Season of Creation

Each year, Pope Francis declares September 1st to October 4th to be the Season of Creation….a time for our Christian family to unite in a worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect Mother Earth, our common home. This year, the theme for the season is ‘Let Justice and Peace Flow’. Just like when the Prophet Amos shouted, ‘Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-ending stream!” (Amos 5:24), it is our time to act. Parts of our world (our own country) are burning, others are Jlooding, hurricanes are coming stronger and faster….what will it take for us to recognize the sacredness of nature? What will happen to us if we continue to try to squeeze out every last drop of oil, gas and coal from our earth? Are you ready to say, ‘enough!’ There is a global movement underway, asking all governments at all levels to stop any further oil, gas and/or coal investments. Entire countries have signed on….Vancouver was the Jirst city in the entire world to sign on! Are you ready to act? To see what you can do, please go to this website https://fossilfueltreaty.org to learn about the worldwide ‘Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty’

The river of life brings hope!  During this Season of Creation our prayers, sermons and liturgies must call for justice, not only for humans but for all of creation.  Justice, together with peace, calls us to change our attitudes and actions towards our environment.  Righteousness calls for us to live in peace, not conflict, with our human neighbors, and to build good relationships with all of creation.

Those Indigenous communities that recognize the sacredness of natural elements, have much to teach us.  May we live as they do and strive to be an embodiment of an interconnected way of life, expressing a partnership between God’s people (us) and the life of God’s creation, Mother Earth.

As the people of God, we must work together on behalf of all Creation, as part of that mighty river of peace and justice.