Season of Creation 2020: Jubilee for the Earth

Pope Francis has designated Sept. 1^st as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Join him and Christians around the globe in praying and taking action for our common home. The Global Ecumenical Online Prayer Service, led by youth from around the world, will take place virtually from 9-10am on Sept. 1st. Register at https://gccm.controlshift.app/events/season-of-creation-global-ecumenical-online-prayer-service.

An examen is a way of beholding an object or being in prayerful wonder. Through questions, you are invited to reflect on God’s presence and the goodness of that which you behold. During this Season of Creation, consider contemplating a part of your local ecology. This is an exercise that you can choose to do alone, or with a group.
Pick a natural or agricultural place to contemplate. A forest. A river. A city street with a natural area. An urban park. A farmer’s field. A hilltop. Find a comfortable place to rest in or near this place. Enter into prayer in whatever way is natural to you. Invite Holy Wisdom to open the eyes of your heart. When you are ready, reflect on the following questions:

1. Become aware of God’s presence in a natural or agricultural place that you
   are contemplating.
   How is God present in this place? How does all the life you see exist in God’s Spirit? How do you feel knowing that the Holy Spirit has filled this place for
   geological ages, with every creature that has been here in the deep past, is here with you now, and will be here with creatures in this place in the future? How do you feel knowing that you, Earthling, belong to this place, are made of the same carbon, breathe the same air, are nurtured by the same cycles and life processes, and are enlivened by the same Spirit of the Creator?
2. Reflect on the ecological cycles of this place with gratitude for all that it
   provides.
   What nutrient cycles are supported by this place? Is this a watershed that filters water? Is this a rainforest (tropical or deciduous) that fixes nutrients? Is this a meadow or field that fixes nitrogen? Is this a green space that absorbs CO2 and cleans the air? What plants, animals, microbes and minerals are sheltered here? How do they serve the whole Earth in their being? For all that this place provides, let a feeling of gratitude fill you.
3. Pay attention to what you feel as you contemplate the fragility, health of
   this site.
   Is this ecosystem healthy? How is this ecosystem at risk of illness? What are
   the keys to sustaining the equilibrium and balance of this place? What niches
   and diversity must be protected to maintain the health of this habitat? What
   are the sources of stress that threaten the balance of this particular ecosystem? How do you feel when you consider the fragility of life that depends on the health of this place? What is your effect on this balance?
4. Choose one feature of the site and pray for it, its rest and its renewal.
   When you consider the ways that this place is under stress, what does it need
   for rest, restoration and renewal? What needs to be conserved for this site to
   heal itself? What features need to be reclaimed? Pray for this site, and the
   wisdom to care for it.
5. Look toward your response. What can you do to ease demands or promote
   the rest of this ecological site?
   Based on your examination, how do you identify with this place? What have
   you discerned is required to care for this place? What will be your act of
   compassion to promote rest for this place?

From The 2020 Season of Creation Celebration Guide

Creator of Life,

At Your word, the Earth brought forth plants yielding seed and trees of every kind bearing fruit. The rivers, mountains, minerals, seas and forests sustained life.

The eyes of all looked to You to satisfy the needs of every living thing. And throughout time the Earth has sustained life. Through the planetary cycles of days and seasons, renewal and growth, you open your hand to give creatures our food in the proper time.

In your Wisdom, you granted a Sabbath; a blessed time to rest in gratitude for all that you have given; a time to liberate ourselves from vicious consumption; a time to allow the land and all creatures to rest from the burden of production.

But these days our living pushes the planet beyond its limits. Our demands for growth, and our never-ending cycle of production and consumption are exhausting our world. The forests are leached, the topsoil erodes, the fields fail, the deserts advance, the seas acidify, the storms intensify. We have not allowed the land to observe her Sabbath, and the Earth is struggling to be renewed.

During this Season of Creation, we ask you to grant us courage to observe a Sabbath for our planet. Strengthen us with the faith to trust in your providence. Inspire us with the creativity to share what we have been given. Teach us to be satisfied with enough. And as we proclaim a Jubilee for the Earth, send Your Holy Spirit to renew the face of creation.

