If you are unaware of the Season of Creation (Sept. 1 – Oct. 4), please read my last post. What follows is a possible prayer service that groups can adapt as they wish. For a two-sided pdf copy, contact terrishcj@aol.com.

SEASON OF CREATION 2017 

Organizer(s): Adapt this in any way that enhances participation. Plan the group action. For hymn words, use links below or books (to minimize paper use). Create a lovely centerpiece and/or ask participants to bring bits of creation to add to a centerpiece. 

Gathering: With Christians and others throughout the world, we give thanks for Creation, for St. Francis, for Pope Francis, and for all those who inspire us to care for Our Common Home.

Reading:

“The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a poor person’s face. The ideal is not only to pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the action of God in the soul, but also to discover God in all things.” (LS, par. 233) Pope Francis

“We are called ‘to accept the world as a sacrament of communion, as a way of sharing with God and our neighbors on a global scale. It is our humble conviction that the divine and the human meet in the slightest detail in the seamless garment of God’s creation, in the last speck of dust on our planet.’ ” (LS, par. 9) Patriarch Bartholomew

Quiet reflection on above quotes

Sharing: 

What words or concepts in those quotes attract you? How can you deepen their personal meaning during this year’s Season of Creation?

Canticle of the Sun:

“In the words of this beautiful canticle, St. Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share  our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.” (LS, par.1)

“Canticle of the Sun” (The Heavens are Telling) YouTube by Michelle Sherliza, OP

CANTICLE OF THE SUN – YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H_YXfHXT0I

Spontaneous prayers of gratitude: each ending: We all give thanks.
e.g., . For the gift of water, in all its forms, for all its beauty, I give thanks. We all give thanks.
. For the efforts made by various groups to stop gas pipelines, I give thanks. We all give thanks.
. For the inspiration we receive from Laudato Si’, I give thanks. We all give thanks. 

Group Action Possibilities: 

• Ask the World Bank to shift all of its projects away from fossil fuels and to 100 % renewable energy. Sign the petition: “Big Shift Global” Campaign.
• Plant a tree or collect for an organization that plants them.
• Make plans for a future action to reduce use of plastic.

Share:

What concern about our common home have you recently learned about (or is near your heart) and what do you do about it?

Pray together, from Laudato Si’:

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole 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 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 toward your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.

Reading:

“A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal.”   (LS, par. 202)

Laudato Si’ bids us to “sing as we go. May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.” (LS, par. 244)

Sing: “Let Us Build the City of God” City of God Dan Schutte – YouTube