"Thou Hast Given Him Dominion"
God's
Plan for Man within Creation
By Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke
Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin
Farming is at the foundation of society in providing food
and clothing for us, and it needs to be carried out by
those who have responsibility not only for their own family
and home but also a sense of responsibility in the
community.
So the Church always has believed that agriculture was best
carried out by God-fearing families who have a sense of the
destination of the goods produced through agriculture -
that common good provided for the farmers themselves and
also for the whole community. The Church also has
understood that it's not good for this service - which is
the foundation of life in the world - to be concentrated in
the hands of a few individuals.
The trouble with that isn't that a few individuals are
involved, it's that there is a tremendous susceptibility to
see agriculture as only business instead of as both
business and stewardship. As a result, the elements of
creation that are cared for in agriculture are no longer
seen as gifts from God to be stewarded for the benefit of
all. Rather they are seen as commercial enterprises to be
developed for the greatest possible profit.
That is avoided when you have the land, the plants, and the
animals in the hands of a great number of people who have a
sense of responsibility for the community.
In the gospel this relates to the whole notion of
stewardship. Creation is placed in our hands, for a time,
for us to care for and develop for the common good.
Logically, if God says the care of the earth is given over
to man, how does he do that except through families?
Everything that God gives us is given through the family,
and by way of the family. This most fundamental of work and
service is entrusted to individuals, so it may be a single
person, but that person is still related to a family.
Think of the gospel of life. Supporting life from the
moment of conception comes through such basic things as
nutrition. The parents are those in charge of the care of
human life, and so are deeply concerned that the mother
eats good things while she is carrying the child. And once
born, that the child eats healthily. So the concern for
agriculture goes directly to respect for human life.
If we agree that the most precious gift which God has given
to us is life - created after his own image and likeness,
life destined for eternity - then we're going to be deeply
concerned about how that life is nurtured physically. So
enters the whole question of agriculture. Right now there
are a lot of suspicions regarding how the overuse of
antibiotics for the treatment of animals and grains is
affecting mothers and infants and children.
THE ECONOMIC DIMENSION
Economically, it is predicted that the disappearance of the
family farm would leave agriculture in the hands of three
to five multi-national corporations. This could have a
deleterious effect on the prices charged for foodstuffs.
So you could end up with a kind of tyranny over something
that is essential for life. It would be one thing if you
said all of baseball is in the hands of one or two people
who controlled it in a way that is harmful. We don't need
baseball to live, so you may say, "Fine, we're going to
give up baseball."
But you have to eat and clothe yourself. In our absolute
dependency on the individuals who produce them, you could
pray and hope that they will be very high-minded and
concerned about the common good. But that is not normally
the way it works. The bottom line concern of big business
is the bottom line.
That's why I don't like the word agribusiness. Agriculture
is more than just a business. The Latin derivation of the
word agriculture is "the care of the field" - cultura agri.
That's entirely different. You're caring for something
else, namely God's creation, and for his people to whom he
has given all these wonderful foods.
The whole point about the family farm is that you have
people from the local community who have children
themselves, who feel a close bond to their neighbors, and
so are deeply concerned to produce a product that's really
good for their own children, and for their neighbors. They
take pride in doing that.
THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION
Spiritually, it is very serious if we give up completely
the stewardship of the land, the crops, and the herds. This
is a sacred responsibility which God has given into the
hands of all. Even though we're not all farmers, there are
a certain number who are carrying out this work on behalf
of us all. If we sellout that responsibility, we have put
it into the hands of someone else. Then, spiritually, we're
responsible for whatever happens. It's our doing because we
have given up the responsibility. That's why I say to
farmers, "Don't quit, don't give into this," because it's
clear in Scripture what God intends. That's very serious.
Christ among us invites us to be clear about the noble work
of agriculture and to make, with him, the sacrifice
necessary to follow God's plan, overcoming the temptations
to pride and greed which so easily enter into the care of
the fields and the animals.
Christ within us teaches us that we are responsible for the
care of creation and cannot abdicate our responsibilities
because we are tired of fighting what are called inevitable
economic trends. Yes, the obstacles to promoting
sustainable agriculture are formidable. But they are ours
to overcome.
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Bishop Raymond L. Burke served two terms (1996 - 2001) as
board president of the National Catholic Rural Life
Conference. He was educated at Holy Cross Seminary, in La
Crosse, Wisconsin; Catholic University of America, in
Washington, D.C.; and North American College and Gregorian
University, in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1975, and
became bishop of La Crosse 20 years later.
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(Editor's note: on Bishop Burke is now an Archbishop and
Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura.)
This article originally appeared in the July-August 2001
edition of Catholic Answer's Be magazine. Used with
permission. For a wealth of apologetic materials, check out
Catholic Answers website at www.catholic.com