A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
THIRSTING FOR GOD My soul is thirsting for you my God Ps 62 READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY [Jr 20; Ps 62; Rm 12; Mt 16] You have seduced me Lord I will bless you all my life Dry, weary land without water In the shadow of your wings I rejoice Offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice Modelled by your new mind Enlighten the eyes of our heart Destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer The way you think is not God’s way but man’s Take up his cross and follow me What offer in exchange for life GREETING Today’s Scripture tells how the will of God works in our lives. Earth’s cycles of life and death, rebirth and transformation are God’s first teaching. Have we rebelled against God’s ways?
the natural environment has been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behaviour. … The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any higher instance than ourselves. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #6
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL 1. W ater - God gave water as a sign of refreshment and the baptismal sign of new life in Jesus. That our Church promote the UN resolution that clean water be recognised as a human right … we pray 2. Public Life - The public life of Jesus ran over three years. That we let the Spirit guide us and our nation into transitions of goodness for all generations … we pray 3. Ridicule - Jesus was scorned. That our parish not be deterred by ridicule as it publicly campaigns for Earth Care in service of the Risen Christ … we pray 4. Crosses - Jesus went willingly up to Jerusalem accepting the Cross. That we grow the clarity of mind and courage of spirit to thirst for the revolutionary way of Jesus in our lives … we pray 5. C are - All good comes from a faithful God. That we support workers who sacrifice themselves to care for people on the margins of society and for Earth as our common home … we pray 6. I nquisitive – God led his People to search and plan. That believers appreciate the inquisitive minds of scientists who expand human knowledge … we pray
22 A SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
DISMISSAL The bread of life has strengthened us for our journey to do what is good for ourselves, for those we meet and the Earth community which upholds us. We go forth as part of God’s cycles of life. SEASON OF CREATION Education offices in Australia have produced On Holy Ground as a framework for school teachers. Students are led to meditation, to pray and celebrate communal liturgy around creation. Prayer is integral to the schema. It is like water for the thirsty. In the spirit of the early Church theologians, On Holy Ground affirms that creation is good (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons). It helps all believers avoid the mistake of the Gnostics, repeated in most heresies, who fled from the world as evil. On Holy Ground gives a framework of values not only to children but to all Catholics, a solid base for their communal liturgy celebrating the goodness of the total Earth community. www.catholicearthcare.org.au
Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #12
HYMNS 1. Seek, O seek the Lord 2. Psalm 42: My Soul Is Thirsting 3. A new heart for a new world 4. Open my eyes 5. Bring forth the Kingdom
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
WHAT CAN I DO? • Learn what bio-diversity means • Find out how ‘nature conservancy’ groups function • Join a Land or Beach Care group
the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #48
COVENANT
God constantly acts in the universe creating a ‘History Covenant’. It extends over cosmic, geological and human time scales. God tells Job in no uncertain terms that setting the planets in space and the Earth on its foundation are all works of God (Jb Chs 28-40). Salvation History for the People of God runs from stories about Abraham and his descendants, judges and kings, prophets and priests until its fulfilment in Jesus the Christ (Mk 1:9-11). It is both human history and personal journey. The history of Israel became a spiritual journey with God at its side (Ps 46.14). Called to endure trials and fight the good fight people should not become obsessed with worry about what they need for life but trust the providence and faithfulness of God (1Tm 6:12). Earth and history is the stage where salvation and life to the full is played out (Mt 6.25-34).
MYSTICISM Mystical union with God and all creation was the aspiration of many saints. They thirsted for this union. Phrases from the poems of the Irish hermit Marban express something of this union – for I inhabit a wood unknown but to my God … women disguise as blackbirds talk their word from the gable… for music I have pines. A householder absorbed in his garden, a farmer looking over her fields, a fisher immersed in ocean waves: each experience a feeling of wonder. The natural world is a place where mystics find God and their Earth kin. Their experiences blossom in poems and singing. ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS Archbishop Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, was born on the island of Imbros in 1940. Part of his studies was at Catholic colleges in Rome. He became the leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide as ‘first among equals’. His tenure has been characterized by dialogue and his initiatives to promote protection of the environment, earning him the title The Green Patriarch. He declared environmental abuse as a sin. He first focused on the ecological death of the Black Sea from pollution and overfishing. He has inspired many water-projects worldwide to care for rivers, lakes and sea. He is a friend of Pope Francis and Australian Fr John Chryssavgis is his theological advisor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFpXuwmLiBE
Environmental education strengthens the ecological literacy of individuals and society. A bio or eco-centric view offers a paradigm, an overarching story - human systems are nestled within natural systems. In one interconnected Earth community all species are seen as kin and community, respected and loved. Environmental education equips human communities to sustain and enhance this link, cultivating a deep sense of moral responsibility towards all parts of Earth. Instead of degrading natural systems, it invites humanity to make lifestyle choices that grow ecological sustainability. The whole Earth community is on a trajectory of growth. http://www.jsedimensions.org/wordpress/content/ awareness-to-action-the-journey-toward-a-deeper-ecologicalliteracy_2013_05/ LOCAL CULTURE
If a mistaken understanding of our own principles has at times led us to justify mistreating nature … , we believers should acknowledge that by so doing we were not faithful to the treasures of wisdom
A ‘bush’, country or coastal background has helped forge the Australian culture and language, even for city dwellers. Poets capture these cultural characteristics. The forest, wilderness and oceans give images to express both the reality of place for Australians and common yearnings. http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/ viewcontent.cgi?article=4473&context=theses
Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #200 I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of rugged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. Dorothea Mackellar My Country http://www.dorotheamackellar.com.au/archive/mycountry.htm
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD The just live in the presence of the Lord Ps 14 READ LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
22 B SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
DISMISSAL
Nourished as God’s children and living in God’s truth, we can go forth to show compassion for the unfortunate and find God present in the world.
[Dt 4; Ps 14; Jm 1; Mk 7] SEASON OF CREATION
Take note of the laws and customs that I teach Take possession of the land that the Lords is giving Who will dwell on your holy mountain? Near as the Lord is whenever we call Made us his children by the message of the truth The word which has been planted in you Coming to the help of orphans and widows The first fruits of God’s creation What comes out of man makes him unclean This people honours me only with lip service You put aside the commandment of God From human hearts, evil intentions emerge GREETING
Today’s Scripture reminds us to live planted in the truth of God. We are warned that evil springs from inside. We ask forgiveness for choosing just lip service to God’s commands.
By virtue of our unique dignity and our gift of intelligence, we are called to respect creation and its inherent laws, for “the Lord by wisdom founded the Earth” (Prov 3:19). Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #69
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. L aw - God guides us through the teachings and customs of our forebears. That Church Synods listen and guide believers into ways of goodness needed for our times … we pray 2. Hope - God never gave up on the People of Israel. That our nation never fall into despair about our times but foster hope though just and compassionate laws … we pray 3. Liturgy - We remember the great acts of God in our liturgical prayers. That our parish worship never become lip service but challenge and nurture us to grow as missionary disciples … we pray 4. Journey – God as Creator began the evolutionary journey of the Universe and made us co-creators of Earth. That our parish help Catholic Earthcare usher in a new creation in the Cosmic Christ Jesus … we pray 5. A nimals – God told Job to find God presence in the diverse animals of Earth. That we enjoy their company of nature and help preserve the habitat of threatened animals … we pray 6. W orld – God loves the material world. That we rejoice with scientists and understand their fascination with unravelling the inner workings of the world of matter … we pray
The post-Vatican II liturgical reform is a wonderful gift to the Church in our time. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican II mandated that the treasures of the Bible be opened up more lavishly #51. God’s presence in all parts of a liturgical celebration was better recognised. The reform was a collaborate work of teams of scholars and bishops organised over a decade under Father Annibale Bugnini. It offered worshippers a deeper pastoral and communal experience of God present in the human spiritual journey. In 1969 a new order of Readings (Lectionary) for each Sunday was published as a three year cycle to offer a richer diet. Now Scripture scholars are digging deeper to retrieve the hidden voice of the Earth in the Bible along with that of women. These voices have often been ignored so that even Mary’s Magnificat is not proclaimed on a Sunday (Lk 1:46–56).
One authoritative source of oversight and coordination is the law, which lays down rules for admissible conduct in the light of the common good. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #177
HYMNS
1. A new heart for a new world 2. Psalm 34: Taste and see 3. For the beauty of the Earth 4. Be still, for the presence of Lord 5. Praise God from whom all blessings flow
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
WHAT CAN I DO?
MYSTICISM
• Ask your local council about its climate change policies • Calculate your household’s environmental footprint • Attend a credible talk on the environment
To constantly offer short mantra-prayers recalling God’s presence is a style of spiritual practice. It celebrates creation all around us – praise be to God in the tree, the flower, the breaking wave. St Francis of Assisi practiced this way of prayer – sister moon, brother donkey. These mantra-prayers join us with God and Earth in a particular place. They help celebrate the place where we are as sacred because God is present there as creator and as a revelation. The whole planet community of people and events becomes an opportunity to remember God present there. http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ecourses/course/filter/ondemand/practicing-spirituality-e-courses-with-master-teachers
COVENANT
God’s ongoing ‘Covenant of Presence’ is shown in all its closeness when Jesus ate the Last Supper with his friends (Jn 15:12-17). God loves us, living in us so we can love one another (1Jn 4:11-12). God stayed close to the Chosen People; leading them as a pillar of fire to a new land (Ex 13:21); guiding Israel with the teaching of the Decalogue (Si 29:8-13). Jesus summarised the ever present guiding action of God in two commands of love: love God and love neighbour (Mt 22:36-40). God blesses town and country, soil and livestock, households and their comings and goings (Dt 28:3-6). There is joy living daily in God’s presence (Ps 16:11). God upholds all creatures and systems of Earth (Jb 26:7-9), created all that exists so that we live, and move and exist within the divine presence (Ac 17:24-28).
Honesty and truth are needed in scientific and political discussions; these should not be limited to the issue of whether or not a particular project is permitted by law. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #183
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Hymns ranging from Luke’s Magnificat to St Thomas Aquinas’s Eucharistic poems, from Charles Wesley hymns to Eleanor Farjeon’s Morning has Broken have nourished Christian life over two millenniums. These hymns move our hearts and minds to feel the presence of God. Australians James McAuley and Richard Connolly’s hymn Cosmic Praise puts God the Creator within our ecologically aware world, even naming the obscure diatoms plankton resident of the ocean. Sing a new song they ask, a line totally at one with Thomas Berry’s New Story of Cosmic Salvation. Quality lyrics and music bring care for Earth to the heart.
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
U-Tube clips on the evolution of cosmos are many and vividly show the gradual flowering of life on Earth. Scientists love the story of Earth unfolding. It is exciting. Looking with the eyes of faith, the clips lead believers to fall in love with God’s Earth, to respect science and accept the reality of evolutionary change in the Cosmos. Ecological processes work methodically as they evolve. Nature tests new emergences over eons but sometimes dramatically with asteroid showers and volcanic action, geological upheavals and life extinctions. Nature has its own time scales. The first to challenge nature’s time scale are modern humans in the Anthropocene period. Their actions may even derail nature’s processes and force a new epoch.
[rest] protects human action from becoming empty activism; it also prevents that unfettered greed and sense of isolation … The law of weekly rest forbade work on the seventh day. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #237
LOCAL CULTURE
Murujuga, the Burrup Peninsula in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, contains the world’s largest collection of petroglyphs – ancient Aboriginal rock carvings dating back into the last ice age. They witness to presence beyond oursleves. But this Rock Art Precinct is at risk from infrastructure for off-shore natural gas wells as national heritage contends with economic interests. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murujuga A field that’s like the battle grounds in France before the November Armistice is laid out with mounds and metal plaques – Jamie Grant The Slain http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/grant-jamie/theslain-0046021
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
22 C SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
RECEIVE A HOME FROM GOD
God has made a home for the poor Ps 67 READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Si 17; Ps 67; Heb 12; Lk 14] Be gentle in carrying out your business There is no cure for the proud person’s malady An attentive ear is the sage’s dream You have made a home for the poor Rejoice in the presence of the Lord God leads the prisoners forth to freedom Starved, you gave them new life The city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem Everyone is ‘first born son’ and a citizen of heaven Take my yoke upon you Who humbles himself will be exalted Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. GREETING
In today’s Scripture we remember that Jesus mediates a new creation that sets us free from self-absorption. Let us ask mercy for the times we acted with proud self-sufficiency.
SEASON OF CREATION
The word ‘theme’ is often used in developing Creation liturgies but it can set a mistaken tone. It often has an educational ring or even that of a campaign slogan. A liturgical Season of Creation might be better seen as a celebration time ‘for’ creation. God is at home with us. First remembering a ‘grace’ and then giving thanks is the style of Eucharistic prayers. They offer the primary model for liturgical prayer. Moral imperatives follow, not lead. Recently an unofficial ethically orientated liturgical year has emerged focused on moral issues related to Refugees, the Homeless and other good works, but these could distract from honouring God as Creator. Even a Care 4 Creation Month should not be removed from the liturgical life of faith communities.
The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #13
HYMNS
our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #1
1. All are welcome 2. Psalm 68: God, in your goodness 3. As we gather at your table 4. Come to me (all who labour) 5. How blessed is this place, O Lord WHAT CAN I DO?
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. P resence – God’s presence fills our world, oceans and land, the tropics and artic. That our Church help us to find God at home in all Earth places … we pray 2. Compassion - Scripture shows God’s preferential option for the suffering. That our nation show compassion for the prisoner, the mentally disturbed and the homeless … we pray 3. Hunger – God fed the starving People of Israel. That we find the neighbour who is hungry and aid nations lacking healthy food towards self-sufficiency … we pray 4. Belonging – God has made us children and heirs. That our laws protect the habitat of every species so that they have a place to belong and we can enjoy their presence … we pray 5. N ew Covenant – Jesus is the new covenant with God’s People. That we proclaim Good News by happily finding God present in Earth … we pray 6. M other Earth – God created Earth as a nurturing mother. That in solidarity with scientists we strive to preserve the healing power of the natural world … we pray
• Explore the bio-evolution of one of the five human senses. • Offer your environmental expertise to inform church leaders. • Join a local environmental care group
DISMISSAL
God lovingly makes a home within this community. As co-heirs in Jesus we can go out as the first born of a new creation to proclaim a new covenant.
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
COVENANT
As Jesus healed the leper, cured the sick and cast out devils he grew God’s ‘Healing Covenant’ of loving kindness (Mt 4:23-25). God caring for the land and renewing it was the sign of God’s covenant to heal and save (Ps 104:10-14). The people polluting land (Nm 35:33-34) or mudding waters (Ezk 34:17-18) were Earthly signs of Israel breaking God’s covenant of care (Is 24:46). Just like abused and suffering people, the land would mourn (Ho 4:1-3). Curing the sick and freeing the groaning Earth from bondage are both works of the same healing God (Rm 8:19-21). The Sabbath rest was declared for land, animals and people alike and Jubilee was called to restore balance (Lv ch. 25). The Healing Covenant of God was the background for the apostolic community prayers for God to physical cure (Jm 5:14-15). . The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #21
MYSTICISM
By mixing their contemplative and active lives, many saints grew as leaders of reconciliation. Saints Columban and Catherine of Sienna actively challenged Popes and kings alike to better serve their peoples. Today, many social activists link peace, social justice and ecological justice. They welcome the integral spirituality of the Pope Francisis’ environmental encyclical Care for our Common Home. It grounds their activism in a communion of love joining God-Earth-Humanity. He offers a package of analysis and suggested actions under the phrase integral ecology. It connects the spheres of ecology and economics, justice and compassion, law and life style. ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Celia Deane-Drummond studied natural sciences at Cambridge and Reading Universities prior to lecturing and doing research and publishing widely. Broadening her vision she gained a doctorate in systematic theology from Manchester University. Aware of the human factor she pursued environmental ethics editing Ecotheology for six years. She was seconded to the spirituality team at the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (CAFOD). In 2011 she was elected Chair of the European Forum for the Study of Religion and Environment and has lectured in Australia. Her passion led her to publish widely, most recently co-editing Religion and Ecology in the Public Sphere. At the University of Notre Dame USA she works concurrently in the Department of Theology and the College of Science.
John Elkington created an accounting framework called the triple bottom line as a tool to advance sustainability. It is also called the 3Ps: people, planet and profits. Beyond traditional monetary measures (profits, return, share value) it included environmental and social dimensions. A difficulty arises in that the 3Ps does not have a common unit of evaluation even if some make money the measure. Imagination is needed to adapt the general framework to diverse projects and policies for the benefit of both people and planet. Leaders in universities, commerce and government now accept the triple bottom line way of weighing up benefits. http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ ibr/2011/spring/article2.html
growing conviction that our planet is a homeland and that humanity is one people living in a common home Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #164
LOCAL CULTURE
Pioneering Australian women suffered great hardship as they bore the brunt of nurturing and educating. Lawson’s story ‘The Drover’s Wife’ depicts a woman left alone with the children because her husband is away working. While waiting to catch a snake under her house, she recalls how hardships has changed her utterly from the girl she once was. https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/l/lawson/henry/while_the_billy_ boils/book2.1.html The better times have shrunk to single days. Isolated and dry, they rattle in a cupped hand Like the seeds of the present, Like brown rice. Margaret Scott Family Portrait http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/scott-margaret/familyportrait-0776033
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS Listen to his voice, harden not your hearts Ps 94 READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
23 A SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
DISMISSAL
God has drawn us into diverse cycles of life as part of many communities. We go forth to find God given life in all creation, speaking of them in the words of St Francis as brother and sister.
[Ez 33; Ps 94; Rm 13; Mt 18] SEASON OF CREATION
Appointed you as sentry Warn them in my name Listen to his voice Harden not your hearts Kneel before the God who made us They tried me even though they saw my work Love your neighbour as yourself News of reconciliation he has entrusted to us Go and have it out with him Where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there The evidence of two or three witnesses. GREETING
Today the Readings remind us that where two or three gather, God is there guiding us. We ask forgiveness for the times we have ignored the advice of others and hardened our hearts.
recognition of our errors, sins, faults and failures, leads to heartfelt repentance and desire to change … We need to experience a conversion, or change of heart Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #218
Rev Dr Norman Habel inspired an ecumenical group in Adelaide to create a Season of Creation for worship during September. The group married Scripture with scientific insights to rediscover the hidden voice of the Earth in the Bible. It softened hearts. To underpin communal liturgical prayer, the group developed a new three year cycle of Scriptural Readings. Four Sundays are theologically themed to in turn address creation, alienation, passion and new creation. A preaching commentary was written. http://seasonofcreation.com
The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #2
HYMNS
1. For the fruits of this creation 2. Psalm 95: If today you hear his voice 3. I heard the voice of Jesus say 4. A new commandment I give unto you 5. Amazing grace
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
WHAT CAN I DO?
