For Sunday, October 20, 2019, Readings: from Encyclical Laudato, Si**, Psalm
104:1-5, 14-15, 27-27, 31-33, Job:12:7-10, Luke 18:9-14
Season of Creation Week II*
Our Living Planet
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 the Encyclical Laudato
Si, by Pope Francis]
Bless the Lord, O my
soul. O Lord my God...you are clothed with majesty and splendor... [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]
I tell you, this man went down to his home
justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled,
but all who humble themselves shall be exalted. [Luke 18:14]
We are bombarded daily with terrible news about the condition of our
planet from disastrous environmental events such as poisoned water systems and
food supplies, hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes, and more, that devastate huge areas and billions
of people, habitats, and creatures. And there are also the continuing deadly effects
of political wrangling, war, and disease on the very existence of humans and other living things. All of this requires our continuous attention and deliberate purposeful
action as our obedience to the 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 all. 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. All that we humans do on and to this planet will live in
and follow through the health and wellness of our children, in every generation
to come.
How magnificent is Our Living Planet?! The psalmist tell us that in
God’s hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human
being. Yet make no mistake, it is also in our own.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE,
PRAY
Leader: ~ Living,
Loving Creator of all that is, seen and unseen, open us to 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, seize us all with the utmost urgency, individually and especially
in the halls of all governments in our Nation, around our Globe, and in our
Community, to take definitive planet-saving action now. Let
us exalt only the work of Your Hand by assuring the well-being of the
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, fill all who live in chronic pain or critical life
circumstance with Your peace and healing; and give strength to those who give
them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need. 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 those
we have sent ahead have new life in the holy grandeur of Your Eternal Kingdom. 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 ablaze 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 Splendor
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 and its elements within us all. 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 Divine Energy of our souls, who together
with You are One God, forever and ever. Amen.
* Click here for more information about: Season of Creation ~ In The Beginning
** 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.”
All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment