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2023 Season of Creation – “Let’s Irrigate Life!” September 15th, 2023
By Maurice Lange, current Justice & Peace Director at Presentation Sisters & former Executive Director of the Oblates Lebh Shomea House of Prayer
“Love, overflowing with small gestures of mutual care, is also civic and political, and it makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world.” (Laudato Si #231)
READ: 3rd part of Pope Francis’ letter for the 2023 Season of Creation (below) (READ FULL REFLECTION)
REFLECTION: Pope Francis does not mince words in calling us to put an end to war upon Creation. Our calling is to stand with victims of this war, both human and other-than-human. Justice and peace cannot flow when so many bodies of water are drying up. Yes, our human societies are that linked to the natural world! Greed and selfishness, on the part of individuals and industry, are wreaking havoc on Earth’s water cycle. Creation’s heartbeat works in cycles…we Westerners think and act linearly. Can we align our hearts with the way that Earth functions…and live cyclically?
ACTION: This week go outside — near a stream, brook or small river — and just be. Ponder the flow of that water…and where it merges with other streams or rivers. How does this increase provide for creatures and habitats downstream? What are some novel ways you can irrigate (and not deplete) “the life of our marvelous planet and our human family”?
Reflections in this series:
Preparing for the 2023 Season of Creation – “Let Justice and Peace Flow” August 30th, 2023
By Maurice Lange, current Justice & Peace Director at Presentation Sisters & former Executive Director of the Oblates Lebh Shomea House of Prayer
“Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.” (Laudato Si #207)
READ: 1st first part of Pope Francis’ letter for the 2023 Season of Creation (below)
REFLECTION: What is God’s desire? Pope Francis begins this Season of Creation by getting immediately to the heart of the matter: God wants justice to reign. Equating the kingdom of God to right relationship with God, humanity and nature, Francis makes clear that such righteousness, authentic justice and peace, is like a nourishing stream that does not fail. As we prepare to begin this annual Season, let us reflect on the ways in which we contribute to the stream and “let justice and peace flow”. And, for a thorough ecological examen: how do some of our perceptions inhibit such a flow? From where did we imbibe these “dam-Ing” perceptions? Let us live at the heart of the matter this Season of Creation and beyond.
(Image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay)
ACTION: The Season of Creation begins September 1 and continues through October 4. Procure and keep a Season of Creation journal. You may wish to play with the water imagery of this year’s theme. Like a stream that flows with new water, may this Season be one of new commitment for you. “We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.” (LS closing prayer #246)
