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Oil on Braced Baltic Birch 26" x 26" x 2"
 
We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.[1]
 
—Hildegard of Bingen
 
The 2nd century monastic text, Physiologus (The Naturalist), was a predecessor to medieval bestiaries extolling the moral symbolism of real and imagined creatures, accompanied by lavish illustrations. One of the legendary stories is of a mother pelican who pierces her breast to feed her young, a phenomenon believed to take place during seasons of extreme drought. This visceral image was applied to Christ’s self-sacrifice on the cross—shedding his blood to make atonement for the sins of humanity. In the biblical Gospel accounts, Christ likens himself to a mother hen: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”[2] Over the centuries, many cathedrals adopted the symbol of the mother pelican and her chicks in the form of colourful stained-glass windows.
 
Drawing on this theological symbol, my painting depicts a mother pelican’s valiant attempt to rise from the oily muck to save her chicks. I had in mind the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. The explosion of a rig, managed by oil company BP, was the largest marine oil spill in history, affecting Brown Pelicans on the coast, as well as White Pelicans many kilometers inland. In addition to oil spills, the ecological disaster of ocean plastics proliferates. Fishing nets are the worst perpetrators, and hooks get lodged into wildlife. By 2050, 90% of seabirds will have plastic in their stomachs.[3] On February 3, 2023 a train derailment in Ohio unleashed toxic chemicals like vinyl chloride into the air and waterways. Resulting in nearly 45,000 animal deaths and affecting the health of local communities, it was one of the worst environmental catastrophes in American history. These disasters manifest the proverb, “Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.”[4]
 
The words of Hildegard of Bingen (above) remind me that my love for the natural world must also involve a response to its endangerment. All Creatures Lament is intentionally an unpleasant and sobering painting, to elicit compassion and spur us on to action out of love for creation. Looking into the face of an innocent suffering creature we also look into the face of Christ, remembering we are called like he was to stand with the oppressed and marginalized, no matter the species.[5] If we recognize God’s care for all creatures and adopt this posture, what will our lives look like? Perhaps we will limit single-use plastics (a petroleum-based product), curb our reliance on fossil fuels, and demand that governments hold corporations accountable.
 
[1] Paraphrased from Hildegard, De Operatione Dei (Book of Divine Works), 64.
[2] Matthew 23:37
[3] All Creatures. Podcast, “Episode 291: Pouch of Pelicans.”
[4] Proverbs 22:8
[5] Matthew 6:26, 10:29, 12:11, Luke 14:5 (see also Psalm 84:3-4