Embracing the Season of Creation with prayer and action

Each year, Pope Francis invites the Church to commemorate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Sept. 1. This day of prayer begins a month-long “Season of Creation” which concludes on Oct. 4 with the feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology. Calling on all Christians to pray and work together to care for our common home, the theme for this year’s Season of Creation is, “Let justice and peace flow.”

In 1989, Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed Sept. 1 as a day of prayer for creation for the Orthodox. The Orthodox church year starts on that day with a commemoration of how God created the world. Through the efforts of the World Council of Churches, the season was extended through Oct. 4.

Over time, Christians around the world embraced the season as part of their annual calendar. Pope Francis made the Catholic Church’s warm welcoming of the season official in 2015.

In his message for the 2023 Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Francis explained that the theme for the ecumenical Season of Creation was inspired by the words of the prophet Amos: “Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” (5:24).

The Holy Father asks, “How can we contribute to the mighty river of justice and peace in this Season of Creation?  What can we, particularly as Christian communities, do to heal our common home so that it can once again teem with life?  We must do this by resolving to transform our hearts, our lifestyles, and the public policies ruling our societies. …

“First, let us join the mighty river by transforming our hearts.  This is essential for any other transformation to occur; it is that ‘ecological conversion’ which Saint John Paul II encouraged us to embrace: the renewal of our relationship with creation so that we no longer see it as an object to be exploited but cherish it instead as a sacred gift from our Creator.  Furthermore, we should realize that an integral approach to respect for the environment involves four relationships: with God, with our brothers and sisters of today and tomorrow, with all of nature, and with ourselves. …

“Second, let us add to the flow of this mighty river by transforming our lifestyles.  Starting from grateful wonder at the Creator and his creation, let us repent of our ‘ecological sins’, as my brother, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, has urged. … With the help of God’s grace, let us adopt lifestyles marked by less waste and unnecessary consumption, especially where the processes of production are toxic and unsustainable.  Let us be as mindful as we can about our habits and economic decisions so that all can thrive – our fellow men and women wherever they may be, and future generations as well. …

“Lastly, for the mighty river to continue flowing, we must transform the public policies that govern our societies and shape the lives of young people today and tomorrow.  Economic policies that promote scandalous wealth for a privileged few and degrading conditions for many others, spell the end of peace and justice.  It is clear that the richer nations have contracted an ‘ecological debt’ that must be paid (cf. Laudato Si’, 51). …

“So too, like a river basin with its many tiny and larger tributaries, the Church is a communion of countless local Churches, religious communities and associations that draw from the same shared waters.  Each source adds its unique and irreplaceable contribution, until all flow together into the vast ocean of God’s loving mercy. …

“In this Season of Creation, as followers of Christ on our shared synodal journey, let us live, work and pray that our common home will teem with life once again.  May the Holy Spirit once more hover over the waters and guide our efforts to ‘renew the face of the earth’ (cf. Ps 104:30).

To read Pope Francis’ full message visit seasonofcreation.org/2023/05/25/message-of-pope-francis-for-creation-day-2023.