Knowledge
The 2024 Season of Creation comes to a close on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, next Friday, October 4. We have spent the last few weeks renewing our dedication to the work of caring for creation through prayer and action.
October 4 will be the one-year anniversary of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum, a follow-up to Laudato Si’. The main themes of this Apostolic Exhortation lift the voices of scientists, young people, and those most impacted by the ecological crisis. If you have yet to read it, you can find it here.
As we end the Season, we do not end the theme of the season. Hope is eternal. And Hope & Action together will make change.
I hope your journey through the Season of Creation was fruitful and that it will lead you to a renewed desire to take action TODAY for a better future for all of God’s children tomorrow.
Peace Prayer
(Also called the Prayer of St Francis)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Action
The Season of Creation is an interfaith and global movement. Each year they provide several opportunities for engagement.
The Catholic Climate Covenant has released a prayer resource for October 4, the Feast of St. Francis. I invite you to download this resource and use it, in whole or in part, in your prayer next week.
There will be a global, ecumenical prayer service to close the 2024 Season of Creation held October 4 at 9:00 AM EST. No registration required.
May I interest you in a theological reflection on Hope?
Would you consider joining with people across the globe and signing the faith letter in support of the Fossil Fuels Non-proliferation Treaty?
The Congregation of St Joseph will publish daily meditations during the Season of Creation. You may visit the webpage daily.
”Courage! The more crosses you have, the more your soul will grow. Let the good God act.” - St. Julie Billiart