Live Simply September
Season of Creation 1 Sept – 4 Oct.
“Listen to the Voice of Creation”
“Listen to the voice of creation” is the theme of this year’s Season of Creation 1 Sept – 4 Oct.
It starts on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and ends on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The Season of Creation takes place every year, it is a special time for all Christians to pray and work together to care for our common home. It is dedicated to prayer and action.
Pope Francis sent a message to mark the start of the Season of Creation https://seasonofcreation.org/2022/07/21/message-of-his-holiness-pope-francis-for-the-celebration-of-the-world-day-of-prayer-for-the-care-of-creation/
Here are some of the points Pope Francis made in his message along with some suggestions for action:-
‘’If we learn how to listen we can hear both a sweet song in praise of our beloved Creator and an anguished plea, lamenting our mistreatment of our common home.‘’ Pope Francis invites us to ‘’pray in the great cathedral of creation, and revel in the grandiose cosmic choir made up of countless creatures, all singing the praises of God.’’
Suggestions for Action Take a walk in nature, in a forest, by a lake, watch the sunrise or sunset or sit in the garden; soak in the beauty and give thanks to God for the beauty of creation.
‘’The sweet song of creation is accompanied by a cry of anguish from mother earth, the poor, the native people and our children. The earth is weeping; she is imploring us to put an end to our abuses and to her destruction.’’
Suggestions for Action Look for ways to modify our lifestyle to minimise our impact on the planet.
‘’The poorest among us are also crying out, they feel the impact of droughts, flooding, hurricanes and heat waves that are becoming ever more intense and frequent because of climate change’'.
Suggestions for Action Pray and campaign that world governments will honour the commitments they made at the COP26 conference in Nov 2021 and for the success of the COP27 conference to be held in Egypt in Nov 2022.
‘’The native peoples are crying out because their ancestral lands are being invaded and devastated on all sides as a result of predatory economic interests.’’
Suggestions for Action. Pray and campaign that governments will keep their promises of financial and technical support for the economically poorer nations, who are already experiencing most of the burden of the climate crisis.
Only buy products that are made with Palm Oil from sustainable sources, not from newly deforested land. Look for the information on the label.
‘’Listen to the plea of our children who are feeling menaced by short-sighted and selfish actions, they are anxiously asking us adults to do everything possible to prevent, or at least limit, the collapse of our planet’s ecosystems.’’
Suggestions for Action Talk to young people especially your children and grandchildren and explain the measures you are taking you are taking to reduce your effect on climate change and loss of biodiversity. Try to get them involved in what you are doing.
Pray that the COP15 summit on biodiversity, to be held in Canada in December 2022, will offer governments a significant opportunity to adopt a new multilateral agreement to halt the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of species.
Prayers for the Season of Creation
A Prayer for Our Earth
All powerful God,
you are present in the universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with your peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty,
not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle,
for justice, love and peace.
Published in Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’
For the Love of
Creator God, You show us what love is
through the beauty of the earth
and the gift of your Son.
For the love of…
animal and plant
mountain and forest
sea and city
woman and man
friend and family
those who live far from us
and those yet to be born.
Move us to live more simply,
to protect the earth
and to speak up for those in need.
Sarah Hagger-Holt/CAFOD
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
O Holy Spirit, you hovered over the deep at the dawn of creation.
You fashioned time and space itself in the initial magnificent flaring forth.
You breathed life into all beings and you continue to dwell and work in all creation to sustain life
Be with us now at this critical moment of our history.
Open our ears to the cry of the earth, suffering the effects of human exploitation and unbridled consumption.
Open our ears to the cries of our brothers and sisters living in the midst of extreme poverty and hunger.
Give us a deeper awareness that we are part of all that you have made, that we are intimately connected to all that has been, all that is and all that will be.
Grant us a spirit of awe and wonder as we contemplate the marvels of your creation, recognising and giving thanks for your presence within and around us.
Give us a deep respect for all life and help us to renew our commitment to foster life wherever we are.
Give us the courage to denounce all that disfigures your creation and to commit fully to caring for our earthly home and for all the created beings we share it with.
May we live lives characterised by compassion and service and may we embody your love in our relationships with one another and with all Creation.
Sr Gemma Corbett/CAFOD
Novena to St. Francis for a World under Threat
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