P. Luis Butera V., msp

A popular saying affirms that «God always forgives, man occasionally forgives, but nature never forgives». Those of us who are older have experienced, and continue to do so, the truth behind this expression.
There is no question that God forgives always. Only if we allow God’s mercy act in our lives we feel liberated from our sins. Our Lord testified to it when he said to one of the thieves crucified next to him when he appealed to him, «Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise» (Lk 23: 43). Each one of us has a long history of his mercifulness. How many times have we recovered our inner peace through the forgiveness that comes from our Lord!
The second part of this expression reveals the sad reality of man when we realize that only occasionally we find enough generosity in him to count with his forgiveness or help. The prophet Jeremiah wisely pointed it out when he proclaimed, «Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from God» (Jer 17:5).
The third part demands a more thoughtful consideration for it deals with serious and irremediable consequences. God has placed nature at man’s disposition so that he may use it for his own good. Psalm 8 describes it beautifully, «What is man that You are mindful of him... You made him rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet» (vv. 4-6). With Bible in hand we can argue in favor of man’s scientific progress throughout the centuries. The use of man’s intelligence to improve people’s quality of life is not only good but also something wanted by God.
However, there is an enormous difference between using our intelligence for the better of humanity and using it to increase our selfishness and pride. This contradicts God and man too.
We well understand that all things created by God are in themselves good. Yet their misuse contradicts their nature and distorts their finality, this affects man. Therefore, things such as water, wine, drugs, petroleum... are good in themselves and extremely beneficial for the life of humanity. Their misuse, however, results in enormous disasters such as floods, alcoholism, drug addiction, and contamination. This last consequence has put scientists in alert, who now see the grave negative effects caused to our environment’s equilibrium.
Global warming, which is the result of contamination, is causing the earth’s great polar masses to defrost increasing the water volume of the oceans at a rate of almost 7 inches per decade. This phenomenon is expected, in a few decades, to wipe out many cities that today enjoy beautiful beaches a great deal of tourism. The Styl islands in the North Sea, Tuvalu in Oceania and St. Thomas in the Caribbean face this enormous risk.
According to scientists, Mexico would not withstand a temperature rise of more than 2 or 3 degrees in its oceans.
The number of hurricanes and their violence would increase as well causing mayor disasters difficult to predict. In addition, many zones today fertile would become arid and thus unproductive, especially in Africa and Latin America.
In 2025, the United States, Canada and Australia, which are the world’s major grain exporters, will lose their selling power to the rest of the nations.
According to Nicholas Stern, a British researcher, in 2048 the oceans will have no more fish due to water temperature rise and chemical contamination.
Who knows if humanity still has time to find a solution to the misuse of our earth’s products and prevent all of the foretold catastrophes.
In any case, we need to learn this lesson well for nature, which is God’s creation, should not be destroyed in place of man’s selfishness and pleasure, otherwise we run the risk of causing the existential ruin of humanity.
Thus, the Church has always defended nature’s laws, speaking against the use of contraceptives, abortion, euthanasia and same sex marriage.
The call by scientists for respecting the laws of nature should make us more thoughtful and instill in us the desire to avoid contaminating, materially or morally, our environment.