1. T ruth - God is truth. That our Church recognise the witness of climate scientists and publicly oppose those who sow doubt in people’s minds … we pray 2. Reconciliation – In Jesus God gives the power to be reconciled. That as a nation of migrants, we replace fear and ridicule of migrants with outreach and listening … we pray 3. Virtue – Like trees covering the land, God clothed the Chosen People with teachings from Moses. That our parish live out its baptismal calling and ecological vocation with integrity … We pray 4. Debt - God favours the oppressed. That we campaign to cancel the debt of nations lured into unsustainable development that turns their people into environmental refugees … We pray 5. U niverse – God scolded Job for not seeing the Creator’s handy work in the Universe. That we care for oceans and forests as habitat for God given plant and animal communities, our kin … We pray 6. D oubt – God led his People in gradual steps. That we be open to the provisional findings of scientists and not condemn their guarded findings and doubts … We pray
• Learn some facts about global warming • Learn the Young Christian Workers’ method of See-Judge-Act campaigning • Make a list of environmental websites COVENANT
In salvation history God looks with favour on the lowly, not the hard hearted. The female side of God’s activity is powerfully expressed in the Magnificat of the ‘Mary Covenant’ (Lk 1:46-55). Jesus taught through female images of God as he compared himself to a hen gathering her chicks (Mt 23:37-38). Paul likens setting up Church communities to giving birth (Ga.4:19). Women were prominent in God’s economy of salvation. Deborah was a leader (Jdt 4:4-9) and mother to Israel singing a worship hymn (Jdt 5:7-13). Judith counselled the elders not to put God to the test (Jdt 8:11-17) and Huldah the female prophet called for repentance (2 K 22:15-20). Mary Magdalene is sent by Jesus as a messenger to the disciples (Jn 20:17) while Phoebe and other women were deaconesses among the apostles (Rm 16:1)..
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
The Dalai Lama is a leader among Tibetan Buddhists. Formed in prayer and studies as a monk, he assumed political leadership before he escaped Chinese control to go into exile. He became a wanderer for peace, embracing dialogue and preaching non-violence. A similar spirit of dialogue has helped create a Sydney based Faith and Ecology Network (FEN). The inter-faith group uses the common language of ecology. FEN promotes a change of heart in its members by helping them tease out their own tradition. Starting with scientific insights, it runs public information sessions to show ways of human living as part of the total Earth community and taking responsibility for its care. http:// www.faithecology.net.au/
(Mary Mother of God) grieves for the sufferings of the crucified poor and for the creatures of this world laid waste by human power Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #241
MYSTICISM
Combining the insights of ecology and scriptural scholarship helps reveal depths of spirituality in the Lord’s Prayer. Vicky Balabanski writes that the Our Father is like a window into Christian living - its petitions are about bread, debt and our being put on trial. Earth is our focus if we believe all people and species need food; our overuse of Earth resources puts us into a debt which must be paid; un-serviceable loans and overdevelopment test nature’s life support systems has the Planet charge us with abuse. The mysticism of the Our Father embraces Earth. Readings from the Perspective of Earth p151, ed. N C Habel, 2000. ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
The CSIRO has been an iconic research unit in Australia for nearly a century. The breadth of its work into atmosphere and land, rivers and oceans, and the multitude of animals and plants living there has been a ‘work of love’ for thousands of scientists. Not only does CSIRO science expose how nature’s systems come under pressure from misguided human activities, it explores ways forward. It applies science to help grow an ecologically sustainable future for this and future generations while preserving economic and social benefits for people now. This forms a solid base for ethics and hope filled responses. www.csiro.au
LOCAL CULTURE
Land helps form people. The Murray-Darling River Basin in the interior of southeastern Australia is twice the size of France. Over millenniums it has nourished Aborigines and later foreign settlers, helping mold their cultures. The Basin depends on flows from mountains in its eastern rim but its rich soils helped form four States and their towns. These river flows are now under treat from excessive use of water by industrial scale farming and mining. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray%E2%80%93Darling_ basin It is your land of smiles: the wattle Scatters its pollen on the doubting heart; The flowers are wide awake; the air gives ease. James McAuley Terra Australis http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/mcauley-james/terraaustralis-0151014
The emptier a person’s heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #204
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
JESUS THE COSMIC WORD Praise the Lord, my soul Ps 145 READ LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Is 25; Ps 145; Jm 2; Mk 7]
each human life is not adrift in the midst of hopeless chaos … The Creator can say to each one of us: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jer 1:5) Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #65
23 B SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
SEASON OF CREATION
A bold plan to officially include a Season of Creation within a revised liturgical year, together with compiling a new Sunday Lectionary, gives the opportunity to help address related Church challenges. To name five: giving better voice to women in the Church; reinvigorating dialogue with the world of science; deepening dialogue ecumenically and with other faiths; giving scope for greater local Church participation and ‘inculturation’; correcting ‘clunky’ liturgical language. Pope Francis introduces a new phrase integral ecology. It gives a type of package to guide values for living united with the Cosmic Christ in our times of environmental crisis and a broad basis for prayer. HYMNS
Draw us into the circle of your life Courage, do not be afraid Blind see… deaf hear… lame leap… dumb sing Waters gush in the desert Protects the stranger … upholds the widow Have used two different standards in your mind Jesus preached the Good News of the kingdom Done all things well … deaf hear and dumb speak I am the light of the world GREETING
Today’s Readings remind us that God’s grace combines works of justice and mercy in every cycle of life. We ask forgiveness for the times we been blind and dumb to justice and mercy. PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. W eb of Life – God is the author of billions of years of cosmic and Earth’s evolution. That our Church leaders help draw us into the many circles of the evolving web of life … we pray 2. Complacent - Justice and mercy meet in God. That we not be lame in fighting agro-chemical abuse of land and people nor blind to tyrannical economic structures … we pray 3. Water - God gave bountiful water to the Chosen People in the desert. That Australia generously aid all nations to provide clean water for their peoples … we pray 4. Carers – Care for the blind and dumb, deaf and lame are signs of the God’s Reign. That we support those who care for disadvantaged people as a sign of God’s love for all beings on Earth … we pray 5. D eath - Jesus faced the reality of death as part of God given cycles of life. That we have the courage not to fly from our own decay or from accompanying the final days of others … we pray 6. C osmos – God created the entire cosmos. That we be open to being amazed as scientists unravel the process of the galaxies evolving over billions of years… we pray.
1. All the ends of the Earth (Dufford) 2. Psalm 146: Praise the Lord, my soul 3. Amazing grace 4. Come to me all who labour 5. City of God (Awake from your slumber) WHAT CAN I DO?
• Be a local contact person for Catholic EarthCare. • Join a local Land or Bush Care group • Write to your Catholic paper asking for articles reporting ecofaith action
the complexities of local problems which demand the active participation of all members of the community Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #144
COVENANTS
Ultimately God gives us the new ‘Jesus Covenant’ – teacher and prophet, healer and saviour – in his human bodily self the Word made flesh, destined for the fall and rise of many says Simeon to his mother (Lk 2:34). Jesus was called Teacher when he stood up to teach in the synagogue and the crowds were amazed at his wisdom (Lk 4:16-22), a blessing for all peoples (Ws 7:2630). He was called Prophet as ordinary people welcomed him rejoicing (Mt 21:6-11). Jesus was Healer of bodies, the possessed and the mean spirited (Mt 4:23-25). Jesus explained all this to his followers (Lk 24:25-27). Peter preached Jesus as the Christ, Saviour and Messiah, and the people were converted (Ac 2:2224, 36-39).
DISMISSAL
God has a special love for the outsider. Given courage by this Eucharist we go forth unafraid to reach out to the stranger or to be known as people who try to do all things well.
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Jesuit priest Tielhard de Chardin (1881-1955) was the first Catholic in modern times to theologically link the Earth sciences and faith. As a scientist he explored the wonder of God’s cosmos. The Word was present there. As a believer in the Cosmic Christ he wrote prayers as part of developing a theology of infatuation with God’s Earth. He celebrated Eucharist on the altar of the Earth. He was not unlike Australian ecologist and theologian Charles Birch. As moderator of the WCC’s Church and Society, Birch valued dialogue on sensitive issues such as over population. He opposed the Vietnam war but humbly served fragile people at the Wayside Chapel. Often misunderstood and maligned, both Tielhard and Birch suffered with Christ to reveal a fuller human vocation. http://oa.anu.edu. au/obituary/birch-louis-charles-16919 ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Where profits alone count, there can be no thinking about the rhythms of nature, its phases of decay and regeneration, or the complexity of ecosystems which may be gravely upset by human intervention. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #190
MYSTICISM
Denis Edwards are among theologians who have helped open Christians to the Cosmic dimension of faith. We are made from stardust is the scientific story of how elements in each of us descend over aeons from the cosmic evolution of the stars. Geological science gives a source of wonder and joy, reasons for belonging and hope. But deeper reflection has led many to stark realisation that some human actions are altering the very chemistry of the planet and its bio-system. Lament and a resolve to change lifestyle follow from a cosmic spirituality. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=j5LKv5fbMqA
Exploring the unknown in a methodical way is at the heart of science. It requires humility in the face of evidence and not being afraid of uncertainty. It is sceptical of outcomes, not in the sense of denial but knowing that results are provisional. Even the great story of how photosynthesis transforms inanimate matter into organic cells has not exhausted Earth’s ways of producing life. The history of scientific discoveries is the story of its methodical way of exploring hypotheses and testing them to replicate the results. Seeking to learn what Earth has to say about its complexity – a physical word - brings both humility and joy born of knowledge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_ method
self-improvement on the part of individuals will not by itself remedy the extremely complex situation facing our world today … end up prey to an unethical consumerism bereft of social or ecological awareness. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #219
LOCAL CULTURE
That Stone Age hunters helped cause the Late Pleistocene mega-fauna extinctions in parts of Australia seems incredible. Now, that human population pressure affects eco-system change is a hot debate. Respect for the land, its processes and species brings an evolution in cultural values. http://www. australasianscience.com.au/article/issue-may-2012/australiasmegafauna-extinctions-cause-and-effect.html Irresolute as fine weather, I am blind With memories. Nature was never friendly, her ways Severed me and serious poets should never be severed, Should lovers be, namers of colours, shapes and plants? Fay Zwicky Identity http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/zwicky-fay/ identity-0174049
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
23 C SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
GOD’S TIMELINE
SEASON OF CREATION
In every age God has been our refuge Ps 89
Inserting a Season of Creation into the Catholic Liturgical Year during September is a structural way to help implement the vision of Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical Laudito Si’. As a pastoral initiative a new four week long liturgical season during September would help believers face the 21st century ecological challenge and stimulate parish communities. Eucharist is the central pastoral act of Church communities and a privileged place to remember Laudato Si’ in prayer, our call to care for Earth as our common home and to love all living things on Earth as kin. Sunday worship is the common way Catholics are led to consciously know and experience God, of being aligned with God’s timeline.
READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Ws 9; Ps 89; Phm 9; Lk 14] Who can know the intentions of God? In every age God has been our refuge In your eyes a thousand years is like yesterday Make us know the shortness of our life Give success to the work of our hands Better than a slave - a dear brother Teach us your laws Who does not carry his cross … cannot be my disciple Started to build and was unable to finish My disciple … gives up all his possessions I am the light of the world. GREETING
Today’s Readings remind us that all life on Earth is created by God over eons, even the air we breathe. Have we taken these gifts of God for granted and the people around us?
to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God
HYMNS
1. Be thou my vision 2. Psalm 90: In every age (J.Gelineau/ 3. All that is hidden (If you would follow me) 4. Open my eyes 5. Christ, be our light (Longing for light)
science and religion, with their distinctive approaches … can enter into an intense dialogue fruitful for both Pope Francis Laudato Si #62
Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #8 WHAT CAN I DO? PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. C ircles of Life – In God justice and mercy meet. That our Church lead us into circles of life where we love our sisters and brothers and the Earth itself as kin … we pray 2. Precaution - God is the source of all reality. That our national leaders truthfully assess the consequences of their environmental plans, abiding by the wise principle of precaution … we pray 3. Humble - God has formed us from Earth like a loving parent. That we humbly choose simple lifestyles and not become slaves to passing whims … we pray 4. Cosmic Time –God created the Universe over billions of years. That our generation not disrupt the time line God has set for Earth by changing the climate … we pray 5. L ifestyle - Jesus showed us the way of the Cross. That believers willingly carry the cross of choosing simple lifestyles that lower out footprint on creation … we pray 6. A stronomy – God has given delight to astronomers in every age. That we strive to understand their findings and rejoice with them in what they discover … we pray
• Read Pope Francis’ encyclical on Earth as our Common Home. • Prepare some points to help explain the encyclical to others. • Invite a climate scientist to speak in your parish.
DISMISSAL
Today’s Eucharist gives us the courage to take a more humble stance in life. We go in the wisdom of God to help make Earth a place ordered according to God.
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
COVENANT
The prologue of John’s Gospel proclaims the timeline of God as a ‘Cosmic Covenant’ in Jesus as the Word of God made flesh (Jn 1:1-5). The apostles proclaimed Good News to the nations (Ac 13:46-47), discerning that Christ and the Spirit he gave was for all peoples, actively present to the culture of every land (Ac 15:6-9). For God, a thousand years are like yesterday (Ps 89). The Cosmic Christ connects with the end time of judgement (Mt 25:34-40). The second coming of Christ brings fulfilment to the human journey (1Th 4:16-17). Apocalyptic writings pepper the Scriptures giving a perspective of ‘time beyond time’; God’s perspective (Is 51:6, 52:7). God initiated a plan of salvation for the entire cosmos in Christ (Ep 1:9-10) putting the risen Lord as head over every power (Co 1:14-17).
“ecosystems” … have an intrinsic value … Each organism, as a creature of God, is good and admirable in itself Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #140
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Guy Consalmagno lectured in the USA on planetary science and was a member of the US Peace Corps before joining the Jesuits as a Brother. A member of the in team searching the Antarctic for meteorites, in 2002 an asteroid was named after him. He has published widely believing that science and religion must work alongside one another. In 2005 he addressed the Catholic conference on Climate Change in Canberra. He says, Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and close to reality, protecting it from the creationism falsehood. A popular speaker on science he was awarded the Carl Sagan Medal and in 2014 published The Heavens Proclaim. He was appointed Director of the Vatican Observatory in 2015 and sometimes dubbed the Pope’s Astronomer. MYSTICISM
Mantra like prayer is common to all spiritual pathways. It may be the repetition of a phrase from Scripture such as ‘Come Lord Jesus’. It may be repeating a verse of poetry like St Patrick: I bind unto myself today, the virtues of the star-lit heaven … The stable Earth, the deep salt sea, around the old eternal rocks. (quoted in Sean McDonagh The Death of Life, Claretian 2004, 101). The repetitive chanting of the Psalms by Benedictines or Orthodox monks and nuns give voice to the power of mantras. Eastern religious traditions cultivate mantra prayer styles and many western people have adapted the practice. It can give a sense of the beyond, a time beyond time.
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
The Australian Department of the Environment designs and implements the Australian Government’s policies and programmes. The department rest on four pillars - clean water, national heritage, clean air and clean land – to help to conserve the environment and promote action on global warming. Every few years the Department publishes State of the Environment Australia. These documents are clear and well formatted with check lists. While the lists can be used as an environmental reality score card for the nation, they also point to possible and hopeful future directions. The depsrtment proposes looking at longer timelines. Its reports challenge 1/ the media to report their findings and 2/ business boards to bring environmental data into their decision making. http://www.environment.gov.au/science/ soe/2011
the ecological movement ... thanks to their efforts, environmental questions have increasingly found a place on public Pope Francis Laudato Si #166
LOCAL CULTURE
Curiosity leads us to wonder about the lives of others and their stories. Australian scientists, men and women, enrich us as they tell how their interest in science grew. One common characteristic of ecological campaigners is that they experienced the natural world as children (Ecological Pioneers, M. Mulligan and S. Hill, Cambridge Uni Press, 2001). https://www.science.org.au/learning/general-audience/history/ interviews-australian-scientists Familiar object out of time swaying forward light up unknowable inner space in us A wind as from the planets lifts. David Malouf Inspirations http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/malouf-david/ inspirations-0767006
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
KINDNESS AND MERCY The Lord is kind and merciful Ps 102 READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Si 27; Ps 102; Rm 14; Mt 18] Remember the last things and stop hating When you pray your sins will be forgiven Never forget all God’s blessings The Lord is kind and merciful As the heavens are high above Earth so is his love The life and death of each of us has its influence Love one another as I have loved you How often must I forgive my brother? I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. GREETING
Today, we celebrate the grace of God loving us into existence and giving Earth as our home. As we come to worship, we ask forgiveness for the times we have failed to forgive the people around us.
Bartholomew … asks us to replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism which “entails learning to give, and not simply to give up. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #9
24 A SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
SEASON OF CREATION
The Introduction to the Missal is a rich source of theology. The entire Eucharistic celebration is planned in such a way that it leads to conscious, active and full participation of the faithful. In body and in mind believers can burn with faith, hope, and charity #18. Believers remember the loving kindness of God as they use material things in prayerful actions to convey sacred mysteries - signs and symbols. The water of baptism and oils of anointing; bread and wine bringing spiritual nourishment: these are all gifts of Earth and work of human hands. HYMNS
1. All creatures of our God and King 2. Ubi Caritas (Taize) 3. The Beatitudes 4. A new heart for a new world 5. Shine, Jesus Shine
Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #13
WHAT CAN I DO?
• Review the ecological impact of your life-style • Grow herbs and vegetables at home. • Visit a local community garden
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
COVENANT
1. S hare - God cares for this and future generations. That our Church promote the fair distribution of Earth’s resources and foster reconciliation among warring factions … we pray 2. Technology – God willed the evolving design of our world. That our nation be cautious in adopting bio-technologies that harm nature, farmers and consumers alike … we pray 3. Ecological migrants – God gave land to the people of Israel when they were starving. That our local community welcome eco-refugees and confront the human causes of climate change … we pray 4. Sustainable – God called humanity to be co-creators. That we create sustainable rural and urban communities with jobs for young people, to give hope and prevent suicides … we pray 5. F orgive - Jesus showed that forgiveness renews lives. That we forgive ourselves for our misuse of fossil-fuels and resolve to grow alternative energy sources … we pray 6. A pplication – God led the People of Israel to apply the Law in their lives. That we encourage lawmakers to quickly apply proven scientific findings … we pray
God created a home for his people in a ‘Land Covenant’. Jesus chided the Jewish leaders for not being faithful to the covenant God formed with their ancestors (Mt 15:1-9). The story of Adam and Eve exiled from the Garden to become wanders, and their descendants after them, sets the scene (Gn 3:23). Through loving kindness God had won the hearts and minds of a landless-migrant people, giving them a place to live and belong as the descendants of Abraham (Gn 12:1-3). The migrations of the People of God through many lands forged a spiritual language that spoke of God in terms of belonging to a place and enjoying its natural gifts. Later exiled in Egypt, God freed the people (Ex 3:7-8). David sings the story (2 S 23:3-5). Later when they were exiled captives weeping in Babylon (Ps 137:4) through Queen Ester God returned them home to their own land (Ze 8:7-8). Jesus widens the vision to embrace the universal Reign of God (Mt 16:5-12).
