Day 7: 22nd May – Developing a Sense of Place:

From Laudato Si:
‘The history of our friendship with God is always linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal meaning; we all remember places, and revisiting those memories does us much good……Anyone who has grown up in the hills or used to sit by the spring to drink, or played outdoors in the neighbourhood square; going back to these places is a chance to recover something of their true selves.’

Reflection:
The notion of place has not really been emphasised to any great extent in Christianity.    Over the centuries, while Christianity has adopted to different cultures as it spread across the globe the emphasis has usually been on the universality of the Christian message itself – a body of belief suited to all peoples everywhere and for all time. Yet, as we try to cultivate an ecological spirituality the link to place comes very much to the fore. This is because we are talking primarily of relationship so it is about that individual flower or tree, river or neighbourhood square.

This is why Pope Francis’ reference to place is so refreshing, noting that a return to such places of personal meaning – linked as they are to our friendship with God – helps us recover a sense of who we are.

This emphasis on place can help us understand that we are not apart from but part of all that is. We can quite easily have a false impression that such things as water and soil, plants and other aspects of nonhuman life lie outside us. But the fact is we are composed of such things – with our bodies, and memories and sense of place being shaped by them. They are not only around us but also in us.
Prayer:

Let us be ever mindful of our deep connection to special places. Now as we work through a time of great human suffering and loss, may our connection to such places and the knowledge we have that we are part of, not a part from all else, nourish us anew and guide our recovery.

All of the previous Laudato Si’ daily reflections can be found in our Resources Section under Social Issues.

Margaret Twomey rsm