Prayers of the People: Our Primordial Mother*, 2nd Sunday in the Season of Creation ’25 Yr C

For Sunday, October 19, 2025; Readings: Micah 4:1-4, Psalm 8**, Revelation 22:1-2,  Matthew 6:25-34

  For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. [the God of Jacob] shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more… [Micah 4:2c-3]

  Lord, our God, the whole world tells the greatness of your name. Your glory reaches beyond the stars…I see your handiwork in the heavens: The moon and stars you set in place…O Lord our God, the whole world tells of the greatness of your name. [Psalm 8:1, 3, 4]**

   Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 

[Revelation to John: 22:1-2]

  Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them…And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.   [Matthew 6:26, 27, 28b-29]

     It is easy enough to discover the bad news about the condition of our planet, from devastating weather to disastrous environmental events, to war and disease, and it all needs our awareness, action, and God-ordered stewardship. Today we are to re-awaken our consciousness to our earthly surroundings, close by and well beyond our mere location. Today, again, it’s time to learn and more deeply know and celebrate this great gift of our Creator, also known in Greek Mythology as Gaia*, our primordial Mother.

     We are to re-examine its lushness, its highest peaks and deepest depths, the fragrances and the freshness; to re-discover our companion creatures, wild and tame, and the extraordinary interconnections of life among the plants and organisms that support us. Let us take more than a moment to marvel at the vastness of the oceans, the rhythm of the tides, the flow of rivers, the artful shaping of clouds. We must look and see what has gone before, where we are now, and discover again our world's potential. Most importantly, we are to discover ways to maintain and expand protections against industrial waste, general pollution, and the island of plastic and garbage now twice the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean***,  the loss of precious water resources, and especially the vast impact of our own everyday selfish actions individually, collectively, and globally. This Earth and her resources feed our bodies and provide oxygen for our breath, and breath-taking beauty in which we experience the wonder of our God-given surroundings.

     We are called to be a servant to humanity as given in Christ’s teaching and example, and from the word of the Lord of Jerusalem to beat our modern-day swords and spears of violence into plowshares and pruning hooks for peace. Let us continuously plow the soil of Creation, to feed, protect, and prosper the gift we have been given. To not learn war any more against nations, or racism or sexism or any -ism of discrimination against our human siblings, and to see that no one anywhere should be afraid. May we turn toward those humans from whom we have the most to learn even if we have previously considered them harshly for their political, religious, lifestyle, or other perspectives different from our own; or, merely and unkindly looked past them as lesser beings unworthy of our care or attention. And while we agree or disagree with the chosen pathways of others, let us always grant due respect to our fellow humans who, like ourselves, are created in the image of God, who is fully our Mother, Father, Sister, and Brother, and who filled our souls with the shining dust of stars, and the cosmic lilt of heavenly choirs.   

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord our God of all that is, rid us of our self-important arrogance, and grant us the humility to understand our true place in, and responsibilities for Your full Creation. Turn us toward those from whom we have the most to learn, fill us with respect and care for every living creature and life form, and remind us to be a voice and champion for the protection and preservation of this, our sacred and holy Gaia, Mother Earth.

                                                      O God, Mother and Father of Creation
              RESPONSE:            We bless You by our faith in action

~ O Lord our God of all that is, instill within all who lead the Governments of our Planet, our Nation, and our Community, the urgency to beat our modern-day swords and spears of violence into plowshares and pruning hooks for peace. Guide those who hold and support political office toward positive management and policies for the eco-systems and environments that sustain the life, health, and existence of your people and creatures everywhere. We pray especially for: add your own petitions 

                                                      O God, Mother and Father of Creation

                                                       We bless You by our faith in action

~ O Lord our God of all that is, surround the hearts of all who live with chronic illness, or critical need, with Your peace and healing; and endurance for those who give them care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       O God, Mother and Father of Creation
                                                       We bless You by our faith in action      

~ O Lord our God of all that is, keep us in the knowledge that love never dies and that those we have sent ahead, have new life in the holy grandeur of Your Eternal Kingdom. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

                                                       O God, Mother and Father of Creation
                                                       We bless You by our faith in action

~ O Lord our God of all that is, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials…

                                                       O God, Mother and Father of Creation

                                                       We bless You by our faith in action

~ O Lord our God of all that is, set alight the spirits of those called by You to lead us in Your Church, who guide us to make our destination to You clear, and who join us to love, honor, and serve as Christ has taught and shown us by His example. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O God, Mother and Father of Creation
                                                       We bless You by our faith in action

The Celebrant adds: Lord God, Feeder of birds, Clothier of the lilies and grass of the fields, awaken us each day to strive first for your Kingdom and your righteousness. Calm our worry and grant us renewed desire to restore and cherish Your precious gift of this living, breathing planet, the literal ground of every earthly being. Kindle our fervor to actively engage in and assure its health, as it continues to sustain all forms of your creation here and beyond, now and always. We ask through Jesus, our Teacher and Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, the Divine and Limitless 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

*Gaia:  ancestral mother of earth, personification of earth, a primordial earth goddess in Greek mythology, literally, "earth;" primordial: first in the sequence of time, original [Merriam Webster]

~A Story of Gaia: https://www.theoi.com/Protogenos/Gaia.html

** Psalm 8:

  Lord, our God, the whole world tells the greatness of your name. Your glory reaches beyond the stars. 

  Even the babble of infants declares your strength, your power to halt the enemy and avenger.

  I see your handiwork in the heavens: The moon and the stars you set in place.

  What is humankind that you remember them, the human race that you care for them?

You treat them like gods, dressing them in glory and splendor. 

You give them charge of the earth, laying all at their feet: cattle and sheep, wild beasts, birds of the sky, fish of the sea, every swimming creature.

 Lord our God, the whole world tells the greatness of your name.

      [From The Psalter: A faithful and inclusive rendering, Liturgy Training Publications 

(International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.), 1994]

***Twice the Size of Texas Ocean Garbage/Plastics Island: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240115-visualising-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch

 

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