Ants: Lessons in theology that come from nature and the Fathers

Here at the parish house we are suffering from a problem with ants. The difficulty is that they are getting in somehow, but it is not clear just how they are getting in. It is perhaps the case that the vegetation around the house has become somewhat overgrown and their limbs are reaching out to touch the walls of the house, and the ants are running along the branches and up the walls, finding small crevices by which they can enter the dwelling itself. Thus, particularly in one area near the door to the deck, ants appear (sometimes more, sometimes less) on a daily basis. Nearly everything has been tried to get rid of them. On the inside, I have been using vinegar as a contact killer. Whenever I see a great many ants, I use the vinegar to kill the ants that can actually be seen. On the outside, on the other hand, I have had to use insecticides along the edge of the deck, down the deck stairs and in the area at the base of the deck. Nevertheless, the invasion continues, and I believe it will continue until the trimming is done.

We must surely admire the tenacity and resolution of these tiny creatures. They cross enormous distances in order to bring water and victuals back to their nests, surmounting daunting obstacles on the way. In a similar way, surely we should emulate their virtues in our journey towards communion with the Lord. After all, it is from God that we derive the water of salvation (in our Baptism) and the victuals that bring us to eternal life (the Divine Eucharist). We should allow no obstacle to remain between us and the Lord, no matter how daunting. Further, we should be willing to use created things as bridges to communion with the Lord. More often than not, we allow created things to be distractions instead of bridges, but we should use them as bridges. How do we do that? Easy. By using them with thanksgiving, just as the Apostle tells us, "Whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, praising God the Father through Him." Herein is the doctrine, so essential to our faith, of the sacramentality of the entire universe.  Yes, created nature is itself susceptible of becoming a sacrament, a means for grace to come to us.

For many centuries, wise men have admired the industry of ants. The Book of Proverbs extols it. Aesop praises it. The Fathers too (particularly St. Jerome and St. Ambrose) use bees and ants as images of the kind of work we should do to pursue our share in everlasting life. One of the things that is most poignant about ants is their spirit of cooperation. They are all part of a regimented and self-sacrificing society that is working together for a common purpose. Surely, there is a great deal that is praiseworthy in that. Yet, the main lesson in the Fathers use of these images is an appreciation of nature as a thing that reveals God. St. Ephraim the Syrian speaks very eloquently concerning nature as a divine revelation. It is he that tells us, for example, that every bird that spreads its wings proclaims the mystery of the Cross of Christ. We must learn to read this "scripture" just as we must learn to read the Scripture written with pen and ink. We must plumb its literal meaning through the sciences, certainly, but we must also explore its spiritual meaning that always and without fail brings us back to Christ.