b'R E F L E C T I O NTHE PRINCIPLE OF STEWARDSHIPby J.A. Wayne HellmannThe principle of stewardship, thatSaint Francis of Assisi expressed this is, the careful and responsibleunderstanding when he called all management of something entrustedcreatures his brothers and sisters. to you, is related to the principle ofSaint Francis realized he shared life solidarity. Followers of Christ arewith the earth and all that is of the called to relate respectfully not only toearth. He believed that he, along with people as their neighbors and to theall creatures, whether worms, birds, interdependent world of peoples andor stones, came forth from the same nations but also to the shared spaceorigin, the same Father, who created of the earth, the air above, and theheaven and earth.resources below. Interdependence applies also to the entire ecosystem.As the common inheritance of the human race, the earth provides for Each creature, every being of thehuman needs. It nurtures the body planet, is profoundly implicated in thewith its nutrients and the soul with its life and existence of every other being.awesome beauty. Thus the earth and This is because Christians believe thatits environment must be honored, each creature and creation itself takenpreserved, and shared. It is not to be together as a harmonious whole wasdominated or exploited by one group spoken by God. Human persons areagainst another, including the current created in the image of God, but everygenerations now living against the created being is a manifestation of thefuture generations not yet born.glory of God. The beauty of the earth invites awe, reverence, and wonder. 40 AspireVolume 1//Winter 2020 Subscribe today! smp.org/aspire'