In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ. Amen.

From the Season of Creation resources.

This week, we invite you to go on a prayer walk for creation! As you are on your walk outside, whether in your neighborhood, a park, hiking trail, or somewhere else,
contemplate the gifts of creation around you and give thanks to God for them. Share photos of creation you encounter on your walk with us at Facebook or Instagram (@RisenSaviorMN) with the hashtag #SeasonOfCreation.

What is a prayer walk for creation? There isn’t one “right way” to encounter God in creation. As with all forms of prayer, attentiveness and openness to God is the foundation. You might consider adapting the steps of Lectio Divina (a way of praying with Scripture or sacred texts) into “Lectio Tierra” (praying with the sacredness of the earth). Below are suggestions for using the movements of Lectio Divina in a prayer walk for creation. You can do them as you walk or at a resting point along the way or at the end of your walk:

Reading: Heading out into God’s very good creation, I read the environment around me. How is God present? What might God be using to catch my eye and draw me closer? Stop, look, and listen to what is around you.

Meditating: You might pick one focal point to center your prayer–perhaps a branch of a tree, a certain flower, an insect or animal. With your focal point in mind, ask “What is its story? How am I connected to this?”

Praying: While this whole practice is prayer, in the prayer movement of Lectio Tierra, you intentionally converse with God about what you are meditating on and being attentive to. You might ask, “God, what are you revealing to me about myself, about you, about life and truth through this walk or focal point? What can I learn from this piece of your sacred creation? Are you calling me to growth or conversion or new action through this walk?”

Contemplating: During this movement, we rest with what we’ve experienced and shared with God and creation. On your walk, you might simply breathe in and out to the rhythm of your footsteps.

It’s okay if not all these movements happen in your prayer! On your walk, you can repeat this practice at multiple points along the way when something calls your attention.

The ideas for Lectio Tierra shared here come from Mennonite pastor Andy Wade’s blog post here.

This week we invite you to educate yourself on how creation care connects to Catholic Social Teaching more broadly. Catholic Climate Covenant has a great 5-part webinar series “On the Common Good & Our Common Home.” You can register for upcoming webinars or view past recordings by clicking here.

The USCCB has a brief summary of the Scriptural basis for care for creation, as well as where we see this theme throughout our Tradition. You can view this information by clicking here.

In honor of St. Francis’ Feast Day, we invite you to pray the Canticle of Creatures and reflect on how you are called to praise God for all elements of creation, with which we are interconnected.

Text of St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures

Most High, all-powerful,
good Lord,
yours is the praise,
the glory and the honor and every blessing.

To you alone, Most High,
do they belong,
and no one is worthy
to speak your name.

Praised be you, my Lord
with all your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
who is the day through whom
you bring us light.

And he is lovely, shining
with great splendor,
for he heralds you, Most High.

Praised be you, my Lord,
through Sister Moon and Stars.
In heaven you have formed them,
lightsome and precious and fair.

And praised be you, my Lord,
through Brother Wind, through
air and cloud, through calm
and every weather by which
you sustain your creatures.

Praised be you, my Lord,
through Sister Water,
so very useful and humble,
precious and chaste.

Praised be you, my Lord
through Brother Fire,
by whom you light up
the night, and he is
handsome and merry,
robust and strong.

Praised be you, my Lord,
through our Sister, Mother Earth,
who sustains us and directs us
bringing forth all kinds of fruits
and colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be you, my Lord
through those who forgive
for your love
and who bear sickness and trial.

Blessed are those
who endure in peace,
for by you, Most High,
they will be crowned.

Praised be you, my Lord,
through our Sister Bodily Death
from whom no living being
can escape.

How dreadful for those
who die in mortal sin!
How blessed are those she
finds in your most holy will
for the second death
can do them no harm.

O praise and bless my Lord,
thank him and serve him
humbly but grandly!