India, May 24 -- We live in a world that is not ours. This is a humbling truth-and a liberating one. Scripture tells us, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" (Psalm 24:1). From the first verses of Genesis, we see that creation belongs to God. We are not owners but guests, welcomed into a home we did not build, offered breath from a life we did not create.

In Genesis 2:15, humanity is placed in the garden "to work it and take care of it." The Hebrew word for "take care" (shamar) also means to guard, to protect. We are not consumers at a buffet; we are stewards at a banquet. This is our sacred vocation: to live gently, walk humbly, and protect what God has made.

Jesus echoes this calling when he speaks of the birds of the air a...