Friends of Earth,
Thank you for celebrating with us the Season of Creation. Each year from September 1 to October 4, the Christian family unites for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home.
As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a common role as caretakers of God’s creation. We see that our wellbeing is interwoven with its wellbeing. We rejoice in this opportunity to care for our common home and the sisters and brothers who share it.
A Prayer for Ecological Conversion
God of the sun and the moon, of the mountains, deserts and plains,
God of the mighty oceans, of rivers, lakes and streams
God of all creatures that live in seas and fly in the air of every
living thing that grows and moves on this sacred Earth.
We are formed by Christ into Your People, called to bring the world
into Your marvelous light.
As the Body of Christ, we are messengers of ecological vocation.
We are entrusted with caring for this Earth which You have created.
Help us to love and respect it; to repair what we have damaged;
to care for what You have made good and holy.
Give us the wisdom and the passion to change our minds, our hearts
and our ways.
Let us be mustard seeds in our world bringing about ecological
conversion which grows and spreads to every corner of the Earth.
For our sake now and for every generation which is to come.
We ask this through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
~Catholic Earthcare Australia, 2002 (used with permission)
Reading Elizabeth Johnson, Professor Emerita of Theology at
Fordham University and a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, writes:
“. . . We all share the status of creaturehood; we are all kin in the evolving community of life now under siege; our vision must be one of flourishing for all. The immediate aim is to establish and protect healthy ecosystems where all creatures, including poor human beings and plants and animals being driven to extinction, can thrive. The longer-term goal is a socially just and environmentally sustainable society in which the needs of all people are met and diverse species can prosper, onward to an evolutionary future that will still surprise…. guide us at this critical time of Earth’s distress, to practical and critical effect”: A flourishing humanity on a thriving planet rich in species in an evolving universe, all together filled with the glory of God.”
Ignatian Ecological Examen
Gratitude I give thanks to God for creation and for being
wonderfully made.
Where did I feel God’s presence in creation
today?
Awareness I ask for the grace to see creation as God does -
in all its splendor and suffering.
Do I see the beauty of creation and hear the
cries of the earth and the poor?
Understanding I ask for the grace to look closely to see how my
life choices impact creation and the poor and vulnerable.
What challenges or joys do I experience as I
recall my care for creation?
How can I turn away from a throwaway culture
and instead stand in solidarity with creation and the poor?
Conversion I ask for the grace of conversion toward
ecological justice and reconciliation.
Where have I fallen short in caring for
creation and my brothers and sisters?
How do I ask for a conversion of heart?
Reconciliation I ask for the grace to reconcile my relationship
with God, creation and humanity, and to stand in solidarity through my actions.
How can I repair my relationship with creation
and make choices consistent with my desire for reconciliation with creation?
Prayer I offer a closing prayer for the earth and the
vulnerable in our society.
Pick one word that summarizes your prayer
and write it on the poster paper. Place the poster paper around your room.
Laudato Si’ Action Platform
Identifies 7 Goals
Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform
Closing Prayer
Creator God, source of all life,
We praise and thank you for the many gifts of this day.
For the blessing of your presence.
In each star in the sky and every flower in the field;
In each creature who roams our common home and every grain of
wheat that nourishes:
In each drop of water which sustains us and every person who loves
And care for us:
God of mercy and compassion, forgive us
For the times that we fail to recognize your presence among us.
Forgive us our blindness to the daily miracle of creation
Forgive us our deafness to the cries of Earth
and those made poor by our greed
Forgive us our hardness of heart that separates us one from another
God of abundance, we pray,,
Give us the grace to know that we are ONE in you.
To welcome your creatures abandoned and forgotten
To care for our common home; and
To live in right relationship
with you, our God
with neighbors near and far, and
with all of your wondrous creation.
Give us the grace to become your beloved community.
Gracious God,
we ask this through the power of your Great and Holy Spirit
whose breath give life to the world. AMEN.
Litany for Earth
Laudato si' O mi' Signore Song
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