For
Sunday, October 21, 2018, 2nd Sunday in the Season of Creation, Readings: from Encyclical Laudato Si*, Psalm 104:1-5, 14-15, 27-27, 31-33, Job:12:7-10**,
Mark 10:35-45
Season of Creation Week II
Our Planet Earth
We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her aid and receive life and refreshment from her waters.
[from "Laudato Si"]
Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God...you are clothed with honor and majesty... [Psalm 104: 1]
But ask the animals...the birds of the air...ask the plants of the earth and they will teach you; and the fish of the air will declare to you...that the hand of the LORD has done this... [Job 12:7-12]
...but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant...For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. [Mark 10:43b-44]
It
seems almost daily that terrible news about the condition of our planet from
disastrous environmental events such as poisoned water systems and food
supplies, hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes that devastate huge areas and millions of people, to the effects of war and
disease on human existence, and so much more. All of this requires our continuous attention and purposeful action as our obedience to God-ordered stewardship of the
Creation we inhabit. But for this moment, today, we celebrate. Today we are called to re-awaken our consciousness to our earthly surroundings close by and well beyond our mere location to learn and more deeply know this great gift of our Creator ~ planet Earth. We re-examine its lushness, its highest peaks and deepest depths, the
fragrances and the freshness; re-discover our companion creatures and the
extraordinary interconnections of life among the plants and organisms that support us. We marvel at
the vastness of the oceans, the rhythm of the tides, the flow of rivers. We see
what has gone before, where we are currently, and discover again our world's
potential. Most importantly, we examine how to maintain and expand protections from industrial waste, general pollution, and especially the vast impact of simple, everyday thoughtless and thoughtful actions individually, collectively, and globally. This Earth and her resources
feeds our bodies and provides oxygen for our breath, and breath-taking beauty.
How magnificent is Our Living Planet?! Let us behold our God's gracious
hand and safeguard all of it for posterity.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader:
~ Living, Loving Creator
of all that is, seen and unseen, grant us the humility to understand our true place in, and responsibilities
for Your Creation, to learn from every living creature and life form, and to be
voice and champion for the protection and preservation of this fragile Earth,
our island home.
O
Lord, Breath of our Being
RESPONSE: We bless You by our faith and
action
~ Living, Loving
Creator, instill
within us, especially
all who lead the governments of our Planet, our Nation, and our Community, the urgency to accept and
fulfill every human’s calling as servant-stewards, to assure the well-being of
eco-systems and environments that sustain our very existence. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
Lord, Breath of our Being
We bless You by our faith and action
~
Living, Loving Creator, surround the hearts of all who live in the grip of chronic illness,
or critical life circumstance, with Your peace and healing; and extend endurance
for those who give them care. We
now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
O
Lord, Breath of our Being
We bless You by our faith and action
~ Living, Loving
Creator, keep us
in the knowledge that love never dies and that those we have sent ahead, have
new life in the resplendent and holy grandeur of Your Eternal Kingdom. We We pray especially for:
O
Lord, Breath of our Being
We bless You by our faith and action
~ Living, Loving Creator, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt
thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…
O
Lord, Breath of our Being
We bless You by our faith and action
~ Living, Loving
Creator, set
alight the spirits of those who lead us in Your church and beyond, to guide and join
us as reverent custodians and managers of this temporal treasure You have given
us. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
O
Lord, Breath of our Being
We bless You by our faith and action
The
Celebrant adds: God of Glory and
Majesty, excite and amaze us each new day with the abundance available in Your
precious gift of this living, breathing planet, the literal ground that
supports our earthly being. Kindle our fervor to actively engage and assure its
health and wholeness for now and always. We ask through Jesus, our Teacher and
Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, the Energy of our souls, who together with You
are One God, forever and ever. Amen.
*1st Reading: Quotes from the Pope Francis' Encyclical on Ecology, 2015, Laudato Si, On Care for our Common Home…on humanity’s relationship with the Earth:
“[The earth] now cries out to us because of the harm we have
inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God
has endowed her.
We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth; our
very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life
and refreshment from her waters.
Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or
as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and
thus in constant interaction with it.
Today, the analysis of environmental problems cannot be separated
from the analysis of human, family, work-related and urban contexts, nor from
how individuals related to themselves, which leads in turn to how they relate
to others and to the environment.”
**2nd Reading: Job 12:7-10
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you;
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
9 Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of every human being.
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
9 Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of every human being.
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