DISMISSAL
God has given us the power to forgive, let us go forth on our mission to be signs of reconciliation, showing care for people and Earth as the common home of all creatures.
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
The Catechism firmly states that human power has limits and that “it is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly”. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #130
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
History tells that on every continent when famine struck following climate changes it helped drive waves of people to migrate. Right into the 21st century, environmental migrations are causing huge social and economic upheaval. Faced with poverty, overpopulation, war, persecution, repression or drawn by hope filled visions, many forebears of Australians arrived in this land as migrants. In the 1880s Charoline Chisolm worked to find jobs for young migrants. Today the Pacific Calling Partnership helps lobby for people whose island homes are being swamped by rising sea levels.. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/chisholmcaroline-1894 http://www.erc.org.au/ MYSTICISM
Jesus being freed from death was the physical sign of our being freed from sin. Liberation was the first fruit of the Resurrection. Some Asian Churches call Easter Liberation Day. The Chosen People were freed from slavery in Egypt. A modern spirituality of liberation (Gustavo Gutierrez) underpinned Church mission that opposed economic security state dictators in Latin America, South Korea and the Philippines. A similar spirituality has black people and women seeking liberation. Economist Susan George fought for poor nations to be freed from life sapping international debt. Pope Francis calls for liberation from the tyranny of economics and consumerist lifestyles. ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Ecological scientists and environmental activists are often accused of neglecting people. This is a rash charge. Many fully support the insight that to care for Earth is to care for the poor. Credible scientists hold that the ecologically sustainable use of water and oceans, agricultural land and forests is the only way to protect the rights of vulnerable people and future generations. Scientists call for long term planning rather than short term profits. The word ‘development’ is increasingly replacing the word ‘ecological’ when addressing sustainability. This tyrannical economic takeover of the word poses a danger. https://www. environment.gov.au/about-us/esd/publications/national-esdstrategy-part1
actions can restore our sense of self-esteem; they can enable us to live more fully and to feel that life on Earth is worthwhile Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #212
LOCAL CULTURE
Many women say they seek liberation rather than equality with men. Germaine Greer is one who writes against agreeing to live the lives of unfree men. Women’s liberation means asserting difference and self-definition. It is the struggle to define their own values and order their own priorities. Thy love I am. Thy wife I cannot be, To wear the yoke of servitude – to take Strange, unknown fetters that I cannot break On soul and flesh that should be mine, and free. Ada Cambridge An Answer http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/cambridge-ada/ananswer-0021037
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
24 B SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
THE WAY GOD THINKS
DISMISSAL
I will walk in the presence of the Lord Ps 114
Jesus tested the leadership of Peter. We go from this Eucharist resolved to think as God’s thinks as we serve the good of neighbours and Earth itself.
READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Is 50; Ps 114; Jm 2; Mk 8] SEASON OF CREATION
Look upon your people in their moments of need The Lord has open my ear I set my face like flint Walk in the presence of the Lord The Lord protects the simple hearts I have faith by showing you my good deeds My only glory is the cross The way you think is not God’s way but man’s Take up the cross and follow me Lose life … for the sake of the Gospel will save it.
Creation Time focuses on the human vocation to be humble servants within all creation (Mk 10:41-45). It invites believers to think as God thinks. The human role is not to lord it over either people or Earth. Our vocation rejects the model of industry captains who exploit the Earth’s natural resources and make workers into slaves. Jesus corrected Peter. He reversed ideas of power teaching that leaders are called to serve. Reflection during Creation time has us purposely design investment options. We do this in the light of ecological science and the availability of new technology to place resources in the service of all God’s creation.
GREETING
The Scripture today reminds us that we are graced to think as God thinks. In our joys and hopes, anxiety and pain; in every crisis of our human journey have we chosen to think as God thinks and even suffer for that good?
The Spirit of life dwells in every living creature and calls us to enter into relationship … Discovering this presence leads us to cultivate the ecological virtues. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #88
His divine presence, which ensures the subsistence and growth of each being, “continues the work of creation”. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #80
HYMNS
1. All people that on Earth do dwell 2. Psalm 116: I will walk before the Lord 3. Keep in mind 4. Here I am, Lord (Lord of sea and sky) 5. Go now, you are sent forth
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. C hurch Leaders – The prophets raised up by God corrected Israel’s leaders. That our Church leaders preach the teaching of Laudato Si’ as authentic apostles … we pray 2. God’s Thinking – God’s way of thinking is not that of humans. That our national leaders have integrity and focus on the common good of both people and country … we pray 3. The Cross - Jesus transformed the meaning of suffering. That our parish members not fly from suffering but freely choose it when part of serving Earth and people … we pray 4. Science – Humans are created in the likeness of God. That we learn from scientific arguments to become just stewards within creation, managing Earth’s resources for the long-term good … we pray 5. C umulative Impacts – God’s ways were only gradually revealed within the history of Israel. That we confront any gradual erosion of the values that uphold our local community and care for environment … we pray 6. B ig History – God is present in all events of history. That we be open to new ways of understanding a bigger story of the evolution of the Universe … we pray
WHAT CAN I DO?
• Ask your local Council if it uses the Triple Bottom Line test • Twin with a Laudato Si’ Parish • Enrol in an environmental course at TAFE
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
COVENANT
Jesus knew God as a loving Father, passed on God’s way of thinking and prayed to share God’s life with his disciples (Jn 17:14, 17-18). The same God was a loving father in the story of the ‘Adam Covenant’ (Gn 2:5-10). The People of Israel repeated the story of God loving creation and mothering their nation (Ho 11:34). They lit the Havdalah candle as a sign of God’s spiritual ‘eight day of the week’. Made in the image of God, humankind found its habitat, its home, as an Earthly creature. Jesus is the New Adam who heals all broken relationship with the Creator God (1 Co 15:45-49). Every generation of Church communities has to face its own reality, make choices and live with the consequences of its choices (Rm 6:12-14). As believers journey they keep retelling the story and give themselves to be co-creators with God in the Risen Christ of a transformed Earth (1 Co 1:4-9).
The monks sought the desert, convinced that it was the best place for encountering the presence of God. Later, Saint Benedict of Norcia proposed that his monks live in community … Seeing manual labour as spiritually meaningful. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #126
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Miriam Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann was born near Daly River in 1950, a Ngangiwumirr woman but like other Australian Aborigines she had no rights. In 1965 Miriam Rose was baptised a Catholic and became a Teaching Assistant. Keenly interested in painting, her unique imagery informs her Australian Stations of the Cross. In 1993 she became Principal of St. Francis Xavier School Daly River. She gained a Master of Education with a focus on the integration of traditional and western education for Aboriginal children and adults. Miriam Rose encouraged other women to study as teachers, convinced of the need for more Aboriginal teachers to work among non-Aboriginal students. Freed from a slave like existence her service in writing, painting and education was recognised with an honorary doctorate from the Northern Territory University.
MYSTICISM
Seeking the truth has been a spiritual pathway in every religious tradition – from the Jewish Decalogue to the teachings of the Buddha. But denial and lies contend with truth. Jesus confronted the Father of Lies (Jn 8:44). World economists and national leaders can be fooled when shaping policies by misinformation coming from paid lobbyists. Many individuals and institutions fall victim to hysterical fad-think. Truth and logical thinking has to be taught. It is a spiritual calling for parents to form their children to be truthful. Seeking truth leads to respect for the systems of Earth. They form the bio-sphere and embody the physics and chemistry of truth.
contemplating the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence “must not be contrived but found, uncovered. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #225
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Earth is a complex system of interacting physical, chemical and biological ‘spheres’. These systems can be mapped and are predictable even if complex. The impact of human choices on these systems can also be mapped and these too are predictable. The atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere and polar spheres all inter-link and their processes overlap. No part of the holistic Earth system can be considered in isolation. Likewise, Earth systems interact within the envelopes of the solar system and galaxy beyond. Slowly or fast, they significantly impact Earth systems. Knowledge of these systems is an unfolding story. It is a source of mystery and delight. http:// serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/Earthsystem/nutshell/index.html LOCAL POETRY AND LITERATURE
The style of missionary service given by Archbishop Polding in the 19th century is an example of using a culture of education and privilege to serve the community. An English Benedictine missionary, he brought religious services to a widely-scattered and underprivileged flock over the whole of Australia. http://adb. anu.edu.au/biography/polding-john-bede-2557 Land of my birth! Tho’ now, alas! No more Musing I wander on thy sea-girt shore … Dear Australasia can I e’er forget Thee Mother Earth? William Charles Wentworth Australasia http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/wentworth-william-charles/ australasia-0009001
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
24 C SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
A CONTRITE SPIRIT
DISMISSAL
My sacrifice is a contrite spirit Ps 50
In this Eucharist we have celebrated God’s gift of forgiveness. We can go forth with confidence to bring the Good News of reconciliation for all peoples and creatures where we live.
READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Ex 32; Ps 50; 1 T 1; Lk 15] The dignity which distinguishes the poor in spirit Your people whom you brought out of Egypt By your own self you swore and made this promise All this land which I promised I will give to your descendants I will rise and go to my father Wash me more and more from my guilt My sacrifice is a contrite spirit Jesus came into the world to save sinners In Christ to reconcile the world to yourself This man welcomes sinners and eats with them Celebration … he was lost and is found. GREETING
Today’s Reading remind us that both to be forgiven and to forgive are graces of God. Even the natural world reveals God’s mercy towards human follies We ask forgiveness from Earth, God and those around us.
