About 25 years ago, I became familiar with Thomas Berry’s statement that
“The universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects.”1
I have repeated that line like a mantra for many years, and it has become a framework for comprehending more of the meaning Berry’s words.
I published a blog article on June 29, 2026 that reflected more on Berry’s insight:
Because the article was becoming too long, I excised part of it. Today, I am sending the deleted part, in hopes it will help readers (and me) better comprehend what Berry is saying.
To me, Berry’s understanding becomes memorable when expressed as a contrast. See the two columns below.
| Seeing the World as Objects | Seeing the World as Subjects |
|---|---|
| What can I get from this? | Who is this? |
| Resource | Relative |
| Ownership | Relationship |
| Control | Participation |
| Consumption | Care |
| Utility | Intrinsic Value |
1 Berry, Thomas. Evening Thoughts: Reflecting on Earth as Sacred Community. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 2006, 17.
Veronica Dunne is a Sister of our Lady of the Missions (RNDM), who has primarily worked as an educator and counsellor in institutional and community based settings in Canada. She has also served with the RNDMs outside of Canada in Senegal, Peru, and Aotearoa New Zealand.
A 2002 Doctor of Ministry graduate from the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto, she subsequently served as director of the Doctor of Ministry program at St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Her current research interests are in eco-theology and cosmology, and their intersections with indigenous cosmologies and spiritualties.
She presently serves on the RNDM leadership team in Canada.
I read a quote today, (which I received from Noreen Mya Sie) that speaks to the change of focus we need. It’s from David Suzuki:
“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity — then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective.”
A communion of subjects indeed …
I found another quote that speaks to seeing creation from ‘within’.
“The air I breathe today is full of smoke from burning forests, and chemicals sprayed on them by men who care only for the monetary value of the “timber”. “Timber”: a word devoid of heart and meaning; a word that doesn’t bring up images of trees but rather stacks of logs with no life, no spirit, no meaning except dollars in annual reports. It’s how we were taught to talk about the living beings who are more essential to our lives than anything that can be made from them.” (Susan Meeker-Lowry)
It makes a world of difference if I see creation as a Resource or a Relative, if I claim Ownership or Relationship