By Martin Hoegger
For Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, nature is not just a neutral backdrop but a word of God in the open air. In her mystical text, Paradise of 1949, she offers a key perspective: seeing the world through the loving eyes of the Father. This ‘spirituality of unity’ transforms our relationship with creation and establishes a loving ecological responsibility. I highlighted this vision, received in the Dolomites, at a conference on ‘ecotheology’ in Heraklion (Crete)[1].
Another view of nature
In the Dolomite mountains, Chiara Lubich experienced a transformative view of nature, following an intense period of evangelical life. The consequence of a life nourished by the Word was a changed perception of nature: “None of us will ever forget the nature that surrounded us that day. Everything was a celebration… God in all things changed our view: they were all connected by love.”
The suffering and redemption of nature
This vision acknowledges the world’s wounds. Lubich speaks of a ‘dark night’ when reality seems devoid of God. Our modern world often experiences a cultural night: technology surpasses ethics, and the heart disconnects from intelligence. The answer is to encounter “Jesus forsaken,” where emptiness is accepted and transfigured.
Jesus’ abandonment leads to resurrection and continual presence. The fire perceived within during the Dolomites’ stay represents the Risen One.
Chiara Lubich’s ecological vision
For Chiara Lubich, forming an ecological conscience is about love. Her ecological vision, implicit in Paradise of 1949, emphasizes acquiring God’s loving gaze: “Everything must be treated with the Father’s love for the Son.”
Ecology is also an act of love towards future generations: “Restoring a harmonious relationship with nature is an act of love towards the humanity of tomorrow.”
Conclusion: “The whole universe is a living Gospel.”
Chiara Lubich opens our eyes to creation’s profound truth. The world speaks and sings of its Creator. From the beginning, God’s Word tells us that everything exists in divine love. In the Dolomites, Lubich saw God “in all things,” with every element connected by love.
Creation also suffers, groaning for redemption. Chiara Lubich saw this too; in Jesus abandoned, even creation’s pain is healed and transfigured.
The risen Christ shines as a new sun, heralding a renewed creation. To live the Gospel is to love the world with tenderness, respect, and gratitude. Ecology is not an ideology but an act of love. When love guides our view, we discover the hidden truth of all things: “the whole universe is a living Gospel.”
This motivates our ecological responsibility. Let us live the Gospel so that “a spiritual fire burns within us,” transforming our view of nature into a celebration.
Photo: Walking in the Dolomites
Martin Hoegger is a Reformed theologian and author living in Switzerland. He participated in the Heraklion conference. https://www.hoegger.org
For other articles on this Symposium’s theme, see here: https://www.hoegger.org/article/eco-theology
[1] Scientific and theological symposium on ecology at the Patriarchal Academy of Crete, 8-9 October 2025. Its theme was: ‘Towards a just, participatory and sustainable society based on responsibility: ecotheology as a challenge for contemporary ecumenical Christianity’. My text, of which this article is a summary, will be published in the Proceedings of this Congress.
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