“Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43: 19)
I would like to remind you that, for the whole month of September and until October 4th, the day of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Catholic Church and all Christian denominations will celebrate the “Season of Creation 2023”. The theme this year is, “Let Justice and Peace Flow” (Amos 5:24).
It is a time in which we are all, as creatures, invited to pray and meditate together about the many and serious risks that our planet is facing due to pollution and wars.
Today, it is good to remember that we, as Christians, do not use the expression Mother Nature, but Creation; Creation because it is created by God.
We, humans, are part of Creation together with all the animal and the plant life present on the planet. But, as it is written in the Bible, we have also the important role of stewardship: we must be Earth keepers who care for and protect the only home we have.
“Season of Creation 2023”: if you search these words on the internet, you will find a lot of information and insights.
Fr. Bruno Mollicone
Click on the following links for more information:
The Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (in nine languages)
Season of Creation: For Information and Resources
Prayer for the Season of Creation 2023
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 life-giving 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 good will 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.