Earth Day Reflection REFLECTION One of the main themes of Catholic Social Teaching is Care for Creation. Concern for the environment, God s gift of the created world, has become a significant social justice issue during the last 50 years. Since Pope Paul VI, all popes have spoken out about environmental degradation. Pope Francis has declared he is writing an encyclical dedicated to the environmental crises, and he has been clear in reminding us that people of faith are called to be actively involved in promoting environmental justice. It s Our Turn To Lead is the theme for Earth Day 2015, calling on individuals, grassroots organizations, community groups to unite and to convey a common message to political leadership on the national and international level: we cannot wait any longer for substantial change in policies and programs and for new initiatives to reverse the growing problems of climate change and environmental degradation. Creation is a gift to all, and we all have the responsibility to protect this gift. Earth Day began in 1970; celebrated, on April 22 each year, over a billion people in 190 countries will take action for the environment. Earth Day 2015 will continue to focus on the environmental challenges of our time and on the power of people joining together to create change from the grassroots up. For 45 years, there has been a growing momentum to involve more people and diverse communities and groups in advocating for environmental justice. Environmental problems can no longer be separated from issues of health, workers rights, poverty, and human trafficking. Sustainable development that considers the long-term effects on people and the planet must out-rank economic development that is more concerned with immediate high profits for a few than for human flourishing for all, now and in the future. It is the people s time to lead and ensure that the world s political leaders finally sign a significant, binding, global climate change treaty to stop and if possible, reverse the environmental degradation that is more and more visible around the world. It is time for citizens and organizations to divest from fossil fuel-driven production and fund renewable energy sources. It is time we ensure that all God s children live in healthy and secure environments, as Pope Francis has declared. 1 / 2 Copyright March 2015 l Education for Justice, a Project of the Center of Concern
REFLECTION We are called to see the beauty of God in all of His Creation and to ensure all His children live in healthy and secure environments. ~ Pope Francis FAITH IN ACTION The Earth Day website has information, advocacy advice, etc. see: http://www.earthday.org/ For specific educational resources on the Earth Day website, go to: http://www.earthday.org/earthday2013/resources. html#education The Catholic Climate Covenant website offers information and online advocacy, asking people of faith to take the St. Francis Pledge to care for Creation and for the poor; see: http://www.catholicclimatecovenant.org The Education for Justice Network has many resources on environmental justice and the Church s teaching on these issues: http://www.educationforjustice.org PRAYER Creator God, we ask for the grace To work together For an environment that is safe, That is green and growing, That will shelter all in justice And peace. Help us to see that, in working together, We will be able to transform This earth, this sacred garden, This generous gift. On this Earth Day, We envison a planet Where all life can flourish, So we will raise our voices In community and solidarity: May our leaders hear us, O Lord, As you hear our cries. Amen. Let us be protectors of Creation, protectors of God s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the enviroment we share. ~ Pope Francis 2 / 2 Copyright March 2015 l Education for Justice, a Project of the Center of Concern
PRAYER SERVICE FOR Earth Day PRAYER SERVICE Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude. - Pope Francis May 21, 2014 Leader: Come, let us praise God for the gift of Creation. Reader 1: Psalm 148: 4-13 Let them all praise the Lord s name; for the Lord commanded and they were created, Assigned them duties forever, gave them tasks that will never change. Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deep waters; You lightning and hail, snow and clouds, storm winds that fulfill his command; You mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; You animals wild and tame, you creatures that crawl and fly; You kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth; Young men and women too, old and young alike. Let them all praise the Lord s name, for His name is exalted, majestic above earth and heaven. Leader: We thank God for Creation and for our place within this gift. The teachings of our Church call us to be good stewards of the earth. They call on us to take climate change seriously and to be active in responding to it. 1 / 3 Copyright March 2015 l Education for Justice, a Project of the Center of Concern
PRAYER SERVICE Reader 2: A reading from the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church Care for the environment represents a challenge for all of humanity. It is a matter of a common and universal duty, that of respecting a common good, destined for all, by preventing anyone from using with impunity the different categories of beings, whether living or inanimate animals, plants, the natural elements simply as one wishes, according to one s own economic needs. It is a responsibility that must mature on the basis of the global dimension of the present ecological crisis and the consequent necessity to meet it on a worldwide level, since all beings are interdependent in the universal order established by the Creator. One must take into account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an ordered system, which is precisely the cosmos. (#466) Reader 3: A reading from a delegation of U.S. Catholic Bishops Humankind on the Planet Earth is ordained to live in equity, justice and dignity, peace and harmony in the midst of the order of Creation. Humankind is ordered to treat respectfully Creation, which has value in itself. We recognize the atmosphere, rainforests, oceans and agricultural land as common good that require our care...we recognize that in line with truly democratic principles, the poor and the poorer nations, who are many and are more affected by climate change impacts, are also agents in the development of nations and human life on earth. They also give us a voice and a sense of hope in our times as we face crises such as climate change. (20th Conference of the Parties, United Nations Climate Change Conference, December 2014) Reader 4: A reading from Pope Francis The human family has received from the Creator a common gift: nature. The Christian view of Creation includes a positive judgement about the legitimacy of interventions on nature if these are meant to be beneficial and are performed responsibly, that is to say, by acknowledging the grammar inscribed in nature and by wisely using resources for the benefit of all, with respect for the beauty, finality and usefulness of every living being and its place in the ecosystem. Nature, in a word, is at our disposition and we are called to exercise a responsible stewardship over it. Yet so often we are driven by greed and by the arrogance of dominion, possession, manipulation and exploitation; we do not preserve nature; nor do we respect it or consider it a gracious gift which we must care for and set at the service of our brothers and sisters, including future generations. (World Day of Peace, January 1, 2014) 2 / 3 Copyright March 2015 l Education for Justice, a Project of the Center of Concern
PRAYER SERVICE Leader: Let us pray. For the many times we displayed a lack of concern for the environment, All: Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us Leader: For our misuse of the environment because of greed and gain, All: Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us Leader: For the lack of vision that prevented our leadership from working together for the common environmental good, All: Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us Leader: May the Lord forgive us and guide us to become responsible stewards of Creation, aware of what is happening to the earth, and ready to act and advocate for the good of the entire planet. May our praises to God for the gift of Creation energize us to see, reflect, and act. All: Creator God, we praise you for the grandeur of the universe. We praise you for the gift of this Earth. We praise you for the land, and we praise you for the seas. We praise you for the great miracle of teeming life on our prolific planet. We praise you for the cycle of growth and for the beauty of the spring. We praise you for the green growth of the summer and for the holy harvest of the fall. We praise you for the different creatures on the land and in the sea, each unique in its own way, each fitting into the complex ecosystems you have gifted us with, each dependent on each other and the whole. We praise you, our Creator. Grace us with a sense of our responsibilities to preserve and protect your precious gift, this Garden, this Earth. Leader: We praise you again and again, Creator God, and thus we offer you our hearts and hands for the preservation of your Creation. Amen. 3 / 3 Copyright March 2015 l Education for Justice, a Project of the Center of Concern
PRAYER Prayer for the Environmental Common Good As we breathe the very air which sustains us, We remember your love, God, which gives us life. Fill us with your compassion for Creation. Empty us of apathy, selfishness and fear, of all pessimism and hesitation. Breathe into us solidarity with all who suffer now and the future generations who will suffer because of our environmental irresponsibility. Move us into action to save our earth and to build your sustainable Kingdom. Amen. 1 / 1 Copyright March 2015, Education for Justice, a Project of the Center of Concern