Celebrating the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

The Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation - celebrated on September 1 each year - marked the third anniversary of its observance this week.

A Joint Message was released on Friday morning from Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who for the first time wrote together on the themes of the day, inviting all the faithful and men of good will to prayer and to reflection on how to live in a simple and solid manner, responsibly using earthly goods.

The Day of Prayer for the Care of the Creation was instituted by Pope Francis in 2015. The Orthodox Church has commemorated the Day since 1989. 

Joint Message of His Holiness, Pope Francis

and the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew

on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

The story of creation presents us with a panoramic view of the world. Scripture reveals that, in the beginning, God intended humanity to cooperate in the preservation and protection of the natural environment. At first, as we read in Genesis, no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up – for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground (Gen 2:5). The earth was entrusted to us as a sublime gift and legacy, for which all of us share responsibility until, in the end, all things in heaven and on earth will be restored in Christ (cf Eph 1:10). Our human dignity and welfare are deeply connected to our care for the whole of creation.

However, in the meantime, the history of the world presents a very different context. It reveals a morally decaying scenario where our attitude and behaviour towards creation obscures our calling as God’s co-operators. Our propensity to interrupt the world’s delicate and balanced ecosystems, our insatiable desire to manipulate and control the planet’s limited resources, and our greed for limitless profit in markets – all these have alienated us from the original purpose of creation. We no longer respect nature as a shared gift; instead, we regard it as a private possession. We no longer associate with nature in order to sustain it; instead, we lord over it to support our own constructs.

The consequences of this alternative worldview are tragic and lasting. The human environment and the natural environment are deteriorating together, and this deterioration of the planet weighs upon the most vulnerable of its people. The impact of climate change affects, first and foremost, those who live in poverty in every corner of the globe. Our obligation to use the earth’s goods responsibly implies the recognition of and respect for all people and all living creatures. The urgent call and challenge to care for creation are an invitation for all of humanity to work towards sustainable and integral development.

Therefore, united by the same concern for God’s creation and acknowledging the earth as a shared good, we fervently invite all people of goodwill to dedicate a time of prayer for the environment on 1 September.  On this occasion, we wish to offer thanks to the loving Creator for the noble gift of creation and to pledge commitment to its care and preservation for the sake of future generations. After all, we know that we labour in vain if the Lord is not by our side (cf Ps 126-127), if prayer is not at the centre of our reflection and celebration. Indeed, an objective of our prayer is to change the way we perceive the world in order to change the way we relate to the world. The goal of our promise is to be courageous in embracing greater simplicity and solidarity in our lives.

We urgently appeal to those in positions of social and economic, as well as political and cultural, responsibility to hear the cry of the earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalized, but above all to respond to the plea of millions and support the consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation. We are convinced that there can be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, unless we give priority to solidarity and service.

From the Vatican and from the Phanar

1 September 2017

 Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Whatever we do to the environment will eventually come back to us,  said Cardinal Tagle during the celebration of a mass to mark the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Sept 1. During his homily, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila stressed that human beings are inseparable from the environment. He said the world is facing a lot of environmental concerns which could have been averted if only people were aware of the consequences of their actions for the environment. We should be wise by being caring, by being responsible because in the end we would be destroyed by the very destructive culture that we have propagated, the Cardinal said.

Around 2,000 people gathered at the Luneta Park to highlight initiatives that respond to the challenges of ecological crisis. The gathering was a celebration of a global prayer movement for the care of the environment initiated by Pope Francis.

The event also starts the Archdiocese of Manila’s month-long observance of the Season of Creation until October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron of ecology. The yearly activity will be marked by a series of activities promoting environmental causes in parishes and communities. Amid the misuse of creation, the cardinal stressed that all Christians are called to holiness, especially in caring for all beings. I think part of our mission today and in the coming years is to include more consciously the caring of creation as part of holiness, he said.

To further drive his point, the president of Caritas Internationalis also said that stewardship of creation also means caring for our fellow man. And this concern for other people requires a lot of discipline, especially against the lust not only in relationships but also in the way people abuse the environment. “To care is to be concerned for someone or for something, but part of caring is to assume responsibility for the other.

Cardinal Tagle, however, lamented how the culture of caring is being threatened by so many idols of false gods and false creators of false world… that is packaged beautifully that you don’t even realize it’s a lie.  That is the culture that we want. We want a culture of true caring, of true responsibility for the creation of true God.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines also asked everyone to make conscious efforts in protecting the environment which is also linked to alleviating the sufferings of the poor. Let us take care of the earth not only because it would benefit our environment but also us. What we do to our environment, we do to our least brothers and sisters, and to God, said Archbishop Socrates Villegas, CBCP President. Let us protect God’s creation, and His creation will likewise protect us. (CBCPNews)