Creation is of the order of love. God’s love is the fundamental moving force in all created things Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #77
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. S acrifice – Jesus gave himself unto death on the cross. That our Church be a sign of loving service and new beginnings knowing that new life flows from sacrifice … we pray 2. Conversion - Jesus preached a Gospel of repentance. That our nation change business practices and enact laws to stop ecological abuse of God’s Earth … we pray 3. Migrants - God led the Chosen People to migrate out of Egypt to a new land. That our parish support migrant people often forced to flee ecological collapse in their homelands … we pray 4. Forgive - God is like the forgiving father of the prodigal son. That we bury our pride and take the initiative in seeking reconciliation with those near to us and with marginalised groups … we pray 5. C elebrate Goodness - Jesus taught that is was right to celebrate the prodigal son come to life. That we celebrate the environmental encyclical of Pope Francis … we pray 6. S cientific method – God guides us towards truth. That we respect the scientific method of discovering truth and enter into dialogue without bias … we pray
Everything is related, and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each creature Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #92
SEASON OF CREATION
The Church’s liturgical seasons evolved gradually. They draw from Earth’s four natural seasons to provide time frames linked to winter, spring, summer and autumn. The seasons remind us that humanity is part of the planet community and called to humbly accept its proper place. Onto these seasonal frames, Jewish accounts of salvation history and Christian remembrances were grafted. Vatican II’s liturgical reform is a model of what has grown in modern times as Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Churches cooperate. Introducing an official new Season of Creation to remember God’s creative acts during September would be in an evolutionary line with modern Church reform. HYMNS
1. Seek, O seek the Lord 2. Grant to us, O Lord, Lucien Deiss 3. Gift of finest wheat (You satisfy) 4. Create in me a clean heart, O God 5. Prayer of St. Francis (Make me a channel)
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
WHAT CAN I DO?
• Name a local place special to you and say why. • Send leaders a letter about your ecological concerns. • Arrange a liturgy to lament local environmental abuse
Our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with others and with God Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #119
COVENANT
As a prophet, Jesus preached a ‘Repentance Covenant’. He told the parable about human owners taking the inheritance gifted by God as if it was their own (Mk 12:1-9). Throughout the history of Israel God raised up prophets to challenge the people by preaching repentance (Is 5:1-2). God’s covenant will circumcise the people’s hearts (Dt 10:16). The prophets pointed to the consequences of unjust self-centred greed (Mi 2:1-3). The war practices of using women from conquered nations (Ze 14:2) and making them slaves as booty (Dt 20:14) needed to be changed (Phm 1:16). Through words and eccentric actions, even going naked (Is 20:2), prophets preached that the day of reckoning is coming (Am 6:3-8). But the prophets also promised that by a contrite heart God would breathe new life into dry bones (Ezk 37:9). CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
As bishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis became a leader in the Conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM). He knew the suffering of the poor and chemical agricultural practices that abuse the land in his home country and especially in Brazil. Visiting the UN in 2015 he praised its achievements on human rights which include the right to a safe environment on Earth as our common home. He challenged UN members to work with world leaders for the rights of the environment as a matter of justice for the common good. In his environmental encyclical Pope Francis reiterates the dignity of every species in its own right and the responsibility of humanity to preserve the diversity of species. To care for poor people and our kin in the natural world, the Vatican and Religious Congregations have permanent delegations advising UN departments. http://w2.vatican.va/ content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/ papa-francesco_20150925_onu-visita.html
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
‘Cumulative Environmental Effects’ is the term used to name the collectively impact of past and current human activities on the environment. A related phrase is ecological footprint. Global warming is the cumulative effect of too many greenhouse gases being pumped into the atmosphere. The combined effects of multiple human activities on air quality, land and water pollution damage Earth’s ecosystems. The melting of the Artic permafrost is catastrophic. Damage can be inflicted systemically, such as in the handling of industrial waste or badly designed transport. Damage can be indirect, such as the loss of habitat leading to loss of biodiversity. The precautionary principle when faced with uncertainty is part of scientific evaluation and affirmed as valid by Catholic teachings on ethics (Compendium #469).
ecological conversion … offering ourselves to God ‘as living sacrifice’ Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #220
MYSTICISM
Religious Orders have distinctive spiritualties to manifest their mission in Jesus, often called their charism. In the midst of global environmental problems and spurred on by papal teachings many Congregation have grown a contemporary eco-spirituality. Visiting the websites of Orders and Congregations - Benedictine, Dominican, Jesuit, Franciscan, Columban and others – reveals major sections dedicated to faith-ecology. There are many ‘Genesis Farm’ type places of eco-spiritual formation. The values of eco-spiritualty have been taken up locally by diocesan formation programs and ongoing education of teachers. An ecospiritual dimension has grown in some parish celebrations of the Sunday Eucharist.
LOCAL CULTURE
Searching for happiness has dangers. It is alive in Australia in cult like self-development groups. A healthy scepticism avoids simplistic solutions. It looks for a reality check in logic and critical thinking to form good judgements. http://www.cultconsulting.org/ cults-mind-control I see your shadow on the street now I hear you push through the rusty gate Click of your heels on the concrete Waiting for a knock coming way too late Bernard Fanning My Happiness
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
NEAR TO ALL WHO CALL Near to all who call Ps 144 READ LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
25 A SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
DISMISSAL
We have celebrated God-given power to be generous rather than grasping. Let us go forth on our mission to appreciate the land where we live and all people who share it.
[Is 55, Ps 144, Ph 1, Mt 20] SEASON OF CREATION
Guide us as you guide creation … law of love My thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways The Lord is near to all who call How good is the Lord … compassionate to all Avoid anything unworthy of the gospel of Christ The kingdom of God is like a landowner Why be envious because I am generous? These gifts become for us the Eucharist of Jesus Put into action the saving mystery we celebrate.
Just as happens when we fall in love with someone, whenever he [Francis of Assisi] would gaze at the sun, the moon or the smallest of animals, he burst into song.
Six Eco-justice Principles help create a framework for advancing a creation time of prayer (Readings from the Perspective of Earth ed. NC Habel 2000, Pilgrim Press). 1. Intrinsic worth: the Earth and all its parts have value - not a place of ‘exile’. 2. Interconnectedness: a community of mutually dependent life not merely for ‘human benefit’. 3. Voice: Earth can raise its voice in celebration and against injustice - not a ‘passive object’. 4. Purpose: a dynamic cosmic design where all parts contribute to a goal - not ‘aimless’. 5. Mutual Custodianship: parts function as partners to sustain diversity - not ‘rulers’. 6. Resistance: Earth actively resists abuse - not a passive ‘helpless victim’.
Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #11
GREETING
The Readings invite us to remember that God is near and like the generous landowner who gives equally to all his workers. We ask forgiveness for taking for granted the gift of country and the people surrounding us.
A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #91
HYMNS PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. S igns - The Earth itself is a sign that God is near and compassionate. That our Church express gratitude to the scientists who help reveal our closeness to all Earth complexities … we pray 2. Desert lands – The people of Israel dreamt of sitting beside rivers in the desert. That our national economic dreams of irrigated lands not lead to ecological vandalism … we pray 3. Presence – God as Creator willed a diversity of species evolve to inhabit land and sea. That we learn from native people to enjoy their presence and protect their habitats … we pray 4. Equinox - The Equinox shows the new life of spring and the maturity of autumn. That us read God’s message in the seasons and monitor the rhythm of our lives … we pray 5. B eauty - God gladdens our hearts with the beauty of wilderness. That we grow ways for disadvantaged young people to experience first-hand Earth’s wonders … we pray 6. M aterial world – God led his People to love their land. That we rejoice with scientists who love the material world and explain it with respect … we pray
1. For the beauty of the Earth 2. Bless the Lord, my soul (Taize) 3. In faith and hope and love 4. Peace I leave with you, my friends 5. Though the mountains may fall
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
contemplation deepens the more we feel the working of God’s grace within our hearts, and the better we learn to encounter God in creatures outside ourselves
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
• Introduce Catholic Earthcare during Sunday Mass. • Inquire if Catholic Schools teach ecology. • Explore resources on the US Catholic Bishops eco-web site www.catholicclimatecovenant.org
Wilderness is a particular geological area where plants and animals have evolved and flourish undisturbed by human activities. Within its dynamic structure, wilderness carries the cumulative innate wisdom in the form of genetic memory over millions of years. Humans respect and care for wilderness as a gift of the eons. It conveys a sense of the beyond. Wilderness is good for the human spirit to contemplate with love in the present and is heritage for future generations. It is not to be harmed by insensitive tourism or be the victim of untested bio-technology. www.australianwildlife.org . www.madge.org.au
COVENANT
LOCAL CULTURE
God acted in the Spirit hovering over the void (Gn 1:1-2) to grow Earth and creatures that were very good (Gn 1:31). The history of the People of God is one of adaptation as it moved across deserts, the fertile Egyptian delta to finally settle in the lands of Palestine. The nature parables of Jesus about the mustard seed sprouting and the yeast multiplying can be taken as images of an ‘Evolution Covenant’ (Lk 13:18-21). God is author of all Earth processes. Jesus was familiar with the changing seasons. He used their images of change to teach, slowly growing the understanding of his followers about who are children of God by praising the faith of the pagan Canaanite woman (Mt 15:28). An evolution covenant was reinforced socially under the Holy Spirit as Church communities grew across nations (Acts 16:9-10). The Spirit challenged Peter and Paul to accept God’s children outside of Israel (Ac 10:34-36). Disciples must not be deceived by the simplistic but read the signs of the times and grow (Mt 24:4-6).
