Let's Celebrate Dirt!
Today, let’s celebrate dirt. Although we walk on dirt, drive on dirt, build on dirt, pave over dirt, move dirt, and even grow things in dirt, we often take dirt for granted. The very words “dirt” and “soil” can have negative connotations. If something is “dirty,” it is certainly not good. If something is “soiled,” it needs to be cleaned. Even as children we were probably taught to eschew dirt. If we did get dirty, we and our clothes had to be washed.
But Diana Butler Bass has written a beautiful book entitled Grounded: Finding God in the World. She devotes the first chapter to dirt. She reminds us that dirt is celebrated in scripture. In Genesis 2, God forms Adam from dirt or soil (in Hebrew adamah). Eve is formed from Adam’s side. Her name comes from the Hebrew havah, which means “to breathe” or “life.” Their names, then, link together Soil and Life. The whole story of the Hebrew Bible is that of land and its fruitfulness. Humans are disconnected to the land by sin or they are connected to the land by acts of faith and justice.
We need to renew our appreciation of dirt, of soil. Sadly, in today’s world we are experiencing a major crisis with regard to soil. Bass writes that soil is being lost “at an alarming rate all over the planet.” During the last 150 years, for example, earth has lost half its topsoil. In many place, formerly productive soil is now unusable. In addition, our planet loses approximately 25 million acres a year to erosion.
Agronomist Wes Jackson says that soil is not limitless. “Soil is as much a nonrenewable resource as oil.” Once soil is destroyed, it is “destroyed forever.” Says Bass, “The earth’s math is simple: no soil, no food, no us.”
This all may sound pretty depressing. But Bass points to another phenomenon that is
occurring all over the world: “more and more people are returning to the ground.” In doing research on a wide spectrum of churches, she was amazed to find how many congregations now have gardens. They are raising food for charity, to ease their budgets, to renew the land, or just for the fun of it. One congregation, for example, purchased a neglected piece of property in the inner city and established a garden. In fact, they decided not build a conventional church, for the garden will be their church. Vegetable beds will surround their Communion table. A greenhouse will serve as their worship place when it rains.
And it’s not just Churches who are growing gardens. Cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland have all started major urban farming programs aimed at reclaiming blighted neighborhoods while providing both healthy food and local jobs. This growth in gardens is seen even on a smaller scale. The National Garden Association reports that one in three households in the U.S. is now growing food, a rise of 17 percent from 2008 to 20013.
Bass’ book Grounded cites other authorities on the subject of soil. She quotes Fred Bahnson, founder of a community garden in North Carolina, who calls the soil “a sacrament.” Bahnson adds, “There is an entire ecosystem in a handful of soil: bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, earthworms. Through their breeding and dying such creatures vivify the world.” His description recalled those times I saw my father scoop up a handful of freshly plowed soil and smell it. I soon followed his good example. To this day I will occasionally bend over and scoop up some moist dirt and smell it. Mmmm! There’s no other smell quite like it.
The writer Sallie McFague, described as an American feminist Christian theologian, raises this thought-provoking question: “What if we saw the earth as part of the body of God, not as separate from God (who dwells elsewhere), but as the visible reality of the invisible God?” Says Bass, if we did “we would be both more responsible toward the soil and more aware of God-with-us.”
What is your attitude toward dirt, toward soil? Do you have any childhood memories that involve dirt or soil?
Do you do any gardening? If so what do you grow? Why? If you grow vegetables, what do you do with them?
Does your church have a garden? Does your city have community gardens?
Here are two videos of the same song called “Love Song to the Earth.” It features a number of singers including Paul McCartney, Sean Paul, Natasha Bedingfield, and others. The first is the official music video. The second one has the lyrics plus images of beautiful planet earth. I love both versions!
Official video:
Here is the version with the lyrics:
Do you wish to respond to this reflection and/or the song?
Let’s Celebrate Dirt!
