On Tuesday, September 1 our Holy Father, Pope Francis began a month long prayer and action vigil for the Care of Creation. We are asked to take time in prayer of thanksgiving and hope for our world and our use of the resources of the world in care for creation. It is a reminder of our gift of stewardship for God’s creation that was given to Adam and Eve and has been passed on to us and we are called to pass on to those who follow us.
I will freely admit that growing up in the 60’s and 70’s in rural Idaho the care of creation wasn’t always on my mind. The world seemed so abundant and vast that the interconnectedness of the worlds ecosystems was beyond my imagination. Like many of us, I have been invited to grow in this understanding of how we can both utilize and care for creation that allows the health of all God’s creation, that includes you and me, to grow and flourish.

From his message, Pope Francis writes, “We are invited to remember above all that creation’s ultimate destiny is to enter into God’s eternal Sabbath. This journey, however, takes place in time, spanning the seven-day rhythm of the week, the cycle of seven years, and the great Jubilee Year that goes at the end of the seven Sabbath years.” (Pope Francis) We are called to remember that we live in a connected reality of creation that spans millions of years and how the rhythm of life touches all of God’s wonders in love and hopefulness. We participate with God in His creation and join with God in giving thanks and caring for all that has been given. Just like at the beginning of each Mass we are called to reflect on our need for conversion, the reconciling our faults in preparation of encountering God, Pope Francis reminds us of the need, to also grow in conversion as we recognize the harm we may have done to the world and seek ways to change in caring for creation.
Later Pope Francis writes, “A Jubilee is a time to return to God our loving Creator. We cannot live in harmony with creation if we are no at peace with he Creator who is the source and origin of all things. As Pope Benedict observed, “The brutal consumption of creation begins where God is missing, where matter has become simply material for us, where we ourselves are the ultimate measure, where everything is simply our property.” (Pope Francis) Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI recognize, as do all the faithful, if you forget the gift of creation that comes from God, then it becomes something that is

disposable and only good for utilitarian purposes. It removes creation from a culture of life and finally places us into the situation where human life becomes a burden rather than a blessings and the destruction of life is seen as a solution where a culture of death reigns.
There is hope in seeking a fuller understanding, “In some ways, the current pandemic has led us to rediscover simpler and sustainable lifestyles. The crisis, in a sense, has given us a chance to develop new ways of living. Already we can see how the earth can recover if we allow it to rest: the air becomes cleaner, the waters clearer, and animals have returned to many places from where they had previously disappeared.” (Pope Francis) With fewer cars on the road, the simplification of many things we do has helped, but like a diet or a change of habit it is often very easy to return to the old ways once the opportunity happens. In addition we also recognize the hurt and destruction this pandemic has inflicted on many of our sisters and brothers. And there is hope. Even in this time of turmoil in our country, the willingness to confront the need for conversion grows in the hearts of many. And this is the most difficult part because it must be done with goodwill and the idea of the common good where the demonization of another is left behind and the recognition of the dignity of all people is brought forward in the unity of hope.

Returning to the reality of a Jubilee, we are not alone nor are we isolated in time from God and His creation, rather we are together as one family in the act of creative goodness that can only come from God. Let us pray for a greater respect of life in God’s creation as we care for our common home.
“Let us all rejoice that our loving Creator sustains our humble efforts to care for the earth which is also God’s home where his Word “became flesh and lived among us: (Jn 1:14) and which is constantly being renewed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” (Pope Francis)

God Bless
Fr. Mark

The quotes come from the Message of Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation September 1, 2020.