Interview with Sister Maamalifar, Coordinator of the UISG-USG Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC)

As we come to the end of the Season of Creation, which closes on 4 October with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we are invited not simply to close an annual celebration, but to reflect on how care for our common home continues to shape our daily choices, our mission and our life of faith.

The effects of climate change are increasingly visible across the world, particularly in the lives of people and communities who are poor and vulnerable.

For Sister Maamalifar, Coordinator of the UISG-USG Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), caring for creation is therefore not only an environmental concern. It is a responsibility rooted in Scripture and in our relationship with God.

In this interview, she reflects on the impact of our way of living, the responsibility God has entrusted to humanity, and how creation itself can become a place of encounter with God.

Why is caring for the environment so urgent today?

More and more, we are realizing the devastating impact of climate change, which is caused by our human behavior and activities, because we are taking more from nature than we are giving.
This way of living is causing difficulties for the poor and the vulnerable. Right now, there are many people who cannot even have water because we are draining too much water.
There are places where people are experiencing severe drought because of the effects of climate change. This is affecting the lives of people, not those who can afford to buy, but the most vulnerable, especially people in villages and the poor in cities. They are struggling.
Therefore, we need to take care of the environment so that the environment can also provide for our needs, especially the needs of poor people.

Why should Christians see care for creation as a responsibility?

The Pope, as the leader of the Church, follows Catholic social teaching, which emphasizes the importance of creation. If we go back to Scripture, to Genesis chapters 1 and 2, we are told that God created everything good, and God entrusted this creation to humanity to cultivate and take care of it.

Why is this important? We take care of creation so that creation can also take care of us.
It is a responsibility that the Lord has entrusted to us from the very beginning. And when you are given a responsibility, I think it comes from trust. If I don't trust you, I cannot give you a responsibility.

But God trusted us to co-create with God, and therefore God entrusted this responsibility to us. If we have a responsibility, we need to take it seriously. Because at the end, when we go, God will ask us: "I gave you a responsibility. What did you do?"

How does creation help us to encounter God?

I see the glory of God. This is what the psalmist also expressed. God's glory, who God is, is manifested in what God has created. Therefore, my faith in God should draw me to respect what God has created.

It is like when parents give birth to a child. You cannot say that the child is separate from the parents, because the parents are part of that child. It is the same: God is part of what God has created. God is in what God has created.

Have you personally experienced the presence of God through creation?
Yes. I can give an example. When I went to do my retreat, I went outside. The director told me: "Just go and sit outside and listen."

I went and sat outside, and I started to observe the trees, the grass, the insects and the weather. All of a sudden, I felt something very deep. My body ran cold, and I said: "God, you are here."

I felt the presence of God. And for me, that experience remains with me even today. When I am walking, it comes back to me, because God is there.

Otherwise, how do you see nature? It is something that is planned. It didn't just fall from the sky. This is the work of God.

What changes when we begin to see creation in this way?

Creation inspires my faith. It invites me to praise God. I see the glory of God, and I am invited to respect creation.
I cannot say that I respect God when I don't respect creation. And when I talk about creation, I don't exclude humanity. We are created. We are created beings, and therefore we are part of creation.
If we can look at creation this way, it will change our attitude. We will treat it differently, rather than simply seeing it as something to consume.