Beauty is all Around us.
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

• “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth.” Ps. 96:11-13
• "LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” (Pope Francis) – “Praise be to you, my Lord”. In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs”. Laudato Si 1.
• “We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.” Laudato Si 2.

There is beauty all around us and it will continue to be, as long as man (men and women) will stop messing around with nature. Let’s stop trying to re-design God’s creation. It was great to begin with! Read the first six paragraphs of Laudato Si, and you’ll get what I mean.

An ecosystem is a complex array of relationships among living resources, habitats, residents of an area. Yes, human beings, too. It includes flora and fauna, plants, animals, fish, birds, micro-organisms, water and soil, and people. Within this ecosystem all elements have their amount of space or territory. A balanced ecosystem is where there is biodiversity, and all inhabitants have the possibility to grow, reproduce, and live equally well. Where the ecosystem is out of whack, damaged, there is trouble, and elements of this ecosystem begin to disappear.

An age-old conflict exists between man and lesser creatures, or, to put it another way, creatures that man can control. Human beings want to use more and more natural space, even though this may lead to ecosystem damage and destruction. There is plenty of blame to be had for destruction of critical habitat, but it is difficult to blame man's desire for expansion, yet those who police the ecosystem need to do so with zeal.

As Franciscans, we are very much aware of the environment around us. St. Francis of Assisi, Patron of Ecology and things natural, was very eco-conscious although that wasn't a "catch-phrase" when he was around in the 13th Century. St. Francis had an enormous respect for all things living because he knew, and taught us, that living things are created by God. Living things are thus our responsibility and we cannot just go wildly about destroying habitat just for the sake of exercising control.

In Florida, there are many different ecosystems, for example, Aquatic ecosystem, Coral reef, Forest, the Human ecosystem, Large marine ecosystem, Littoral zone, Marine ecosystem, Pond Ecosystem, Savanna, and, Urban ecosystem. Within these ecosystems live over 22.6 Million people (not counting tourists), and a great many Protected and Endangered Species.

Tahquamenon Falls, the location of the image you see at the top of this Reflection. Tahquamenon Falls State Park encompasses nearly 50,000 acres and stretches 13-plus miles in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The nearest town is Paradise, MI, a location I’ve visited. I didn’t take the image above but I’ve seen this area and adjacent places and it is beautiful. Paradise is a town of 5,330 people one has to drive through on the way to the Falls (west) and also Whitefish Point (north), the area I was interested in. The lighthouse is a ship traffic aide for Lake Superior. There is another feature: the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. There is (seasonal) Bird Banding. I used to do this for 25-plus years in various states, however not in Michigan. Friends of mine in Florida, who moved to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, did band up there, and one of them wrote a small but interesting booklet some years ago:

“The Owls of Whitefish Point, a Bird-Banding Adventure” by Susan H. Craig, 2014, Outskirts Press, ISBN 978- 1-4787-2632-6, paperback. I have a copy of it around somewhere.

I’ve visited up there twice, both the Falls and the Point, with my former Florida bird banding friend. I don’t think I’ve got it in me (health wise) to visit a third time. These are nice memories, and there is, indeed, beauty all around us. That beauty is a gift from God.

Peace and Good,

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
March 26, 2023

Laudato Si (PDF): https://www.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si_en.pdf

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