Minnesota Episcopal
Environmental Stewardship
Commission (MEESC)

Reflection on Deuteronomy 15: 7-11
by the Rev Tom Harries

The lessons from Deuteronomy and 2 Corinthians share the call for generosity – in Deuteronomy toward your neighbor, in 2 Corinthians toward other Christian communities.

One option would be to ask, "What would it mean to be generous toward our sister and brother creatures, or toward the earth itself?"

Could we in generosity leave some water in the rivers for the fish, or actually take down some of the dams that prevent spawning?

Could we in generosity raise animals in less efficient but more humane ways? And would we help create the demand by paying the higher price?

Another possibility would be to focus on the impact debt forgiveness for poor countries, and generosity toward them, will have on the environment.  Much environmental destruction is done by people too poor to have significant choices in their quest to survive. A great deal more results from the need to earn dollars for debt service.

In many cases the poor are our fellow Christians, making 2 Corinthians particularly relevant.

Tom Harries, MEESC Chair 2004-present, was Rector of St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church, Richfield, MN, when he originally wrote this reflection in 2000. Tom and we welcome your comments. Please address your comments or additional reflections to Tom Harries or any MEESC member, or mail them to: