ECOSPIRITUALITY - Examine your heart and choose to live out of abundance, gratitude, love
by Sister Karen Flottmeier

Renowned author and leadership expert Steven Covey first used the terms “scarcity mentality” and “abundance mentality” in the 1970s. Much, since then, has been written on both of these perspectives. Web sites addressing these subjects are plentiful.

At our FSPA spring Area Days Sister Lucy Slinger spoke of these as worldviews. She pointed out that the abundance mentality comes out of a biocentric worldview where humans are a part of the whole of creation, freely chosen by God to be made in goodness as reflections of God, intimately interdependent and dependent on creation. The scarcity mentality, on the other hand, comes out of an anthropocentric worldview in which humans are above creation, made in the image and likeness of God, having dominion over creation, sinful–not in right relationships and needing redemption.

She presented scarcity mentality as the foundation for the atonement (redemption) theology out of which Christian churches have operated for centuries. She highlighted abundance mentality as the foundation for the Franciscan: accompaniment (incarnation) theology so needed in our times.

Sister Lucy’s ideas resonate deeply within me. They articulate a dimension I have come to know and learn in recent years. I believe many FSPA own the same resonance. We have a tradition of lifelong learning. The first color photo of our planet is an icon, a sacred image of our times, a new revelation. Our knowledge of the universe and our place on the planet expands. We open our minds to learning the new creation story, the new sciences and the evolutionary, on-going nature of creation. As we grow in this consciousness, we experience the real presence right here, right now, in every moment. We glimpse how real presence binds the cosmos together and connects us to divine mystery.

It is easy to forget or ignore these insights and to go on with business as usual. As part of the church, for years, we’ve been embedded in an anthropocentric worldview, a scarcity mentality, an atonement theology. Blogger Eric Anderson says, “Most people are deeply scripted in the scarcity mentality.”

To be Franciscans with vision for the future of our world, we cannot stay embedded. We can’t forget or ignore the insights we’ve gained. It is imperative that we deepen and expand our understandings and our praxis. It’s imperative we choose daily an abundance mentality.

We can choose to examine our own personal spiritual practices to discover how much they touch us into a deep experience of the vast goodness and abundance out of which our triune God chooses to embrace us and every creature in unconditional love.

When we seek solitude and enjoy nature we allow ourselves to access our deepest thoughts and our human spirit with which we are all equally endowed.We can choose to examine our hearts to become aware of the frequency and primacy of the feelings, expressions and actions of gratitude that reside there. Gratitude enhances our sense of well-being, optimism and happiness.

We can choose to examine our actions to see if they are in accord with the unconditional love of God: filled with compassion, forgiveness, healing, relinquishment of power and authority, humility, inclusiveness and deep intimacy with the Other. Love is the primary Gospel value; the “fire Jesus came to cast upon the earth,” sparking us to generosity, service and returning love for love.

Now is the time to enflame our Franciscan theological roots and choose biocentric over anthropocentric, abundance over scarcity, gratitude over fear, and love over sin. Be on fire! Choose intentional ways
to live out of abundance, gratitude and love.