Join us Monday, October 4, 2021, 4 PM on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi for a Virtual Prayer Service!
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Follow Along HERE on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021 with the following Worship Aid:
FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS
Ecological Conversion: Called to Tend to a Flourishing Garden of Life
October 4, 2021
OPENING PRAYER
God of the sun and moon, of the mountains, deserts and plains,
God of the mighty oceans, of rivers, lakes and streams,
God of all creatures that live in seas and fly in the air,
of every living thing that grows and moves on this sacred Earth.
We are formed by Christ into Your People,
Called to bring the world into Your marvelous light.
As the Body of Christ, we are messengers of ecological vocation.
We are entrusted with caring for this earth which you have created.
Help us to love and respect it; to repair what we have damaged;
to care for what you have made good and holy.
Give us the wisdom and the passion to change our minds, our hearts, and our ways.
Let us be mustard seeds in our world, bringing about ecological
conversion which grows and spreads to every corner of
the Earth.
For our sake now and for every generation to come.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen
Catholic Earthcare Australia
Reading #1: Mark 4: 30-32
Reading # 2: Pope John XXIII, Opening of Vatican II, Oct, 1962
Reading # 3: Laudato Si’ Paragraph 217
Reading # 4: Pope John Paul II, General Audience, Jan. 17, 2001
Reading # 5: Elizabeth Johnson, Ask the Beasts, pp. 285-86
SILENT REFLECTION ON THE READINGS
-What stood out/impacted you in these readings?
-How does the Parable of the Mustard Seed speak to you as you consider the need to work toward cultivating “a flowering garden of life” and a “flourishing humanity on a thriving planet?”
-How can people of faith work toward “a flourishing humanity on a thriving planet?”
A SHORT VIDEO
CONCLUSION AND CLOSING PRAYER
Leader: Creator God, source of all life,
We praise and thank you for the many gifts of this day
And for the blessing of your presence.
All: -In each star in the sky and every flower in the field;
-In each creature who roams our common home and every grain of
what that nourishes;
-In each drop of water which sustains us and every person who loves and cares for us.
Leader: God of mercy and compassion, forgive us fo the times we fail to recognize your presence among us.
All: -Forgive us our blindness to the daily miracle of creation.
-Forgive us our deafness to the cries of the Earth and those made poor by our greed.
-Forgive us our hardness of heart that separates us from one another.
Leader: God of abundance, we pray, give us the grace to know that we are one in
You. Give us the grace:
All: -To welcome your creatures abandoned and forgotten
-To care for our common home; and
-To live in right relationship
with you, our God,
with neighbors near and far, and
with all of your wondrous creation.
Give us the grace to become your beloved community.
LEADER: Gracious God, we ask this through the power of your Holy Spirit whose breath gives light to the world.
All: Amen
ADDENDUM
Here are website links that you might want to visit for more information on ecological conversion.
Catholic Climate Covenant: catholicclimatecovenant.org
The Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform: laudatosiactionplatform.org
Godsplanet.us: godsplanet.us
More Information on the Ignatian Ecological Examen: ecoexam.org
Catholic Energies: catholicenergies.com
ECOLOGICAL EXAMEN
1) Gratitude: I give thanks to God for creation and for being wonderfully made.
Where did I feel God’s presence in creation today?
2) Awareness: I ask for the grace to see creation as God does-in all its splendor and suffering.
Do I see the beauty of creation and hear the cries of the earth and the poor?
3) Understanding: I ask for the grace to look closely to see how my life choices impact creation and the poor and vulnerable.
What challenges or joys do I experience as I recall my care for creation? How can I turn away from our throwaway culture?
4) Conversion: I ask for the grace of conversion toward ecological justice and reconciliation.
Where have I fallen short in caring for creation and my brothers and sisters? How do I ask for conversion of heart?
5) Reconciliation: I ask for the grace to reconcile my relationship with God, creation and humanity, and to stand in solidarity through my actions.
How can I repair my relationship with creation and make choices consistent with my desire for reconciliation with creation?
6). Prayer: I offer a closing prayer for the earth and the vulnerable in our society.
Pick one word that summarizes your prayer.