Today, let’s celebrate dirt. Although we walk on dirt, drive on dirt, build on dirt, pave over dirt, move dirt, and even grow things in dirt, we often take dirt for granted. The very words “dirt” and “soil” can have negative connotations. If something is “dirty,” it is certainly not good. If something is “soiled,” it needs to be cleaned. Even as children we were probably taught to eschew dirt. If we did get dirty, we and our clothes had to be washed.
But Diana Butler Bass has written a beautiful book entitled Grounded: Finding God in the World. She devotes the first chapter to dirt. She reminds us that dirt is celebrated in scripture. In Genesis 2, God forms Adam from dirt or soil (in Hebrew adamah). Eve is formed from Adam’s side. Her name comes from the Hebrew havah, which means “to breathe” or “life.” Their names, then, link together Soil and Life. The whole story of the Hebrew Bible is that of land and its fruitfulness. Humans are disconnected to the land by sin or they are connected to the land by acts of faith and justice.
We need to renew our appreciation of dirt, of soil. Sadly, in today’s world we are experiencing a major crisis with regard to soil. Bass writes that soil is being lost “at an alarming rate all over the planet.” During the last 150 years, for example, earth has lost half its topsoil. In many place, formerly productive soil is now unusable. In addition, our planet loses approximately 25 million acres a year to erosion.
Agronomist Wes Jackson says that soil is not limitless. “Soil is as much a nonrenewable resource as oil.” Once soil is destroyed, it is “destroyed forever.” Says Bass, “The earth’s math is simple: no soil, no food, no us.”
This all may sound pretty depressing. But Bass points to another phenomenon that is
occurring all over the world: “more and more people are returning to the ground.” In doing research on a wide spectrum of churches, she was amazed to find how many congregations now have gardens. They are raising food for charity, to ease their budgets, to renew the land, or just for the fun of it. One congregation, for example, purchased a neglected piece of property in the inner city and established a garden. In fact, they decided not build a conventional church, for the garden will be their church. Vegetable beds will surround their Communion table. A greenhouse will serve as their worship place when it rains.
And it’s not just Churches who are growing gardens. Cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland have all started major urban farming programs aimed at reclaiming blighted neighborhoods while providing both healthy food and local jobs. This growth in gardens is seen even on a smaller scale. The National Garden Association reports that one in three households in the U.S. is now growing food, a rise of 17 percent from 2008 to 20013.
Bass’ book Grounded cites other authorities on the subject of soil. She quotes Fred Bahnson, founder of a community garden in North Carolina, who calls the soil “a sacrament.” Bahnson adds, “There is an entire ecosystem in a handful of soil: bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, earthworms. Through their breeding and dying such creatures vivify the world.” His description recalled those times I saw my father scoop up a handful of freshly plowed soil and smell it. I soon followed his good example. To this day I will occasionally bend over and scoop up some moist dirt and smell it. Mmmm! There’s no other smell quite like it.
The writer Sallie McFague, described as an American feminist Christian theologian, raises this thought-provoking question: “What if we saw the earth as part of the body of God, not as separate from God (who dwells elsewhere), but as the visible reality of the invisible God?” Says Bass, if we did “we would be both more responsible toward the soil and more aware of God-with-us.”
What is your attitude toward dirt, toward soil? Do you have any childhood memories that involve dirt or soil?
Do you do any gardening? If so what do you grow? Why? If you grow vegetables, what do you do with them?
Does your church have a garden? Does your city have community gardens?
Here are two videos of the same song called “Love Song to the Earth.” It features a number of singers including Paul McCartney, Sean Paul, Natasha Bedingfield, and others. The first is the official music video. The second one has the lyrics plus images of beautiful planet earth. I love both versions!
Official video:
Here is the version with the lyrics:
Do you wish to respond to this reflection and/or the song?
Putting the Groceries Away
Today’s reflection is adapted from my book, Everyday Epiphanies. There are essentially two attitudes toward putting the groceries away: Attitude A and Attitude B. (more…)
"Look for the Helpers"
Every day we are bombarded with bad news: bombs exploding at airports and concerts, refugees fleeing from war-torn countries, people flooded out of their homes, individuals overdosing on drugs. It’s enough to make you weep. It’s enough to make you depressed.
