SEASON OF CREATION 2022 – 1st Sept to 4th Oct

The Season of Creation begins on 1 September, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology.  It is a time set aside by Christians all around the world to listen and respond together to the cry of Creation: “It is a special time for all Christians to pray and work together to care for our common home.

Originally inspired by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, this Season is an opportunity to cultivate our “ecological conversion”, a conversion encouraged by Saint John Paul II as a response to the “ecological catastrophe” predicted by Saint Paul VI back in 1970.” _{Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, 1 September 2022.}  Read full text of Pope Francis message HERE

 

The burning bush is the symbol for the Season of Creation 2022. The wildfires in 2022 are a sign of the devastating effects that climate change is having on our planet. Creation cries out as forests crackle, animals and people are forced to flee the fires of injustice that we have caused. The fire that called to Moses on Mt. Horeb did not consume or destroy the bush. He was told to remove his sandals, for he was standing on holy ground in God’s presence. May this symbol move us to remove the “sandals” of our unsustainable lifestyles that disconnect us from creation and our Creator. May we contemplate our connection to the holy ground where we live, and listen for the voice of creation.’

This year’s theme, “Listen to the Voice of Creation”  is a reminder that we need to pay attention and be aware that, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Ps 19: 1-4) Creation never ceases to proclaim, but do we listen?  

The Season of Creation is a time when we can make sure that we do listen. In prayer we lament the individuals, communities, species, and ecosystems who are lost, and those whose livelihoods are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. In prayer we center the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor and we reflect on the fact that we are co-creatures, part of all that God has made and that our wellbeing is interwoven with the wellbeing of the Earth.

In this season we, as individuals and communities, are invited to participate  through prayer, sustainability projects, and advocacy:

Prayer: Host or participate in a prayer service that unites Christians to care for our common home. 

• Sustainability: Become involved in raising public awareness of and witnessing to care for creation in our communities through the changes we make and the example of caring for creation that we give each day.
• Advocacy: Raise your voice for climate justice by participating or joining an ongoing campaign, such as the movement to divest from fossil fuels or a local project in your area. In the coming months inform yourself more by following the issues and events  leading up to COP27, to be held in Egypt, November 7-18 2022. Consider writing to or speaking with your government representatives or negotiators on issues that will protect creation.

2022 Season of Creation Prayer Creator of All, From your communion of love your Word went forth to create a symphony of life that sings your praise. By your Holy Wisdom you made the Earth to bring forth a diversity of creatures who praise you in their being. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. You called human beings to till and keep your garden. You placed us into right relationships with each creature so that we could listen to their voices, and learn how to safeguard the conditions for life. But we turn in on ourselves and away from our co-creatures. We close our ears to the counsel of our fellow creatures. We fail to listen to the cries of the poor and the needs of the most vulnerable. We silence the voices of those who hold the traditions that teach us to care for the Earth. We close our ears to your creative, reconciling and sustaining Word that calls to us through the Scriptures. We lament the loss of our fellow species and their habitats that will never speak again. We grieve the loss of human cultures, along with the lives and livelihoods that have been displaced or perished. Creation cries out as forests crackle, and animals alike flee the fires of injustice that we have lit by our unwillingness to listen. In this Season of Creation, we pray that you would call to us, as from the burning bush, with the sustaining fire of your Spirit. Breathe upon us. Open our ears and move our hearts. Turn us from our inward gaze. Teach us to contemplate your creation, and listen for the voice of each creature declaring your glory. For “faith comes from hearing.” Give us hearts to listen for the good news of your promise to renew the face of the Earth. Enlighten us with the grace to follow the Way of Christ as we learn to walk lightly upon this holy ground. Fill us with the hope to quench the fires of injustice with the light of your healing love that sustains our common home. In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ. Amen.