THE WORLD THIS WEEK 

Wild faith: a slow learner cares for creation 

“The bee is small among flying creatures, but what it produces is the best of sweet things.” That was the one-verse (11:3) reading from the Book of Sirach at a service of blessing in the gardens of the Jesuit-run Campion Hall, Oxford, on 3rd August. The object of the blessing: two glistening cedar-wood hives in a new apiary. The one blessing: the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, whose Spanish accent made apiary sound very digital. “May this apiary,” he intoned, “become a sign of attentiveness, shared labour, learning and hope, and may it deepen our care for the whole community of creation.” Then came intercessions: for reverence for our common home; for all who protect pollinators and restore damaged ecosystems, for those whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by climate change, and even for “forms of diplomacy and cooperation that protect people, planet and the fragile web of life”. 

Archbishop Buendía then swished out of the garden to the little enclave already planted with bee-friendly flowers, to sprinkle and incense the hives but they still got blessed. Just as theologians speak of prevenient grace – divine assistance that precedes our asking for it – the papal representative to the court of St James delivered a prevenient blessing of both hives and the bees who “will make them their home”. He prayed that the colonies be healthy and fruitful and that those who care for them have “wisdom, patience and gentleness”. It was a reminder that integral ecology is as much about human beings learning their place within and as partners of the created world as it is about their caring for it. 

Could we have some bees here at Holy Family?