TEFJ in Italy: A Reflection from Cori Hunt on the Connection Between Christian History and Calling
Truett Seminary’s Theology, Ecology, and Food Justice (TEFJ) Program annually offers a theology course in Italy that provides students with the opportunity to meet with leaders who are at the forefront of global challenges such as hunger, poverty, and the climate crisis. Upon returning, TEFJ student Cori Hunt reflected on her experiences and the connections she made between Christian history and her unique personal calling.
In a musty, cool, underground room lined with loculi in the Catacombe di San Callisto, our class read scripture, sang hymns, and prayed together. At one time, the now empty burial niches carved into the walls contained the bones of early Roman Christians, our spiritual mothers and fathers. These were people shaped by a story of resurrection and restoration. In the nearness of their lives and deaths, I was reminded of the presence of the kingdom of God now, and the reality that we are still waiting for all to be made right.
Earlier that morning, our class visited the World Food Program (WFP) headquarters, the largest humanitarian relief organization in the world, primarily focused on feeding people during emergencies and working towards food stability. As we looked at the WFP’s HungerMap, which shows all the places – and the people – facing hunger this year, I could not wrap my mind around the reality that 42.3 million people (about twice the population of New York) are facing starvation, and 309 million are food insecure. In an era where we are constantly aware of global tragedy, how do we respond without succumbing to despair? Can I truly act justly if I am dependent on unjust systems to live, as are my neighbors? The TEFJ class in Italy this summer helped me explore hope, specifically where we find it and how we practice it.
On our pilgrimage to Rome, Florence, and Assisi, we examined art, theology, church history, and pondered modern responses to our ecological and food justice crises. The interdisciplinary and experiential nature of the trip and the TEFJ program takes an ecological approach–a way of seeing the world as a web of interdependent relationships necessary for holistic flourishing.
While we were in Rome, we visited the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to meet their agroecology team (Plant Production and Protection Division, or NSP). Agroecology is a holistic ecological and social approach to creating a more sustainable, just, and equitable food system. It requires creativity, sharing of knowledge, and a motivation rooted in values like that of human dignity and the sacredness of land and ecosystems. Meeting with the agroecology team was inspiring and helped clarify my interest areas. While some of my classmates found the lifesaving emergency relief that the WFP provided motivating, I was drawn to the research-oriented, relational, and grassroots approach of the NSP.
Our pilgrimage culminated in a few days in Assisi, the home of St Francis, a 13th-century Italian monk who embraced care for the poor and the earth. St Francis saw all of creation as beloved, evidenced in the life, suffering, and sacrifice of Christ. One aspect I have loved about the TEFJ program is having the theological language to affirm the beauty and sacredness of God’s world, and the contemplative and experiential space for wonder. Norman Wirzba describes this as “iconic perception,” a way of seeing the world that acknowledges and celebrates creation (including ourselves) as a reflection of God’s love, care, and creativity. This way of reseeing the world as beloved is a way to respond to its violence, cruelty, and hate. St Francis’s voluntary poverty is a response to the generosity of God and a way to remember that all we have is from God. As imitators of Christ, we are invited into a life of hospitality, joy, and contentment. While I may not live as frugally as a Franciscan, I can practice simplicity and generosity in my own life, and I can resist seeing land, neighbors, and myself as commodities rather than as God’s gifts.
The legacy of St Francis’s response to God’s love was evident in our visit to the Museum of Memory in Assisi. During World War II, refugees and Jews fleeing persecution came to Assisi because they believed the people shaped by the life of St Francis would protect them. The people of Assisi could not overthrow the invading German army, but they could print new identity papers, house refugees, and hide Jewish possessions. The German commander assigned to Assisi, who was a third order Franciscan, requested to be stationed there and opened enough hospitals that Assisi was designated a hospital city; therefore, the German army could not enter. The courage and compassion reflected in these stories offers practical ways to respond to our overwhelming ecological and food justice crises; do the thing that is in front of you and stay present.
The beautiful churches we visited throughout the trip were built, according to tradition, on the bones of martyrs and saints. Dr. Jenny Howell, the director of the TEFJ program, reminded us that these bones and blood were, as Tertullian put it, “the seeds of the Church.” We may find that in following Christ, loving as he first loved us, that we “hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’) and respond by protecting and advocating for the oppressed. In our lifetime, we will not repair all the harm done to our world or end the exploitation of vulnerable populations. Perhaps, like the people of Assisi during WWII, we can approach how we respond to issues of food justice with courage, compassion, and shrewdness. We embrace delight and beauty, and we name the suffering around us. We work within our spheres of influence, practice simplicity, and receive ourselves and all of creation as a gift.