P. A. Chacko SJ
Pope Francis calls on all Christians in ecumenical spirit to ‘listen to the voice of creation.’ He has declared the season of this from 01 September to 04 October concluding with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
The theme is “Listen to the voice of creation.” The Pope tells us that ‘it is a special call to pray and work together for our common home…If we learn how to listen, we can hear in creation a voice of dissonance. On the one hand, we can hear a sweet song in honour of our beloved creator. On the other, an anguished plea lamenting our mistreatment of this our common home…The sweet song of creation invites us to practise an ecological spirituality in a splendid universal communion.”
A Prayer for Our Earth
‘All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.’
-From Pope Francis, Laudato Si