Tag Archive | season of creation

Season of Creation, cont.

I am grateful to Betsey Crawford for permitting me to use her inspiring blog, “The season of creation,” which follows. I am always awed by the beauty of images and words Betsey shares, and I encourage readers to visit her site: www.thesouloftheearth.com.

My limited computer expertise forced me to reformat, but the content is accurate. When giving permission, Betsey added, “Be sure to mention that it was you who launched me on this tradition two years ago.” I don’t remember that, but am delighted to claim any connection to Betsey’s tradition.

                                The season of creation

Celebrating the Season of Creation: western red columbine and seedhead (Aquilegia formosa) Valdez, Alaska by Betsey Crawford

For the past two years, I’ve celebrated September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, with a collection of quotes from Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical, Laudate Si. It was he who launched the day in 2016, joining a tradition started by the Orthodox Church in 1989. This has grown into the Season of Creation, which extends from September 1, the first day of the Orthodox year, to October 4, the birthday of Francis of Assisi, whose devotion to the wonders of the earth inspired not only Pope Francis’ choice of name, but also the title of his encyclical. Laudate si — Praise be!    are the opening words of each of the verses in Francis’ beautiful Canticle to the Sun.

This particular Season of Creation is jumping. Whether affiliated or not, there are events happening all over the world. Especially here in California, where, in response to the current scene in Washington, Governor Jerry Brown called for a Global Climate Action Summit, to be held in San Francisco from September 12 through 14. The part that Brown himself is involved in includes people from governments, NGOs, and businesses all over the world. By and large, those sessions are closed to the public. All other groups were invited to create events and participate in whatever way they wished.

That’s all Californians needed to hear. On Tuesday, the day before the summit even starts, there are 77 separate listed events, mostly near San Francisco, not counting ongoing exhibits and the Green Film Festival. On top of listed events, groups are gathering to protest, march, perform ceremony, dance, and make music. Young people and indigenous people want to make the point that those governments and corporations behind the closed doors have, so far, been the creators, not the solvers, of global warming.

Supporting rallies are happening all over the world on September 8, as you can see from this map from The Action Network. New York is having Climate Week NYC from September 24 to 30. There is a conference in Rome in October. My friends at the Pachamama Alliance have created the Stand Up in September campaign, and are hosting special events in the US, South America, Australia, Europe and Japan. Even in your own home, where you can receive an action to take to reverse global warming every day for the month of September by signing up here.

I’ll be part of a Pachamama team teaching a Drawdown workshop starting in September, and will certainly go to some of the events around the summit. For today, I’d like to follow my now three-year-old tradition, and celebrate the beauty we are trying to save and the wisdom we can turn to. This year I’ve interwoven Pope Francis’ words with those from our other prayerful traditions.

Celebrating the Season of Creation: pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) in the Pawnee National Grasslands by Betsey Crawford

Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) in the Pawnee National Grasslands

We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.
(Hildegard of Bingen)

Celebrating the Season of Creation: prairie thistle (Cirsium discolor) with pollinating bee, Curtis Prairie, Madison, Wisconsin by Betsey Crawford

Prairie thistle (Cirsium discolor) with pollinating bee, Curtis Prairie, Madison, Wisconsin

It is not enough…to think of different species merely as potential ‘resources’ to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves. Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost for ever. The great majority become extinct for reasons related to human activity. Because of us, thousands of species will no longer…convey their message to us. We have no such right.
(Pope Francis, Laudate Si)

Celebrating the Season of Creation: a road through the Pawnee National Grasslands by Betsey Crawford

The Pawnee National Grasslands

Because of all the complexities of its tectonic activity and its distance to Sun and Moon and other planets in the solar system, each region of Earth needs to be understood in its own evolutionary terms. Each region’s landforms, waters, climates and evolving communities of life are unique and highly vulnerable to the human societies which reside there, often without this prior understanding to temper the raw force of their technologies.  (Sister Miriam MacGillis in Kosmos) 

Celebrating the Season of Creation: black-footed reindeer lichen (Cladonia stymie) with snow lichen (Flavocentria invalid) in Denali National Park, Alaska by Betsey Crawford

Black-footed reindeer lichen (Cladonia stymie) with snow lichen (Flavocentria invalid) in Denali National Park, Alaska

It may well disturb us to learn of the extinction of mammals or birds, since they are more visible. But the good functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles and an innumerable variety of microorganisms. Some less numerous species, although generally unseen, nonetheless play a critical role in maintaining the equilibrium of a particular place.   (Pope Francis, Laudate Si)

Celebrating the Season of Creation: common buckeye (Junonia coenia) Golden Prairie, Golden City, Missouri by Betsey Crawford

Common buckeye (Junonia coenia) Golden Prairie, Golden City, Missouri

However innumerable beings are, I vow to save them.
(The first of
 the Four Vows of the
Mahajana Bodhisattva)

Celebrating the Season of Creation: canyon pea (Lathyrus vestiges) Charmlee Wilderness, Santa Monica Mountains, California by Betsey Crawford

Canyon pea (Lathyrus vestiges) Charmlee Wilderness, Santa Monica Mountains, California

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child–our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
(Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness) 

 Celebrating the Season of Creation: tall purple fleabane (Erigeron peregrinus) on the Stanley Glacier trail in Kootenay, British Columbia by Betsey Crawford

Tall purple fleabane (Erigeron peregrinus) on the Stanley Glacier trail in Kootenay, British Columbia

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.   (Buddha)

Celebrating the Season of Creation: Matanuska Glacier, Alaska by Betsey Crawford

Matanuska Glacier, Alaska

Our ancestors have left us a world rich in its natural resources and capable of fulfilling our needs…We are the generation with the awareness of a great danger. We are the ones with the responsibility and the ability to take steps of concrete action before it is too late.   (Dalai Lama)

