Reassuring us of God’s constant care, Jesus insisted that not one sparrow falls to the ground without our Father’s knowledge. He then added those consoling words: Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. In today’s gospel, it would seem that the liberation of two demoniacs was worth more than an entire herd of swine. Human life and flourishing being apparently of greater worth than the rest of creation creates a real tension for those striving to live an ecologically-sensitive life in harmony with all that God has made. For we know that, in the past, creation has been selfishly and thoughtlessly misused in the name of human progress and development. As we work to redress this great wrong, genuine caution is needed lest creation and the environment be assigned a worth greater than human life and eternal salvation. Avoiding this pitfall will not be possible without the healing of the human heart—its liberation from the greed that has driven our misuse of God’s creation and now threatens the destruction of our earthly home. Only a heart restored to right relationship with God can hold together the dignity of the human person and the reverence owed to all creation. May Christ heal our hearts, so that we may cherish creation without forgetting the surpassing worth of every human soul, and live as faithful stewards of both the earth and one another.