PRAYER SERVICE

« How clearly the sky reveals God’s glory! »(Ps 19)

Introduction

Today there is a growing awareness that world peace is threatened not only by the arms race, regional conflicts and continued injustices among peoples and nations, but also by a lack of due respect for nature, by the plundering of natural resources and by a progressive decline in the quality of life. When human beings turn their back on the Creator’s plan, they provoke a disorder which has inevitable repercussions on the rest of the created order.
If humans are not at peace with God, then earth itself cannot be at peace: “Therefore the land mourns and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and even the fish of the sea are taken away” (Hos 4:3)

 

Reading: Psalm 19 (God’s glory in creation)

How clearly the sky reveals God’s glory!
How plainly it shows what God has done!
Each day announces it to the following day;
Each night repeats it to the next.
No speech or words are used, no sound is heard;
yet their message goes out to all the world
and is heard to the ends of the earth.
God made a home in the sky for the sun;
It comes out in the morning like a happy bridegroom,
Like an athlete eager to run a race. (Psalm 19:1-5).

 
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Let us pray:

Almighty God! Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you created the earth and entrusted it to human beings to fulfil your work. You filled the earth with so many beautiful things. We praise and thank you God for the beautiful creation. Let us open ourselves to experience the presence and love of God in all created things: in the sun, the moon, the stars, and in each lovely planet, the flowers, birds and animals, the sea and its waves.

Every single creature is a book about God’s love. Every creature, even the most insignificant, is part of the Earth Community. Help us Creator Spirit to come to know and experience God our Father and Mother through our relationship with one another and with the whole of creation.

 

Let us reflect on the wonders of God’s creation

Francis of Assisi loved creation: in it he found the love of God. His love was not confined to popular or beautiful species. According to Francis, God created everything and thus everything bears God’s imprint, deserves respect and is worthy of relationship. Francis’ love of God and God’s creation is powerfully expressed in the Canticle of the Creation.

 
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CANTICLE OF CREATION

Most high, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor and all blessing.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no man is worthy to mention your name.

Praised be you, my Lord,
with all his creatures especially sir brother sun,
who is the day and through whom you give us light:
And he is beautiful and radiant with a very great splendor:
and bears a likeness of you, Most High One.

Praised be you, my Lord through sister moon, and the stars,
in heaven you formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be you, my Lord through brother wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather
through which you give sustenance to your creatures.

Praised be you, my Lord through sister water,
which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be you, my Lord, through brother fire,
through whom you light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
 
Praised be you, my Lord, through sister mother earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be you, my Lord,
through those who give pardon for your love,
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by you, Most High, they shall be crowned.

Praised be you, my Lord, through our sister bodily death,
from whom no living man can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in your most holy will,
for the second death shall do then no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord and give him thanks,
and serve him with great humility.

 

Reading: Life of St. Francis of Assisi

In every work of the artist he praised the Artist … He rejoiced in all the works of the hands of the Lord …. In beautiful things he saw beauty itself; all things were to him good …. He embraced all things with a rapture of unheard of devotion, speaking to them of the Lord and admonishing them to praise him … He walked reverently upon stones, because of him who was called the Rock …. He forbade the brothers to cut down the whole tree when they cut wood so that it might have hope of sprouting again. He commanded the gardener to leave the border around the garden undug so that in their proper times the greenness of the grass and the beauty of the flowers might announce the beauty of the Father of all things …. He removed from the road little worms, lest they be crushed under foot; and he ordered that honey and the best wines be set out for the bees, lest they perish from want in the cold of winter … (2 Celano 165 - Biographer of St. Francis of Assisi)

Prayers of Petition

1. God our creator, we are aware of the sins committed daily against our mother earth and against all of humanity. Lord forgive the injustice we have done to our Mother Earth. …. Lord hear our Prayer.

2. Lord! Give us the grace to respect and protect Mother Earth and to take bold steps to eradicate the wounds inflicted on the earth. …Lord hears our Prayer.

3. Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace to admire and experience His love in every created thing… Lord hear our Prayer.

4. For what else would you like to pray…

Conclusion
God our Father, you created the world and sent your own Son to live among us, made of the same stuff , breathing the same air, marvelling at sunrise and sunset just as we do. Help us to participate in the life around and within us as your life, as you living in us and we living in you and in each other. God of love and life, restore us to your peace, renew us through your power and teach us to love all that you have created and to care for the earth as your gift and our home.

Prayer service prepared by JPIC UISG USG (Rome) in the booklet : The earth community in Christ
Copright : The pictures are from Sr Bénédicte Lascassies (Holy Family of Bordeaux sister)