Thursday, April 15th

What is Creation Saying? The Greening of God

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. John15: 1-5

Hildegard of Bingen – Our Greening God

Hildegard was a twelfth century, feisty, Benedictine Abbess and Christian mystic. Her theology was beautiful. In contrast to the teachings of St. Augustine and many others, who emphasized our depravity and the original sin that envelops us, Hildegard affirmed humankind’s inherent goodness. She wrote, “Every creature is a glittering, glistening mirror of Divinity.” This is not to say that Hildegard ignored evil or suffering. She did not. But she believed that the spark of God within us was always greater than the temptation to do wrong. That’s why she could say, “Even in a world that’s being shipwrecked, remain brave and strong.” A good reminder for us during COVID and Climate Change, and cries for freedom and democracy around the world, Hildegard also espoused the goodness of the natural world and had a creation-focused spirituality that is very appealing to modern spiritual seekers. She believed the care of the earth was part of our responsibility as followers of Christ. She wrote, “We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.” Is this not also a lesson for our time?

But arguably one of Hildegard’s greatest contributions (or at least that for which she is most known) was her coining of the term viriditas. “The origin of Viriditas may be the union of two Latin words: Green and Truth. But like most Latin words, Viriditas does not easily translate into convenient, straightforward English. While being difficult to translate may be frustrating to some, there is beauty in this complexity.”
The meaning is both literal (green and growth) and metaphorical (freshness and vitality). Viriditas is the creative power of life. Most of all, viriditas is God’s greening power, which “gives life to all things and inspires and revives our spiritual lives.” Her poem called Viriditas proclaims:

I am the one whose praise echoes on high.
I adorn all the earth.
I am the breeze that nurtures all things green.
I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits.
I am led by the spirit to feed the purest streams.
I am the rain coming from the dew that causes the grasses to laugh with the joy of life.
I call forth tears. I am the yearning for good.

In a poem addressed to the listener, she says to us:

Good people, Most royal greening verdancy, Rooted in the sun,
You shine with radiant light, in this circle of earthly existence.
You shine so finely, it surpasses understanding.
God hugs you. You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God.
Amen.

What would it mean for us to be a royal greening verdancy? What would it look like if we were rooted in the sun and shining with radiant light? How would it feel if we were filled with viriditas, the creative power of life, God’s greening power? How would that affect our malaise, our apathy, our indifference? How would it affect our relationships, our parenting, our work, or our retirement? How would it affect our church, our community, our country? Our Hildegard believed that God was the source of all viriditas, God’s greening power. But she also believed that we all have viriditas, this creative life power, within us. Healing comes when we figure out what is blocking our viriditas.
So, I will ask what Hildegard might have: where are the brown, dead spots in your life or your spirit? What area is in need of greening? What is getting in the way? What needs to grow in you?

With the stinging effects of Climate Change we need to hear of God’s healing verdancy. We need God’s greening. Of course, Hildegard also believed that we are co-creators with God, so we have to do our part. She said we cannot thwart God’s greening power.
What might we be able to do if we embraced it?

“I am the vine, and you are the branches,” Jesus said. We are connected to Christ and one another. Let’s do some greening.

This week pray for Vancouver Island old growth forests:
Clayoquot Sound: largest intact rainforest remaining on the Island, future unresolved
Walbran Valley: flagged for logging, future teetering on the edge
Fairey Creek: the last standing old growth in a watershed, scheduled for logging

A Franciscan prayer to guide us:
Lord, help us to maintain a reverent attitude towards nature, threatened from all sides today, in such a way that we may restore it completely to the condition of brother/sister and to its role of usefulness to all humankind for the glory of God the Creator.

Hildegard’s benediction to be ambassadors for God:
“Dare to declare who you are. It is not far from the shores of silence to the boundaries of speech. The path is not long, but the way is deep. You must not only walk there, you must be prepared to leap.” – Hildegard of Bingen

Photo by Utsman Media on Unsplash