister/brother, one’s own child, dear friend, being turned into compost and the proponents even suggesting that a tree can be planted over that compost in memory of that person.

Ms Christina Garcia an American politician (Democrat) and supporter of the composting of human beings suggests that this way of disposal is a more ecologically friendly way of disposing of the body of a loved one.

This latest indignity has brought to mind a film I saw about 35 years ago call “Soylent Green” A so called science fiction movie where bodies taken from a euthanasia facility are turned into food for humans.  At the time of screening this seemed outrages. It couldn’t happen except in movies. Today we can see that the unthinkable not only has become thinkable but not far from a reality if it became possible to compost a human body then there is nothing to stop these bodies being changed into food. 

How did we get to this point?  My opinion is that when we as a society accepted the murder of the most defenceless ones in our midst then slowly desensitisation slowly began till today it’s possible to pass laws without a thought to the sacredness of life. 

And the other thought which crossed my mind was ‘has the green movement” slowly become so depraved that nothing is unthinkable to them and should not be surprising.  Overpopulation?  Nothing to worry about we can euthanise certain cohort of individuals to reduce population, and compost their corpses or even make food of them.  Solves many problems.  Said in this way it sounds macabre but break it down and it’s slowly becoming a reality.

Can we hear again “God regretted having made man on earth and His heart was saddened” (Gen 6:6-7).

All of creation is in the order of love (Laudato Si 77) but we cannot see or hear that song of love because of the noise of the wailing because of pain.  Every act of cruelty is a disrespect towards creation and is “contrary to human dignity” (CCC2418).  

When we fail to acknowledge, as part of reality, the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself.  “Everything is connected (Laudato Si 117) Everything is the result of a thought of God and each one of us willed, each one of us is loved, each one of us is necessary” (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) 

Indeed, in life we are each other’s keeper and when we destroy our brother, we destroy something of the whole.  When we wantonly destroy something precious in the ecosystem then we destroy our very own place, our common home.  When we destroy a new brother or sister, we begin the destruction of the family.  When we destroy our sick and elderly, we destroy history.  And when we treat with indignity the body of the one created in the image and likeness of God, we begin the destruction of the home God created for the human beings as a gift for them to continue doing his work…to co create with Him.

Nature is rebelling but this should not be a surprise.  We remember the moment when Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday, nature rebelled. The sky turned dark over the whole land the veil of the temple was rent in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, the rocks were split. Nature and the elements rebelled and mourned the death of their creator.  In our day nature and the elements are again rebelling because the sins against “Love” and “Life” and “Truth” and mourning again for the pain caused to their creator.