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When we hear that we must care for God’s Creation, we may think of many different ways to do it: recycling, reusing, composting, reforesting, and educating people. But there is one more basic and powerful thing that we can add to this list: praying. On September 1, the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. This important day kicks off the Season of Creation, a time of sustained prayer and action that extends until October 4, the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi. The theme and invitation of this year’s celebration is “Seeds of Peace and Hope.”
In his message for this occasion, Pope Leo quotes Pope Francis: “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience” (On Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si’), 217). Pope Leo goes on to say, “By working with love and perseverance, we can sow many seeds of justice and thus contribute to the growth of peace and the renewal of hope.”
Let us join Saint Francis of Assisi in singing: “Praise be to you, my Lord, for all your creatures.” Let us sing with the psalmist: “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!” Amen.
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