Celebrating the Season of Creation: frost aster (Aster pilosus) Curtis Prairie, Madison, Wisconsin by Betsey Crawford

Frost aster (Aster pilosus) Curtis Prairie, Madison, Wisconsin

We were not meant to be inundated by cement, asphalt, glass and metal, and deprived of physical contact with nature.   (Pope Francis, Laudate Si)

Celebrating the Season of Creation: indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) Curtis Prairie, Madison, Wisconsin by Betsey Crawford

Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) Curtis Prairie, Madison, Wisconsin

Ahimsa means more than not hurting others, it means not intending to cause harm, physical, mental or spiritual, to any part of nature, for, in the words of Mahavira: ‘You are that which you wish to harm.’   (Jain statement on ecology)

Celebrating the Season of Creation: a hawk in flight in the Pawnee National Grasslands by Betsey Crawford

The Pawnee National Grasslands

There is no animal on the earth, nor any bird that wings its flight, but is a community like you.   (Qur’an 6: 38) 

Celebrating the Season of Creation: human and gull footprints on the beach in Kenai, Alaska by Betsey Crawford

Footprints on the beach in Kenai, Alaska

It cannot be emphasized enough how everything is interconnected. Time and space are not independent of one another, and not even atoms or subatomic particles can be considered in isolation. Just as the different aspects of the planet – physical, chemical and biological – are interrelated, so too living species are part of a network which we will never fully explore and understand. A good part of our genetic code is shared by many living beings. It follows that the fragmentation of knowledge and the isolation of bits of information can actually become a form of ignorance, unless they are integrated into a broader vision of reality.
(Pope Francis, Laudate Si)

There is nothing superfluous in the universe. Even flies, gnats, and mosquitoes are part of creation and, as such, serve a divinely-appointed purpose.
(Midrash: Bereshis Rabba 10:7) 

Celebrating the Season of Creation: Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada by Betsey Crawford

Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada

If these issues are courageously faced, we are led inexorably to ask other pointed questions: What is the purpose of our life in this world? Why are we here? What is the goal of our work and all our efforts? What need does the earth have of us? It is no longer enough, then, simply to state that we should be concerned for future generations. We need to see that what is at stake is our own dignity. Leaving an inhabitable planet to future generations is, first and foremost, up to us. The issue is one which dramatically affects us, for it has to do with the ultimate meaning of our earthly sojourn.
Pope Francis, (Laudate Si)

Onshore wind farms are the number two Drawdown solution. Photo by Betsey Crawford

Windmills near Barlow, California

If you believe that it is possible to damage, believe that it is possible to repair.   (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov)

Season of Creation Prayer Suggestion

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

SEASON OF CREATION 2017

From September 1— proclaimed a Day of Prayer for Creation by the Orthodox in 1989 and repeated by Pope Francis in 2015 — through the feast of St. Francis on October 4, Christians of all denominations and locations are invited to participate in an ecumenical SEASON OF CREATION. 

People of all faiths or no faiths can certainly join. International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, Sept. 16; International Day of Peace, Sept. 21; and World Habitat Day, Oct. 2, obviously fall within the Season of Creation.

Pope Francis quotes Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, “the Green Patriarch,” several times in Laudato Si’’. In the following quote, Bartholomew lays a foundation for the Season of Creation. He says that 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.” (par. 9)

During the Season of Creation we are asked to ponder that sacrament. Pope Francis’ provides many quotes to contemplate. For example: “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.” (par. 233)

Caring for creation, then, is a religious, moral, and ethical matter, and should never have become a divisive political one. Earth’s vitality is required for all life on our planet and it affects every industry and occupation. It is not an optional choice, nor should it be a grim one. 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.” (par. 244)

Please mark your calendars for the Season of Creation and note the days left to prepare for it. Time to get planning!

Among actions you might consider taking are the following:

  • PRAYER: Initiate or join an ecumenical prayer service. The Season of Creation serves as an important witness of how Christians, regardless of their denominational line, are united in prayer and action for the planet. For extra significance, assemble in front of sites of ecological destruction (e.g., fossil fuel site, polluting or polluted area).
  • Components of prayer services (for groups or individuals) could include gratitude for Earth’s beauty and life-sustaining abilities; contemplation of our interrelationships with creation; sharing grief and sorrow for the destruction currently underway; pledging action for earth. Be sure to include singing! Pope Francis’  Prayer for Our Earth concludes this blog. Suggestion for prayer service can be found here:  creation-prayer-suggestion: https://ecospiritualityresources.com/2017/08/29/.
  • ACTION (group and private): Include a positive action to heal “the last speck of  ust” in your area. Perhaps plant a tree, bless solar panels, collect and recycle plastic pollution, write letters to legislators, etc. Maryknoll  suggests this action: Join the “Big Shift Global” Campaign to ask the World Bank to shift all of its projects away from fossil fuels and to 100 percent renewable energy. Here’s a fact sheet that explains the campaign.
  • LIFESTYLE CHOICES: Patriarch Bartholomew does not soft-pedal his advice in Laudato Si’ (par. 9): “… replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism which ‘entails learning to give, and not simply to give up.’ ”   Deepening our consciousness and understanding during the almost-five weeks is another good option. Try reading a book and discussing it with others. (See suggestions at ecospiritualityresources.com.)
  • If you are not already part of a local group, this would be a good time to join one or to start one with people who attended the prayer/ action.

Pope Francis’ Prayer for our Earth, which follows paragraph 246 in Laudato Si’, is as follows:

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 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.