Hugh J. McNichol, M.A.,K.H.S.

Catholic ecological sustainability and subsidiarity in the 21 st century! The parish community is the spiritual home for Catholics and it should reflect not just theological principles of the faith but should equally reflect the parish community's principles that illustrate the responsibility all Catholics hold towards the stewardship of God's natural resources and manifestations of His creation which are reflected in the parish church's actual structure. The Sacraments of the Church provide the focal point for all of the spiritual activities, with Eucharist providing the primary nourishment and restoration for the faithful community. However, the Catholic call to responsible stewardship of natural resources should also be part of the life cycle of the prayer and faith community which we call the Church, especially in the local parish community. The Sacred Liturgy celebrates the mystery God's presence throughout salvation history, the physical community of the parish community reflects how we as faithful participants in the continued unfolding of salvation history should indicate how as Catholics we safeguard and celebrate the gifts the Father as Creator has given us. The parish community of faith has the obligation to preserve and protect the Father's Creation and utilize the world's resources effectively, responding to the mandate of God the Creator in Genesis 1:28-30 who commands us: " Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. " Then God said, " I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food. " And it was so. God gives mankind the gift of the fruits of His creation and then delegates us to be the stewards of what He has created. That ecological obligation has implications not just for the

The "Unsettling" dialogic nature of God's relationship with Israel is radical and the transformational center of the heart of the Hebrew Bible and the fundamental foundation for the manifestation of the New Covenant in Jesus Christ's eschatological infusion into salvation history.

In reviewing the contents of this book my conclusion is that contemporary American society is continously grappling with the effects of the Emancipation Proclamation and its radical effect continue in our modern world. The abolotion of slavery in the United States and throughout the post-Civil War world provides the seminal catalyst for a transformation and appreciation for human rights and freedoms, the emergence of labor and industry as equal participants with management and the emergence of global commerce based upon free labor and free enterprise. Finally, the continued understanding that human rights and freedoms are indeed universal and demanded as well as the right to have access to the world's natural resources in order to sustain and develop human culture and society.