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Dear Girls and Boys, In today’s gospel reading we learn about humility. Jesus says: Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted. To exalt oneself is to be filled with pride. We can sometimes get all puffed up like a balloon with our own importance. We think we are great and we expect everyone else to think so too. Maybe it is because we are so good looking, or maybe it is because we are so smart. Maybe we are really good in sports, or perhaps we are the best singer in the choir. Sooner or later, if we keep getting puffed up with our own importance, something will happen to burst our balloon. Jesus warned us that this would happen. The Bible teaches us that if we are too proud and think too highly of ourselves, we are headed for a fall. On the other hand, if we are humble, and realize that it is through God's strength that we are able to do great things, we will be given a place of honour in the kingdom of God. Jesus, help us to be humble. Remind us that whatever abilities we have are a gift from you and that you are the one who deserves the praise! Amen. ❖

All-powerful God, With humble hearts and heads bowed down, We thank you for the gifts which we have taken for granted. We thank you for life, health, joy, and peace. We thank you for our families, friends, and neighbours. We thank you for our country, its natural beauty, and its diverse peoples. We thank you for our earth which provides all that we need to sustain ourselves so that we can live. In this time of illness, confusion, and fear Look upon your people with mercy and love. For those already afflicted, We ask you to touch them with the grace of healing and deliverance. For those who are vulnerable, lonely and fearful, Wipe away their tears and help them to trust. We pray for all the essential workers especially those in healthcare, education, agriculture, and law enforcement. Bless their hearts, hands, and minds as they respond with generosity to the cries of your people. Bless your people here in Guyana. Guide the leaders of our country, that they may take wise decisions that will benefit us all. Help us to reach out to the poor, lonely, vulnerable, and fearful wherever they may be. We are on the same boat, fragile and disoriented, called to row together and comfort each other. Protect us, heavenly Father, so that we may be spared the worst of this illness and receive those who have died into your loving embrace. We make this prayer in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.❖

In a “Motu Proprio” (a formal pronouncement of the the Pope) of 17th August 2017, Pope Francis established the Dicastery for Integral Human Development. In that document Pope Francis stated: In all her being and actions, the Church is called to promote the integral development of the human person in the light of the Gospel. This development takes place by attending to the inestimable goods of justice, peace and the care of creation….. This Dicastery will be competent particularly in issues regarding migrants, those in need, the sick the excluded and marginalized, the imprisoned and the unemployed, as well as victims of armed conflict, natural disasters and all forms of slavery and torture. The concept of Integral Human Development can be traced back to Pope Paul VI in his Encyclical (official letter of the Pope to Bishops of the Church) “Populorum Progressio” (Progress of peoples). Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis in particular in subsequent encyclicals have further articulated for us the understanding of Human Development and what constitutes its being Integral. The Popes speak of the blossoming of each human person given their gifts, potential, opportunities and possibilities, it is about each person becoming the best expression of themselves. That it becomes integral is about the development that happens because of our communion with others, in family, with the wider community and at the national, regional and global platforms of life. Most of all it happens because of our deep communion with the divine, with our creator in Jesus Christ and moved by the Spirit. It is articulate the steps necessary to reduce and the Gospel call to have life and have it eliminate those threats. abundantly, have it to the full. Or in the The first of the webinars will be on words of St. Irenaeus “the glory of God is in Wednesday 7th September 2022 at 18:00 the person fully alive, but the life of every hrs when the Commission will reflect on the person is the vision of God”. formation of the human conscience and the The AEC Commission for Integral Human biblical and synodal perspectives of Integral Development will be reaching out to the Human Development. This Webinar will be Dioceses in the region with a series of open to all but is especially addressing itself Webinars in an effort to reflect with the to those already engaged in social outreach faithful of the region on the evidence of and members of Diocesan Commissions God’s glory alive among his people of the for Integral Human Development. Save the Antilles and on ways to develop and further date, look for the link and join us in this first enhance that glory. Our reflections would crucial conversation.❖ also address the elements in our region that Register by using this link: https://threaten the life and development of God’s people, to name those elements and forms.gle/ZsTwwLTPnLAAqF4R9