But then I saw something on the CBS news a couple of weeks ago about Mr. Rogers, the creator and star of the children’s program, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. He told the children something his mother had said to him when he was a child and was afraid when he saw bad things happening around him: “Look for the helpers.”
When you see the aftermath of a terrorist bombing, look for the helpers; that is, look for the people comforting a wounded girl in their arms. Look for bystanders and the police tending to the injured, the people carrying the injured to waiting ambulances, the ambulance drivers speeding the victims to the hospitals, and the doctors and nurses waiting at those hospitals to receive them.
Or when you see people flooded out of their homes, look for the people in boats going from house to house or the hovering helicopter lowering someone to rescue a man clinging to a tree. Look for the National Guard carrying babies and even dogs to safety or the Red Cross personnel providing food, blankets, and a warm dry place to sleep.
Look for the helpers. The helpers in Manchester far outnumbered that lone suicide bomber. They even outnumbered his “associates” in their midst. Good people far outnumber the perpetrators of evil. We must always remember that.
But we shouldn’t just look for the helpers. We should become one of the helpers. When tragedy strikes, be a helper: by donating food and/or clothing. By writing a check. By offering to help in any small or large way you are able.
And we don’t have to wait for bad news to occur to be a helper. We can be a helper in our everyday lives—at home, at work, at our parish, in our local neighborhood. For example, I watch my grandnieces and grandnephews play soccer, basketball, and baseball. And I marvel at their coaches—all volunteers, many of them Moms and Dads—busy Moms and Dads. And I admire those other helpers who work the concession stands and those small businesses who pay for the shirts the kid athletes wear.
In our parish, I marvel at those who serve as ushers, readers, Eucharistic ministers. I’m grateful to those who sing in the choir, clean the church, decorate the altar, launder the altar linens. All volunteers. All helpers.
This week, why not make a conscious effort to look for the helpers in your midst. The worker at the grocery store who shows you exactly where the canned mushrooms are on the shelf. The customers in the parking lot who return their carts to the “cart corral.” The driver who gives you a break in traffic. The people picking up litter along the side of the road. The spouse who takes out the garbage, cooks a favorite dish, does a small favor without being asked. The friend who always seems to know just what you need and when you need it.
And be a helper too. The fact that you’re reading a blog such as this is probably a good
indication that you are essentially a helping and caring person.
Jesus told a beautiful parable about being a helper: the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan was on his way to Jericho when he chanced upon some bad news. Very bad news: a man, a stranger, a Jew, lying on the side of the road. He had been beaten and robbed and was left half-dead. The Samaritan didn’t simply weep at the sight. He didn’t simply say, “How depressing!” No, he went into action. He became a helper. He used the few resources he had—some wine to disinfect the wounds and some pieces of cloth to bandage them. I wonder: did he rip his own clothing? Then he lifted the man up on his animal and took him to an inn. Then he reached into his wallet and paid the innkeeper to look after the man. And if he hadn’t done enough, he promised to stop by on his way back to check on the man and to give the innkeeper more money if necessary. Wow! What a helper he was.
When we encounter bad news, we can weep, yes. We can become depressed, yes. But then we must look for the helpers. And then we must become a helper. Isn’t this precisely what Jesus calls us to be?
Our song today is a favorite of mine called “The Servant Song.” It was written by Richard Gillard of New Zealand and is performed here by the Bukas Palad Ministry.
Who are some of the helpers you notice in your everyday life?
When are some of the times you have been a helper? How? Why?
Would you like to “be a helper” to the readers of this blog and share some of your thoughts with us?
PS: Please pray for my next retreat at Villa Maria Del Mar in Santa Cruz, CA from July 7 to July 14. There will be 42 retreatants gathered on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Then I will drive up to San Francisco where I’m giving a presentation on Sunday, July 16 from 1:00 to 3:30 at the Presentation Convent on Turk Blvd. The talk is entitled “The Spirituality of Hope.”
