Today’s Life-Line(s) are:

Only when redemption in Christ is understood as historical, as an affirmation of God’s original intention for creation, rather than a rejection of creation, will it become possible to see the New Testament theme of equality in Christ as a mandate, not merely of flight from the world, but of transformation of the world in the direction of justice.

~ Rosemary Ruether, from Western Spirituality: Historical Roots, Ecumenical Routes, ed. by Matthew Fox

The Ecozoic Era, the period when humans would become a mutually beneficial presence on the Earth . . . can only exist when we understand the universe as composed of subjects to be communed with, not as objects to be exploited. “Use” as our primary relationship with the planet must be abandoned. While there are critical issues in providing food, shelter, and livelihood to vast numbers of peoples, these issues themselves ultimately depend on our capacity to sustain the natural world so that the natural world can sustain us. All our sciences and technologies and all our social institutions become dysfunctional if the natural life systems cease to function.

Intimacy with the planet in its wonder and beauty and the full depth of its meaning is what enables an integral human relationship with the planet to function. It is the only possibility for humans to attain their true flourishing while honoring the other modes of earthly being. The fulfillment of the Earth community is to be caught up in the grandeur of existence itself and in admiration of those mysterious powers whence all this emerged.

~ Thomas Berry, from The Great Work: Our Way into the Future