Being hard-hearted is different to being hard-headed. Migration to Australia has always involved trauma. Current border measures might help save lives at sea but often do not make compassion for refugees visible. Integration to grow a nation seems better than exclusion. http://www.socialjustice.catholic. org.au/media-releases/28-new-detention-centre-a-hard-heartedresponse-bishop
Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #234
WHAT CAN I DO?
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
St Hildegarde of Bingen wrote of the Earth as Mother … it forms not only the basic raw material for humankind but also the substance of God’s Son. She formed the nuns in her Rhine River monastery in the middle ages to celebrate a verdant God in poetry and song, and to use herbs for healing the sick. Singleton Mercy Sisters remember Sister Calasanctus who in the early 1950s was promoting biology studies among the novices. Her garden was thick with trees and there was a special place for plants mentioned in the Bible. Such formation helped many ‘trees to bloom in the desert’.
I miss you most when I’m at sea the boat sailing unaided on course I weep bitter tears above the engine Lee Cataldi Letter http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/cataldi-lee/letter-0189023
The Spirit, infinite bond of love, is intimately present at the very heart of the universe, inspiring and bringing new pathways Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #238
MYSTICISM
Ecological conversion adds a new dimension to Christian mysticism. Becoming aware that Earth underpins all life systems leads to humility before God’s first gift and first revelation; widens theological attitudes and stretches the moral imagination. Ecological conversion helps cultivate patient reflection in preparation for choosing a vocation. To especially nourish the Christian ecological vocation Catholic Earthcare produced the Garden Planet DVD, organised a 2005 Climate Change Conference and published Regional ecological statements. Crowned in 2015 by the environmental encyclical of Pope Francis, Care for Earth is part of Church mission and a spiritual pathway for every believer. It is not optional.
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
25 B SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
SERVANTS TO LIFE
The Lord upholds my life Ps 53
DISMISSAL
READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
This celebration has given us a new understanding about the struggle for good in the human journey. We go out confident of God’s providence in every struggle.
[Ws 2; Ps 53; Jm 3; Mk 9] The godless say … let us lie in wait God will take his part The Lord upholds my life Sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness Find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony You have an ambition you cannot satisfy Prayed for something to indulge your own desires They did not understand what he said To be first … last of all and servant of all Welcomes not me but the one who sent me Put into action the mystery we celebrate GREETING
Today’s Readings remind us God graces cosmic and human evolution with purpose. The death of Jesus is not some punishment arbitrarily imposed but freely chosen. Have we chosen to live a life with purpose or fallen into escapism?
[damaged] natural environment … social environment. Both are ultimately due to the same evil: the notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives, and hence human freedom is limitless. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #6
I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #10
SEASON OF CREATION
Pope Benedict XVI called for ‘a new understanding of the inseparability of Creation and Redemption’ (20.08.08). Bringing ecological insights about cycles of death and new life into a liturgical Season of Creation leads believers to a deeper appreciation of the Cross as part of Transformation. Ecology does not fixate on the language and imagery of so-called ‘nice creation’ but remembers that from the beginning of creation life contended with death. Believers are called to be servants of life rising from death. Liturgical prayer can help them be ecologically, socially, psychological and spiritually sensitive when Cross and Resurrection are a continuum. HYMNS
1. A new heart for a new world 2. Make me a channel of your peace 3. You satisfy the hungry heart 4. Be not afraid 5. We are Called (Come! Live in the light)
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. A mbition - God’s truth becomes clouded by our ambition and self-indulgence, like air pollution. That our Church not be swayed by status but serve life for the whole Earth community … we pray 2. Systems - God raised up leaders with integrity to serve Israel. That political and company leaders not hide behind faceless systems of control but be publicly accountable … we pray 3. Equinox – God gives Spring and Autumn as seasons of change. That Christians monitor the rhythm of their lives by reading the Pope’s message of integral ecology … we pray 4. Ridicule - Humanity insults the Wisdom of God with selfimportant plans. That we stop ridiculing campaigners for good, especially women as prophets … we pray 5. D arkness –God colours our minds with light and our hearts with courage. That we be free from the darkness of ignorance and self-doubt to live the Gospel in confidence and hope … we pray 6. S erve Life – God created all life on Earth. That we rejoice with scientists as they discover new ways of caring for life and cooperate with them … we pray
WHAT CAN I DO?
• Learn about air pollution in the Hunter Valley NSW • Learn about air pollution from road tunnels • Learn about the causes of lung diseases
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
COVENANT
The Earth shook and the curtain of the temple was torn in two when Jesus died (Mt 27:45-51). An ‘Apocalyptic Covenant’ of calamity and dark days is part of Scriptural writings (Mt 24:1521). God will only lay waste to the Earth leaving it writhing and mourning because the people have broken God’s covenant (Is 24:1-6). Earthquakes and floods feature in apocalyptic literature as signs calling for a change of heart (Rv 16:8-9). As a sign of repentance and hearts torn, sack cloth and ashes were worn instead of finery (Jl 2:13, 3:24). An apocalyptic vision of liberation is given as the Chariot (Ezk 1:4-12). Life with God in paradise was written about in apocalyptic terms of the New Jerusalem. At its centre was the presence of God living among people (Rv 21:3). Disasters and calamities are real on the human journey but all things can be made to work for good for those who love God (Rm 8:28).
(Mary Mother of God) grieves for the sufferings of the crucified poor and for the creatures of this world laid waste by human power Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #241
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Rachel Carson (1907-1964) grew up in Pennsylvania USA enjoying the river-lands near her home and later studied marine biology. A good communicator, she wrote radio scripts such as Romance Under the Waters to popularize the emerging science of ecology and was recognised as a lyric poet writing of wonder and beauty in books such as Undersea. But darkness began to cover the land and oceans with the widespread spraying of synthetic pesticides such as DDT developed under military funding. From 1957 she became vocal about her concern. In 1962 she published Silent Spring which is often seen as launching the environmental movement. Australian writer William Lines wonders why near half of committed eco-activists in Australia were brought up as Catholics. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Rachel_Carson
MYSTICISM
The Cross of Jesus twins with the Resurrection. Ecological martyrs live spirituality that makes death and life as one. Russian Nikolai Vivilov and 14 companions protected a seed bank during the 1942 siege of St Petersburg even though themselves starving. Chico Mendes was murdered by cattle ranchers in 1988 to protect the livelihood of rubber tappers. In 2016 Berta Caceres, a Honduran woman, was murdered for helping protect the local community’s water supply. All of these people embraced suffering for the sake of others. Many eco-activists suffer ridicule for their stances and need the spiritual courage of the Cross. ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Silviculture is a science that helps to balance the struggle between the needs of forest owners and of society. This balance is based on the primary value of forest sustainability and resilience. Growing this sustainability includes: setting clearing rates and stopping fragmentation of old growth forests; preserving habitat to care for biodiversity and wildlife; conservation and forest regeneration for water catchments. Rich forests were the basis for many human settlements but forests are fragile and can become deserts. Humanity must picture itself as servant of the forest rather than exploiters. http://www. agriculture.gov.au/forestry/policies The diversity of Australian forests prompts many to pray https://www.columban.org.au/ about-us/columban-videos/stations-of-the-forests/
The emptier a person’s heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #204
LOCAL CULTURE
Australia has a tradition of poking fun at itself and others, an accepted part of its culture and literature. Parody can grow dark as ridicule, merely mocking, or make a positive contribution to social commentary. The Bulletin magazine offered early example of this type of publishing. one of the Australian ratbag traditions is to take a word and perversely use it as the opposite of its intended meaning.’ … ‘bluey’, a nickname for someone with red hair. Max Harris The Australian Way with Words http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/ henry-lawson
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
25 C SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
GOD LOVES THE POOR
SEASON OF CREATION
The Lord lifts up the poor. Ps 112
Catholics in all nations are caught up in an environmental crisis. Celebrating a Season of Creation is a prayer-filled way to help believers find God in this crisis. God’s face is most visible in the poor of every species suffering in this crisis, people and inhabitants of oceans and sky alike. A liturgical season would tell an expanded new story of a Creator God, of salvation history as a cosmic story witnessing to a near fourteen billion years unfolding Reign of God. It would open believers to both acknowledge and appreciate the modern insights of the ecological sciences, and to better find the voice of Earth in the Scriptures. A Season of Creation would help redefine love for the poor.
READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Am 8; Ps 112; 1 T 2; Lk 16] You who trample on the needy ... suppress poor Swindling and tampering with the scales Say …we can buy up the poor for money, The Lord lifts up the poor Prayers offered for everyone … authorities Christ Jesus who sacrificed himself Named as herald and apostle … telling the truth Children of this world more astute Dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great cannot be a slave of both God and money GREETING
Today’s Readings remind us that God protects the poor from the unscrupulous. Have we overcome the lure of money to share even in little things?
HYMNS
1. Be thou my vision 2. Psalm 113: Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor (J.Gelineau/M. Guimont) 3. Gift of finest wheat (You satisfy) 4. The cry of the poor 5. We are Called (Come! Live in the light) WHAT CAN I DO?
The ultimate destiny of the universe is in the fullness of God Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #83
• Give a copy of the Pope’s Laudato Si’ to a friend • Ask catechists how they explore action on Laudato Si’ with students • Have the parish take a lead in divestment from fossil fuel companies.
