Lenten observance removes us from distractions that would impede our movement towards God. We put aside frivolous pleasures and even food and material goods in order to strengthen our relationship to God. Lent helps us put everything into proper perspective. A “proper perspective” today, however, includes reflection on our place in nature itself. Ecology is now the framework from which many view the world, recognizing that nature is a vast inter-related field of matter and forces that sustain life or destroy it. Proper perspective is lost when humankind sees itself either as complete master of nature or as an interloper whose very existence puts nature in danger. Modern scientific method put nature on an operating table and forced secrets out of her. This method has achieved great progress in controlling and manipulating nature. Because of science, we live in a glass garden, a world shaped more by our own artifice than by nature itself. By reaction, many have come to recognize that nature has been abused and they call for a more contemplative approach to the world, sometimes even speaking as if nature were itself divine. A biblical perspective puts balance in the picture. Nature is not divine, but it has been created out of God’s infinite love. The pinnacle of creation is man and woman, created in God’s image and likeness, able to think and love, to be generous and care for the earth itself. If the earth were our mother, the grave would be our final resting place; but the human race, while part of nature, transcends material reality, with a destiny fulfilled only by resting in God’s love. Lent can serve to remind us that we are not masters of creation but its stewards. We should treat nature respectfully and not let ourselves be mastered by physical demands. Lenten discipline, the basis for an ascetical and penitential life, is not only good for us but for the world itself, which “groans” in anticipation of its own fulfillment (Rom 8:22). The fall of man introduced the effects of sin and disorder into nature itself. At the end of time, when mankind rises from the dead, nature itself will be transformed into a witness to God’s eternal love and power. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind” (Is 65:17). Our worship of God in the midst of the world has both ecological significance and cosmic dimensions. We can easily forget that the celebration of the Eucharist transforms bread and wine, prepares us for eternal life and changes the material world itself, so that God may be all in all (1 Cor 15:28). This is the ultimate perspective, in which heaven and earth are united and what we celebrate in the Eucharist becomes forever the pattern of all reality. The material world and the human race share a common destiny. Even as we look for ways to include every human being in our prayer and concern, even as we recall that the world’s goods are designed to be used by everyone, our faith also instructs us to include the care of the world itself in our concern. We should treat gently and respectfully all God’s gifts: the world itself, our brothers and sisters in the human family and the great gift of Christ himself in the Holy Eucharist. If our Lenten observance restores this perspective to our lives, Lent will be a transformational time and a preparation for eternity. God bless you.