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Mother Pelican
A Journal of Solidarity and Sustainability

Vol. 13, No. 12, December 2017
Luis T. Gutiérrez, Editor
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Christmas, 4 BCE ~ Turning Point in Cultural Evolution

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"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone."
(Isaiah 9:1)

"And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." (John 1:14)

ARTICLES

Incarnation, Redemption, and Integral Ecology, by Luis T. Gutiérrez

Reflections and Chronicles From the End of Time: Discovery, by Carlos Cuellar Brown

Declaration of Workshop on Health of People, Health of Planet and Our Responsibility ~ Climate Change, Air Pollution and Health, by Pontifical Academy of Sciences

Policy Making in a Globalized World: Is Economic Growth the Appropriate Driver? An Example from Mesoamerica, by Andrea F. Schuman

World's Largest Oil Companies: Deep Trouble As Profits Vaporize While Debts Skyrocket, by Steve St. Angelo

Thinking from the Limits: Potentials and Pitfalls of an Eschatological Perspective, by Jörg Friedrichs

Ecocentrism: What It Means and What It Implies, by Joe Gray, Ian Whyte, Patrick Curry

The Seneca Paradox: If Mineral Depletion is a Problem, How is it That we Don't See its Effects?, by Ugo Bardi

Environmental Governance for the Anthropocene? Social-Ecological Systems, Resilience, and Collaborative Learning, by Fikret Berkes

What, Me Worry? Humans Are Blind to Imminent Environmental Collapse, by William Rees

Averting Ecocide: We Need a Human Survival Index, by Julian Cribb

The Blame Game, Testosterone and 2ºC, by W. Douglas Smith

Book Summary of Sustainability Principles and Practice, by Margaret Robertson

Human Population and the Global Environment, by Joseph Rowley

Universal Basic Income and the Duty to Work, by Aleksander Masternak

Book Summary of How Gender Shapes the World, by Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald

Consubstantial Complementarity of Man and Woman, by Luis T. Gutiérrez

Religious Patriarchy in the Judeo-Christian Tradition ~ Chronology and Translations, by Luis T. Gutiérrez

SUPPLEMENTS

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Advances in Sustainable Development

Directory of Sustainable Development Resources

Strategies for Solidarity and Sustainability

Best Practices for Solidarity and Sustainability

Fostering Gender Balance in Society

Fostering Gender Balance in Religion

Meditations on Man and Woman, Humanity and Nature


FEATURE ARTICLE

Incarnation, Redemption, and Integral Ecology

Luis T. Gutiérrez

The beautiful season of Advent, followed by the celebration of Christmas, is a good time to meditate on the connections between the incarnation, the redemption, and human ecology. In approximately 4 BCE, a baby was born in Bethlehem, born of a woman, born under the law in patriarchal Israel. Twenty centuries later, we need to rediscover the significance of that event in light of new realities: the planet being destroyed by the same patriarchal culture, albeit now exacerbated by the power of fossil fuels, population overshoot, and industrial waste.

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"Amount to Anything" cartoon by David Hayward
See also the Christmas card set in Common Good Christians

In the social sphere, should the patriarchal addiction to money, pursuant to power and honors, still be the main driver of economic activity and political initiatives?

"In the Christian understanding of the world, the destiny of all creation is bound up with the mystery of Christ, present from the beginning: “All things have been created though him and for him” (Col 1:16). The prologue of the Gospel of John (1:1-18) reveals Christ’s creative work as the Divine Word (Logos). But then, unexpectedly, the prologue goes on to say that this same Word “became flesh” (Jn 1:14). One Person of the Trinity entered into the created cosmos, throwing in his lot with it, even to the cross. From the beginning of the world, but particularly through the incarnation, the mystery of Christ is at work in a hidden manner in the natural world as a whole, without thereby impinging on its autonomy." Laudato Si' #99

In the religious sphere, should the patriarchal priesthood of the Old Law, restricted to males, still be normative for the sacramental priesthood of the New Law?

All men and women share one and the same human nature, the same biblical flesh. For the redemption, and the sacramental economy, the masculinity of Jesus is as incidental as the color of his eyes. The sacramental priesthood of the New Law is ministerial, not patriarchal. The exclusively male priesthood conceals the divine feminine in the Incarnate Word. The presence of Mary in the Christian community is not a sacramentally suitable substitute for the presence of Christ in the priest when acting in persona Christi. For this reason, women should be ordained to the priesthood and the episcopate, for the glory of God and the good of souls.

It is dark now in our common home, but Christmas keeps happening, a turning point that keeps turning. Humanity keeps muddling through, and patriarchal resistance to change will morph into new initiatives of communion between men and women of good will.

"Mary, Mother of the Eucharist and Predecessor of the Apostles, pray for us."


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"I will honor Christmas in my heart,
and try to keep it all the year."


Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

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