by Sr. Margaret Anne Meyer MMM           U.S.A.                         31.08.2022
Recently, I received an invitation from the Faith Leaders of an ecumenical group to join in the annual Christian celebration with the ecumenical family around the world to unite and pray and protect our common home. The Season celebration begins on September 1 and ends on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. This year the theme will be “LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF CREATION”

Psalm 19:1-4 declares, “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech and night to night declares knowledge, their voice is not heard yet their voice goes out to all through all the Earth, and their words to the end of the world.
The Members of the Season Creation Advisory Committee urges us through our common prayer and action to listen to the voices of those who are silenced. “In prayer we lament the individual species, communities and ecosystems who are lost, and those whose livelihoods are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. In prayer we center the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. May this 2022 Season of Creation renew our ecumenical unity, renewing and uniting us by our bond of Peace in one Spirit, in our call to care for our common home. And may this season of prayer and action be a time to Listen to the Voice of Creation, so that our lives in words and deeds proclaim good news for all the Earth”.

Yes, we certainly need some good news. My heart went out to all those suffering excessive heat of 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Europe and in some States here in the USA. The fires in France and flooding in other parts of the world call out to us to do something. Yes, we are listening but what can one do?

In response to Pope Francis’s Encyclical, Laudato Si, a group has formed in Rome which teaches dioceses throughout the world how grave the problem is and some ways to take action. What is so wonderful about this program is that it is highly organized and asks that deadlines be met. This is to spur us on.

Last March, The Archdiocese of Boston hosted a webinar in how to save our planet. I was struck by the emblem of a small home nestled in a tree. This represents a symbol of our common home protected by nature. What happens in one part of the world will eventually happen to us if we do not listen to what nature is trying to tell us. The earth is our common home, and we belong to one another as brothers and sisters. Pope Francis urges us to have right relationships, forgive one another and avoid all forms of violence. He says in this way we will not only save our planet from destruction, but we would live in harmony with one another. If everyone adopted these means the world would slowly change.

I was very moved by this webinar and joined an advocacy group. I told them, I was aging and could not be very active but that I would pray. They seemed to like that. Our group had two sessions by zoom with Aides to our State Senators. We urged them to pass a bill to combat climate change. There was a lot of opposition to this, but somehow aa modified Bill was recently passed by Congress, and we are all very thankful to God. Perhaps you have something going in your Diocese and or Parish? Please join in whole heartedly trusting in God to use your efforts to change the world.