Walking God's Earth

Book excerpt: How does the Catholic tradition understand the significance of the environment, and what are the implications for our daily lives? In Walking God's Earth, David Cloutier provides a concise, accessible, and spiritually engaging introduction to these questions. Cloutier emphasizes the importance of "finding our place" within God's created order, showing how spiritual experiences and scriptural narratives guide us to a humble and realistic perspective, one that often clashes with the presumptions of society. In its focus on practical ways of living out this message, the book identifies key areas--food, fuel, dwelling places, work, and leisure--where Catholics can bring their faith convictions into daily living. We are called to handle the things of God's creation in holy, sacramental ways, as an essential part of our vocation to live out our faith. Walking God's Earthemphasizes the importance of connecting both spiritually and morally, our environmental lives with the basics of our faith in hope that God's desire for "the renewal of the earth" may be realized in our own desires and in the practices of our communities.