Biography
Richard Mullins is a Roman Catholic priest and member of an Oratorian Community in Washington, DC. A second-year student in the Doctor of Ministry program at Duke Divinity School, he holds advanced degrees from Mount Saint Mary's Seminary and Catholic University of America. His research interests include the writings of John Henry Newman, the theological foundations for the care of creation, and the intersection of modern and biblical understandings of Exile.
Paper Abstract
Animals have a prophetic role to play in the war against climate change. The lament of animals is the created order is palpable. Several species have become extinct over the past ten years; others have had to migrate or adapt because of humanity's recklessness. With the increase in global temperatures, many species of animals and plants in some of the world's most biodiverse areas will continue to become extinct. Donkeys have instinctively helped to rebuild ecosystems in the Sonoran Desert. Equids are helping us to be more carbon neutral by providing an eco-friendly means of transportation and labor in many parts of the world. Donkeys are providing transportation for sub-Saharan refugees, replacing machines in farm work, and in Africa, Asia, and South America they are used to pull carts to collect water and carry goods to market. The United Nations has described donkeys as one of the most useful animals in the face of climate change because of their resilience. Faith-based and other non- governmental organizations are working to provide donkeys to those who need them. The story of Balaam's Donkey, from Numbers 22:28-30, and an apt verse from Job, (12:7), help us to see the prophetic role of animals in showing us the effects of climate change, and how donkeys are unsung heroes in the war against rising temperatures. A donkey is the only animal with a speaking role in the Bible, and those words were a statement of lament. Donkeys carried Prophets from Abraham to Jesus and had a supportive role for prophets in the scriptures. Are they just beasts of burden or bearers of a prophetic message and a modern solution? Can humanity have hopeful hearts as we witness the helpful hooves of equids?