Nature’s Spirituality
Did you know that nature has its own spirituality? It helps us connect with our inner selves and feel God’s presence. Who hasn’t walked through a forest, climbed a mountain, or strolled along the seashore without rediscovering their deepest self and connecting to God who is present in nature?
Today, I want to share something I learned in a class with Professor Ron Rolheiser OMI1, about the spirituality of nature. Nature is also a child of God, and it speaks to us of God. It will be redeemed just as we will. The sun, moon, water, wind, rain, rocks, fire, deserts, oceans, mountains, meadows, snow, ice, heat, cold, and all geography have a huge impact on our souls.
Let’s think about our relationship with nature and how we don’t always consider it. We should let geography shape our souls and engage our senses (sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch) like they’re a Sacrament. In Baptism, the water washes away our sins; in Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick, the oil is gentle on the skin, and its fragrance permeates us as it heals us. These days, we’re pretty much disconnected from nature. We don’t really think about the air we breathe or the food we eat. Our spirituality will improve when we recognize that, with nature, we have a symbiotic connection with all energy and with the source of all energy, God.
This makes us think that nature (from the Latin word for “to be born”) has a soul like the human soul. Have you ever thought about the life of trees? We say they have a cycle because we see them develop, grow, bear fruit, be patient, age, and die. I’m like a palm tree, but I’d like to be a jacaranda. What kind of tree are you like?
There are many saints that have taught us about our connection with nature. St. Paul insists in his letters that nature speaks to us of God and that it will be redeemed as part of all His Creation. St. Francis wanted to tell us something of this when he personified nature and attempted a conscious dialogue with the fields, the forest, the body, and all of creation. St. Ignatius of Loyola says we can pray through our senses: we can “smell the infinite fragrance and taste the infinite sweetness of divinity” simply by embracing the tree that gave Jesus shade or figs, or by savoring the fresh water He drank on the way to Samaria. Ignatius used this form of prayer while observing the natural world at the Cardoner River where God showed him the whole world at once. This practice of using our senses rather than our brain, delighting in God’s creation, can help us pray more deeply. It’s really powerful to stop and listen to God in nature. This “open book of nature” teaches us new perspectives on God, especially how to find Him in all things.
Others also teach us about the connectedness of God, nature and ourselves. Elizabeth Johnson says God is an Earth-lover. She calls him an “ecological God” because of his relationship with creation and humanity. Peter Wohlleben, in his book The Hidden Life of Trees, talks about how nature, like trees, can shape the soul. Maybe this is because trees have souls of their own. He tells us to slow down, breathe deeply, and pay attention to our surroundings. What can you hear? What do you see? How are you feeling? Trees, like our spiritual lives, go beyond what we can imagine, bring joy, and encourage us to be amazed, no matter how big or small.
I invite you to start the year by taking a walk through the forest of your lives, so that the open book of nature—through what you hear, see, and feel—can nourish both your body and your soul.
May Mary, Mother of God, our Mother, and Queen of all Creation, walk with us. Amen.
1 Fr. Ron Rolheiser OMI is a well-known speaker, popular in the areas of contemporary spirituality and religion and the secular world. In August 2005, he became the President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He retired from that position in September 2020 and remains on staff as a full-time faculty member.
Paula Gómez Victorica was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and lived in Massachusetts from 2001 until December 2024. She is a Certified Spiritual Director and is trained in accompanying individuals through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. She is currently completing a Graduate Certificate in Ignatian Spirituality at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, where she also taught Biblical Spirituality through asynchronous online courses.
For the past three years, she served as the Director of Faith Formation and Coordinator of the Hispanic Community at St. Ignatius Jesuit Parish. Since moving to San Antonio in 2025, Paula has continued her ministry as the Ministry and Liturgy Coordinator at a local parish and at the Oblate School of Theology (OST).
