Knowledge
Today, we begin The Season of Creation with the World Day of Prayer for Care of the Earth. Pope Francis added this day to the Church calendar in 2015 and has since released an annual statement.
“People around the world must resolve ‘to transform our hearts, our lifestyles, and the public policies ruling our societies’ for the healing of Earth.” – Pope Francis Here at the Ohio province campus, a rosary of creation will be said each Monday. Perhaps you could join in wherever you are? The regularly scheduled Sunday Preparation Reflections on Friday afternoons will pull from the Season of Creation prayer resources.
I invite you to view the 2023 Season of Creation Theme Launch, an invitation from ecumenical faith leaders across the globe.
Prayer
Creator of All, From your communion of love life sprung forth like a mighty river and the whole cosmos came into being.
On this Earth of overflowing love, the Word was made flesh and went forth with the lifegiving waters proclaiming peace and justice for all creation.
You called human beings to till and keep your garden. You placed us into right relationship with each creature, but we failed to listen to the cries of the Earth and the cries of the most vulnerable. We broke with the flowing communion of love and sinned against you by not safeguarding the conditions for life.
We lament the loss of our fellow species and their habitats, we grieve the loss of human cultures, along with the lives and livelihoods that have been displaced or perished, and we ache at the sight of an economy of death, war, and violence that we have inflicted on ourselves and on the Earth.
Open our ears to your creative, reconciling and sustaining Word that calls to us through the book of Scripture and the book of creation. Bless us once again with your life-giving waters so that the Creator Spirit may let justice and peace flow in our hearts and overflow into all creation. Open our hearts to receive the living waters of God’s justice and peace, and to share it with our suffering brothers and sisters, all creatures around us, and all creation. Bless us to walk together with all people of goodwill so that the many streams of the living waters of God’s justice and peace may become a mighty river all over the Earth. In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ. Amen.
From: www.seasonofcreation.org
Action
The Catholic Climate Covenant has released a Season of Creation Call to Action. They are calling Catholics in the U.S. to ask the Biden Administration to forgive the debt of developing nations and stop fossil fuel expansion at COP 28. I invite you to sign the forgiveness of debt letter as your action for the first week of the Season.
”Courage! The more crosses you have, the more your soul will grow. Let the good God act.” - St. Julie Billiart