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I am the co-ordinator for the work of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the Comboni Missionaries in the U.K. My first missionary appointment was Malawi. There, like elsewhere in countries where the major energy supply comes from burning wood, people cut down the wood to make fuel to cook the maize porridge that is the nation's staple food. They cut down the trees; prepare charcoal and firewood that is carried to sell to the nearby town to make a living. In a project of my Mission Parish, saplings were planted on the chapel grounds, partly to mark the borders, partly to procure a source of income for the upkeep and running of the chapels. Our Christians from some 150 small Christian communities used to gather under the shadow of a tree to pray. I have many times celebrated Mass under the ample foliage of a mango tree.
When as missionaries we speak of justice and peace, we include the integrity of creation as something new going far beyond the ecological concern. We believe in stewardship of the world's resources (sustainability). The Earth's resources are a gift from God - we do not own them. We all share the same natural resources that God made. 'Live simply so that all may simply live' is a motto we missionaries like to live by. With the proclamation of the Gospel we assume the respect for the integrity of creation. "Enjoy the earth. Gently, enjoy the earth gently, for if the earth is spoiled it cannot be repaired. Enjoy the earth gently", says a Yoruba poem, from West Africa.