“Look for the Helpers”
Every day we are bombarded with bad news: bombs exploding at airports and concerts, refugees fleeing from war-torn countries, people flooded out of their homes, individuals overdosing on drugs. It’s enough to make you weep. It’s enough to make you depressed.
But then I saw something on the CBS news a couple of weeks ago about Mr. Rogers, the creator and star of the children’s program, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. He told the children something his mother had said to him when he was a child and was afraid when he saw bad things happening around him: “Look for the helpers.”
When you see the aftermath of a terrorist bombing, look for the helpers; that is, look for the people comforting a wounded girl in their arms. Look for bystanders and the police tending to the injured, the people carrying the injured to waiting ambulances, the ambulance drivers speeding the victims to the hospitals, and the doctors and nurses waiting at those hospitals to receive them.
Or when you see people flooded out of their homes, look for the people in boats going from house to house or the hovering helicopter lowering someone to rescue a man clinging to a tree. Look for the National Guard carrying babies and even dogs to safety or the Red Cross personnel providing food, blankets, and a warm dry place to sleep.
Look for the helpers. The helpers in Manchester far outnumbered that lone suicide bomber. They even outnumbered his “associates” in their midst. Good people far outnumber the perpetrators of evil. We must always remember that.
But we shouldn’t just look for the helpers. We should become one of the helpers. When tragedy strikes, be a helper: by donating food and/or clothing. By writing a check. By offering to help in any small or large way you are able.
And we don’t have to wait for bad news to occur to be a helper. We can be a helper in our everyday lives—at home, at work, at our parish, in our local neighborhood. For example, I watch my grandnieces and grandnephews play soccer, basketball, and baseball. And I marvel at their coaches—all volunteers, many of them Moms and Dads—busy Moms and Dads. And I admire those other helpers who work the concession stands and those small businesses who pay for the shirts the kid athletes wear.
In our parish, I marvel at those who serve as ushers, readers, Eucharistic ministers. I’m grateful to those who sing in the choir, clean the church, decorate the altar, launder the altar linens. All volunteers. All helpers.
This week, why not make a conscious effort to look for the helpers in your midst. The worker at the grocery store who shows you exactly where the canned mushrooms are on the shelf. The customers in the parking lot who return their carts to the “cart corral.” The driver who gives you a break in traffic. The people picking up litter along the side of the road. The spouse who takes out the garbage, cooks a favorite dish, does a small favor without being asked. The friend who always seems to know just what you need and when you need it.
And be a helper too. The fact that you’re reading a blog such as this is probably a good
indication that you are essentially a helping and caring person.
Jesus told a beautiful parable about being a helper: the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan was on his way to Jericho when he chanced upon some bad news. Very bad news: a man, a stranger, a Jew, lying on the side of the road. He had been beaten and robbed and was left half-dead. The Samaritan didn’t simply weep at the sight. He didn’t simply say, “How depressing!” No, he went into action. He became a helper. He used the few resources he had—some wine to disinfect the wounds and some pieces of cloth to bandage them. I wonder: did he rip his own clothing? Then he lifted the man up on his animal and took him to an inn. Then he reached into his wallet and paid the innkeeper to look after the man. And if he hadn’t done enough, he promised to stop by on his way back to check on the man and to give the innkeeper more money if necessary. Wow! What a helper he was.
When we encounter bad news, we can weep, yes. We can become depressed, yes. But then we must look for the helpers. And then we must become a helper. Isn’t this precisely what Jesus calls us to be?
Our song today is a favorite of mine called “The Servant Song.” It was written by Richard Gillard of New Zealand and is performed here by the Bukas Palad Ministry.
Who are some of the helpers you notice in your everyday life?
When are some of the times you have been a helper? How? Why?
Would you like to “be a helper” to the readers of this blog and share some of your thoughts with us?
PS: Please pray for my next retreat at Villa Maria Del Mar in Santa Cruz, CA from July 7 to July 14. There will be 42 retreatants gathered on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Then I will drive up to San Francisco where I’m giving a presentation on Sunday, July 16 from 1:00 to 3:30 at the Presentation Convent on Turk Blvd. The talk is entitled “The Spirituality of Hope.”
