Tipperary (Ireland). On 22 November 2025, at the Conference Center in Tipperary, the Cosmological Group delle Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice dell’Ispettoria N. S. Regina d’Irlanda (IRL) ha organizzato la conferenza di chiusura dell’anno.
Eco-Spirituality and Christians Foundations is the theme of the Conference, explored in depth by Fr. Diarmuid O’Murchu, Missionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC), in which the FMAs of the Dublin and Limerick areas participated, with colleagues and lay collaborators who have walked a journey of faith with FMAs to understand how Jesus’ message is perfectly inclusive when it comes to the well-being of the community living on Planet Earth.
In his presentation, Fr. Diarmuid examined the biblical passage from Genesis 1:1-31 as a primary covenant with creation. Everything God created was ‘good’. The Earth is a gift from God to His people. “Jesus clearly stated that He did not want to call us ‘servants, but friends’ (Jn 15:15). We are invited to be co-disciples with Him and to take care of all of God’s creation, taking into account the cultural elements that were part of Jesus’ reality,” he affirmed.
Speaking about how Jesus refers to the term Kingdom of God more than 100 times, leading to an understanding of how it is at the heart of His message. He then quoted theologian Sister Elizabeth Johnson CSJ, “Since the reign of God is especially attentive to the needy and outcast, Jesus showed a partisanship for suffering people that we can today interpret as extending to encompass the earth and its myriads of distressed species and ecosystems. His ministry reveals a wideness in God’s mercy that includes all creation” (‘Creation and the Cross’ 2018).
American theologian Rodger Haight SJ, uses the term “kingdom” instead of “kingdom of God”, stating that “The rule of God refers to the intention of the Creator, the way God desires creation to be, especially human existence in a community that includes relationship with the wider life of the planet… The rule of God symbolises being drawn into the mystery of God’s intention for the universe of how human beings should live.” (Faith and Evolution, 2019).
“Jesus was clearly committed to caring for everyone without exception” – the speaker explained – “His ministry is marked by the breaking of cultural norms and boundaries, by the inclusion of everyone, regardless of their social status. His attitude to commensality and healing marked his mission. He clearly denounced the religion of empire, the power that oppressed the poor and needy, but he proclaimed the reign of God to all who had hearts to hear his Word. His parables continue to teach us through three essential elements: Story, Allegory (story is being used to teach a religious lesson), and parable (a hidden subverted meaning that the adult hearer must discover for themselves).”
Lastly, Fr. Diarmuid invited the participants to consider the Earth Charter – a collective document that enunciates the values and principles through which sustainable development can be achieved – by comparing it to the first chapter of Genesis, discovering how it can be a model for translating eco-spirituality into daily practice for the sanctification and empowerment of both people and the planet. “Let us make man in our image and likeness, so God created man in His image, male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-28). “Affirm the right of peoples to have their spirituality, knowledge, land and resources and to their related practice of sustainable livelihoods” Earth Charter (12b) “Earth, our home is alive with a unique community of life…The protection of Earth’s vitality, diversity and beauty is a sacred trust” (Earth Charter, Foreword).