Season of Creation, we pray once more in the great cathedral of creation, and revel in the “grandiose cosmic choir” [2] made up of countless creatures, all singing the praises of God. Let us join Saint Francis of Assisi in singing: “Praise be to you, my Lord, for all your creatures” (cf. Canticle of Brother Sun). Let us join the psalmist in singing, “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!” ( Ps 150:6). Tragically, that sweet song is accompanied by a cry of anguish. Or even better: a chorus of cries of anguish. In the first place, it is our sister, mother earth, who cries out. Prey to our consumerist excesses, she weeps and implores us to put an end to our abuses and to her destruction. Then too, there are all those different creatures who cry out. At the mercy of a “tyrannical anthropocentrism” (Laudato Si’, 68), completely at odds with Christ’s centrality in the work of creation, countless species are dying out and their hymns of praise silenced. There are also the poorest among us who are crying out. Exposed to the climate crisis, the poor feel even more gravely the impact of the drought, flooding, hurricanes and heat waves that are becoming ever more intense and frequent. Likewise, our brothers and sisters of the native peoples are crying out. As a result of predatory economic interests, their ancestral lands are being invaded and devastated on all sides, “provoking a cry that rises up to heaven” (Querida Amazonia, 9). Finally, there is the plea of our children. Feeling menaced by shortsighted and selfish actions, today’s young people are crying out, anxiously asking us adults to do everything possible to prevent, or at least limit, the collapse of our planet’s ecosystems. Listening to these anguished cries, we must repent and modify our lifestyles and destructive systems. From its very first pages, the Gospel calls us to “repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Mt 3:2); it summons us to a new relationship with God, and also entails a different relationship with others and with creation. The present state of decay of our common home merits the same attention as other global challenges such as grave health crises and wars. “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience” (Laudato Si’, 217). As persons of faith, we feel ourselves even more responsible for acting each day in accordance with the summons to conversion. Nor is that summons simply individual: “the ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion” (ibid., 219). In this regard, commitment and action, in a spirit of maximum cooperation, is likewise demanded of the community of nations, especially in the meetings of the United Nations devoted to the environmental question. The COP27 conference on climate change, to be held in Egypt in November 2022 represents the next opportunity for all to join in promoting the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. For this reason too, I recently authorized the Holy See, in the name of and on behalf of the Vatican City State, to accede to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, in the hope that the humanity of the 21st century “will be remembered for having generously shouldered its grave responsibilities” ( ibid., 65). The effort to achieve the Paris goal of limiting temperature increase to 1.5° C is quite demanding; it calls for responsible cooperation between all nations in presenting climate plans or more ambitious nationally determined contributions in order to reduce to zero, as quickly as possible, net greenhouse gas emissions. This means “converting” models of consumption and production, as well as lifestyles, in a way more respectful of creation and the integral human development of all peoples, present and future, a development grounded in responsibility, prudence/ precaution, solidarity, concern for the poor and for future generations. Underlying all this, there is need for a covenant between human beings and the environment, which, for us believers, is a mirror reflecting “the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are journeying”. [3] The transition brought about by this conversion cannot neglect the demands of justice, especially for those workers who are most affected by the impact of climate change. For its part, the COP15 summit on biodiversity, to be held in Canada in December, will offer to the goodwill of governments a significant opportunity to adopt a new multilateral agreement to halt the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of species. According to the ancient wisdom of the Jubilee, we need to “remember, return, rest and restore”. [4] In order to halt the further collapse of biodiversity, our God -given “network of life”, let us pray and urge nations to reach agreement on four key principles: 1. to construct a clear ethical basis for the changes needed to save biodiversity; 2. to combat the loss of biodiversity, to support conservation and cooperation, and to satisfy people’s needs in a sustainable way; 3. to promote global solidarity in light of the fact that biodiversity is a global common good demanding a shared commitment; and 4. to give priority to people in situations of vulnerability, including those most affected by the loss of biodiversity, such as indigenous peoples, the elderly and the young. Let me repeat: “In the name of God, I ask the great extractive industries –mining, oil, forestry, real estate, agribusiness – to stop destroying forests, wetlands, and mountains, to stop polluting rivers and seas, to stop poisoning food and people”. [5] How can we fail to acknowledge the existence of an “ecological debt” (Laudato Si’, 51) incurred by the economically richer countries, who have polluted most in the last two centuries; this demands that they take more ambitious steps at COP27 and at COP15. In addition to determined action within their borders, this means keeping their promises of financial and technical support for the economically poorer nations, which are already experiencing most of the burden of the climate crisis. It would also be fitting to give urgent consideration to further financial support for the conservation of biodiversity. Even the economically less wealthy countries have significant albeit “diversified” responsibilities (cf. ibid., 52) in this regard; delay on the part of others can never justify our own failure to act. It is necessary for all of us to act decisively. For we are reaching “a breaking point” (cf. ibid., 61). During this Season of Creation, let us pray that COP27 and COP15 can serve to unite the human family (cf. ibid., 13) in effectively confronting the double crisis of climate change and the reduction of biodiversity. Mindful of the exhortation of Saint Paul to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep (cf. Rom 12:15), let us weep with the anguished plea of creation. Let us hear that plea and respond to it with deeds, so that we and future generations can continue to rejoice in creation’s sweet song of life and hope.❖ Rome, Saint John Lateran, 16 July 2022, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel FRANCIS [1] Address to F.A.O., 16 November 1970. [2] SAINT JOHN PAUL II, General Audience, 10 July 2002. [3] Address to the Meeting “Faith and Science towards COP26”, 4 October 2021, [4] Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, 1 September 2020. [5] Video Message to Popular Movements, 16 October 2021.

Creator of All, From your communion of love your Word went forth to create a symphony of life that sings your praise. By your Holy Wisdom you made the Earth to bring forth a diversity of creatures who praise you in their being. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. You called human beings to till and keep your garden. You placed us into right relationships with each creature so that we could listen to their voices, and learn how to safeguard the conditions for life. But we turn in on ourselves and away from our co-creatures. We close our ears to the counsel of our fellow creatures. We fail to listen to the cries of the poor and the needs of the most vulnerable. We silence the voices of those who hold the traditions that teach us to care for the Earth. We close our ears to your creative, reconciling and sustaining Word that calls to us through the Scriptures. We lament the loss of our fellow species and their habitats that will never speak again. We grieve the loss of human cultures, along with the lives and livelihoods that have been displaced or perished. Creation cries out as forests crackle, and animals alike flee the fires of injustice that we have lit by our unwillingness to listen. In this Season of Creation, we pray that you would call to us, as from the burning bush, with the sustaining fire of your Spirit. Breathe upon us. Open our ears and move our hearts. Turn us from our inward gaze. Teach us to contemplate your creation, and listen for the voice of each creature declaring your glory. For “faith comes from hearing.” Give us hearts to listen for the good news of your promise to renew the face of the Earth. Enlighten us with the grace to follow the Way of Christ as we learn to walk lightly upon this holy ground. Fill us with the hope to quench the fires of injustice with the light of your healing love that sustains our common home. In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ. Amen