Spadework
"Do you think there is a need for an 'eleventh commandment' to protect the earth and everything that lives upon it? Do you think that such a commandment would suggest that we must include our behavior toward creation in our personal and institutional ethical codes?
"What are some of the ways humanity has broken the eleventh commandment? How has our species despoiled the earth and destroyed life?
"What are some of the ways we can respond to this new commandment through actions that contribute to the fullness of God's creation?
"Take some time to become quiet and relaxed.
"Then think of a child whom you care about: your own child, grandchild, or a young friend. Try to see her in your mind's eye and to hear her voice. Picture her in her daily activities — school, play, meals, sleep. Picture her surroundings. What memories do you have of your friendship with this child? How does thinking about her make you feel?
"Take some time to hold before God in prayer this child whom you love.
"Now, in your imagination picture the child thirty or forty years hence, in adulthood, possibly with children of her own. What will their world be like? Will their surroundings — their home, their office, their school be pleasant and safe? Will their air be clear? Will the water they drink be healthy for them? Will they be protected from the sun's rays? Will they be able to experience the wilderness? Will all the animal species of your day still share the planet with them? Picture the world you would like to see them live in.
"Take some time to hold your concerns and hopes in prayer.
"Finally, picture the child as an old man or woman, seventy or eighty years hence, with children and grandchildren. Again try to visualize the community in which they are living, and the state of air, water, and safety. Will there be wilderness areas? Will all the plant and animal species we know still exist?
"Hold your concerns and hopes in prayer.
"End by thanking God for the gifts of love and imagination, which enable you to remember the kinship and interdependence of all creatures, present and future."
