A Lesson in Generosity

Did you know that the earth contains more than 16,000 species of moss? Why in the world did God believe we needed such an abundance of this tiny plant? Perhaps because, as Robin Wall Kimmerer notes in an interview in The Sun magazine, “Mosses teach sustainability. They take little from the world and yet flourish everywhere…. They’re not the biggest or the most species, but they have managed to survive on earth for at least 350 million years…. And they give much more to the community than they take. They build soil, purify water, make seed beds, and provide habitat for microscopic animals. Yet mosses use so few resources. They are a lesson in generosity.”

We seldom if ever take note of moss, but God does. As today’s Gospel reading from Luke observed, “Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.” In the marvel of God’s design, everything is interconnected, everything contributes to the life of everything else, and nothing is without dignity and value.

It is urgent for us to learn the lesson of the mosses—to give more to the community than we take—because, as is becoming evident, to do otherwise is to destroy our common home. Recently reported results of a 27-year study in Germany show a shocking 75% decrease in the number of winged insects in the past 25 years, likely because we have taken over their habitat and poisoned it with pesticides. These insects are vital to life on earth because they pollinate plants, provide food for many animals, control predators, and clean up decomposing matter. Every fly, moth, beetle, and moss matters. Let’s not sabotage God’s clever design of the world but instead celebrate and foster the interconnectedness of all life.