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. E quinox - God created balance in the seasons of Spring and Autumn. That our Church preach that government laws be balanced, like the seasons, providing opportunities for all … we pray 2. The Poor –God hears the twin cry of Earth and the cry of the Poor. That our nation enact laws to curb tax evasion and patenting abuses … we pray 3. Astute – Jesus praised the unjust steward. That our parish take a lead to encourage church institutions to divest from fossil fuels, astute as merchants of destruction … we pray 4. Benefits – God gives equally to all. That our plans not focus on benefits for those close to us or an elite, but create opportunities for all … we pray 5. M oney – Jesus taught that we cannot serve God and be a slave of money. That our business plans deal honestly with employees and the Earth itself, paying our fair share of taxes … we pray 6. R esearch Grants – God shows preferential option for the poor. That we support scientists when they ask for research grants that favour the poor … we pray
A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #91
DISMISSAL
In this celebration of the Eucharist we have experienced the loving embrace of God. We go out with new light and strength, seeking the riches that God gives even to the point of willing self-sacrifice.
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
COVENANT
God wills that humanity enter a ‘Struggle Covenant’ by being immersed in cycles of death and new life as people journey and strive to choose the good. Earning one’s bread in pain and suffering is the human state for all descendants of Adam and Eve (Gn 3:17-19). With its roots in Earth’s cycles, humanity knows lament (Ps 90:4-10). Jesus warns his followers to be awake to dangers in the human journey towards new life (Mk 13:28-33). The human story is paralleled in the natural world which groans to be set free (Rm 8:.5, 19-22). Jesus taught apocalyptic disaster for an unfaithful Jerusalem (Mt 24:15-25). Individuals are called to fight the good fight (1 T 6:12), not obsessed with worry about what they need for life but trust the providence of God (Ph 4:6). Job laments the day he was born (Jo 3:3-4). but in Christ Jesus the Cross has flowered to become the Tree of Life (Gn 2:9; Rv 2:7). CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Many Religious take St Francis of Assisi as their patron. His faith in Christ Jesus led him to combine as one, care for Earth and care for the Poor. Franciscan Sister Ilia Delio has doctoral degrees in both science and theology. A teacher she draws out links between human beings, God and the universe. Worldwide Franciscan communities resource local churches, schools and universities. In Australia Religious Congregations such as the Mercy Sisters run two environmental centres, Rahamin and Earth Link, for ecological learning and formation. The mission outreach of such centres combines with local communities to create powerful living eco-faith experiences. http://www.rahamim.org. au/ http://www.brisbanemercy.org.au/mercy-in-action/mercyfocus/Earth-link/
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Inter-disciplinary studies have increased in universities to cross both related and seemingly unrelated areas of knowledge. Studies link such things as heat/water stress resulting from climate change and human health. Links between studies in areas such as values and economics are more difficult since finding common means of evaluation are hard to determine. The cross over between religion as a cultural world view and what is often termed the exact sciences is also difficult. However, the search to advance human knowledge can move forward if there is a spirit of dialogue and respect for long term aims. Pope Francis recognises past church failures but he asks for a new dialogue that benefits both science and religion. Laudato Si’ #199-201. https://www.monash.edu/sustainable-development/ about-us ‘ecological conversion’, whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #217
we are agreed today that the Earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #93
MYSTICISM
St Francis willingly embraced sister poverty. This was radical. In giving away his possessions, embracing the poor and the leper, he inspired others to follow his gentle spiritual way. In our day, the 1987 Brundtland Report on ‘Environment and Development: Our Common Future’ invites us to allocate Earth’s gifts fairly and not rob future generations of resources needed for sustenance in their time. The Report reads like a treatise on a modern spirituality of poverty. A spirituality of love and justice for the poor is bedrock for cooperation in growing ecologically sustainable development. http://www.un-documents.net/ourcommon-future.pdf
LOCAL CULTURE
Leaders throughout the 19th century from Governor Macquarie onwards encouraged the poor of the colony to grow a sense of being independent and culturally Australian. Edmund Barton was part of the federation movement and campaigned to legislate freedom from England by establishing the High Court of Australia. He became Australia’s first Prime Minister (1901-1903). In a world of such great hurt the challenge can be where to begin … Izzy Noon Ascertaining Need http://www.socialjusticepoetry.com/
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
GOD GIVEN INTEGRITY Remember your mercies Lord Ps 24 READ LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Ezk 18, Ps 24, Ps 2, Mt 21] Renounces integrity to commit sin … dies Renounces sin to become law-abiding … live Do not remember the sins of my youth The Spirit that we have in common Be united in your convictions and united in your love A common purpose and a common mind Nobody thinks of his own interests first Your minds must be the same as Jesus Christ His state was divine but he did not cling to his equality with God My sheep listen to my voice Prostitutes make their way into the kingdom of God before you. GREETING
Today’s Readings remind us that we are to empty ourselves of sin or the God’s kingdom will be taken from us. We ask forgiveness for the times we have cast aside the integrity God gives.
True wisdom, as the fruit of self-examination, dialogue and generous encounter between persons, is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data Pope Francis Laudto Si’ #47
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. R eign of God – In compassion God raised up prophets to correct the people of Israel. That Church leaders praise integrity as a sign of God’s kingdom wherever it is found … we pray 2. Wisdom - Scripture tells of water as a sign of life. That in the light and power of our baptism may we use rivers with ecological respect and social equity … we pray 3. Law – God’s Law formed the Chosen People. That voters carry a vision of ecological sustainability and national leaders have the courage to enact needed laws … we pray 4. Cooperation – Jesus gave his disciples a common purpose. That we humbly listen to the opinions of others and cooperate for the common good of people and Earth … we pray 5. W aste – God calls us take on the mind of Christ. That we turn away from being wasteful - be it food, transport or our mining practices – and make just laws to manage soil and water … we pray 6. T olerant – God was patient with the People of Israel. That we encourage scientific debate that embraces understanding and tolerance as a way forward … we pray
26 A SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
DISMISSAL
We have celebrated with joy that the Reign of God flows like a river of blessing through our lives. Emptied of self-importance, let us go forth proclaim the signs of God’s kingdom wherever we find integrity. SEASON OF CREATION
A major stimulus to creating a Season of Creation came in 1989 when Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Dimitrios 1 named the beginning of the Orthodox liturgical year, 1 September, as Creation Day. God is near in creation. Pope Francis joined this initiative and called for conscious human care for the integrity of creation. The European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) in 2006 named September as a time to renew our sense of dependence on the Creator, the awareness that we are creatures among creatures, called to serve and care for God’s creation, a time of praise, of repentance and renewal. Individual Church communities have celebrated a Creation Season for more than a decade.
to develop an ecology capable of remedying the damage we have done, no branch of the sciences and no form of wisdom can be left out, and that includes religion and the language particular to it. Pope Francis Laudto Si’ #63
HYMNS
1. A new heart for a new world 2. Be not afraid (cross the barren desert) 3. Let justice roll like a river 4. We remember how you loved us 5. Sing a new song, sing a new song WHAT CAN I DO?
• Find out what your local water management authority does. • Contact Caritas about its Pacific island water projects. • How does your council conduct environmental assessments?
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
COVENANT
God made a ‘Compassion Covenant’ with oppressed and alienated peoples. Jesus showed compassion for the poor widow but challenged the rich young man (Mt 19:16-24). Demonstrating integrity he reached out to the marginalised tax collector and prostitute but confronted the money changers in the temple (Jn 2:14-16). It is through the people’s link to the land that God first showed compassion (Jr 42:11-13). Even the beasts of the field deserve to be shown compassion (Ps 50:10-11). When the covenant was renewed Israel grew to welcome the stranger (Dt 29:29.8-10). In mercy, God hears the cry of the poor and the suffering (Ps 34:1-6). The early Churches showed compassion across nations as they sent aid between communities (Ac 11:2729). By virtue of our unique dignity and our gift of intelligence, we are called to respect creation and its inherent laws, for “the Lord by wisdom founded the Earth” (Prov 3:19). Pope Francis Laudto Si’ #69 ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
In the best missionary practice, proclaiming the Gospel build on the beliefs of local peoples - Asia, Africa, the Americas, the Pacific. Some Church communities developed local Rites and local theologies. Knowledge of Nature Religions was central to growing belief. In the 7th century Catholic missionaries travelled to the eastern end of the Silk Road and were welcomed at a Taoist monastery near Zian. Two centuries of that exchange is recorded in a unique stone stile. The Vatican museum houses a copy. In Australia Eugene Stockton engaged with Aboriginal people to explore their sense of belonging to country and their dream time stories. Gospel linked to traditional nature beliefs became a new revelation, a new mysticism bearing fruit as poetry and art. http://compassreview.org/summer02/3.html MYSTICISM
Saying Mother Earth is a common way of speaking among indigenous peoples. The metaphor captures the reality that the Earth embraces and nurtures us, is resilient and persists in caring for us. We remember the stories of nurturing and courageous women in the Scriptures - midwives Shiphrah and Puah defied pharaoh’s law (Ex 1:8-22); Esther pleaded to save her people from annihilation. (Est 4:16) These stories of nurture support the Earth nurturing work of Aboriginal peoples, caring rural communities and conservation groups. Mother Earth can be found in every local place.
Australian voters and policy makers are called to understand natural cycles – for example, the air currents of heat and cold, of rain and drying winds; air pollution www.cawcr.gov.au. Without knowledge of air, water and other natural cycles, the nation is prone to be deceived by those who lie for political or economic benefit. Awareness flows through to appropriate aid policies. Natural cycles thinking informs a proper evaluation the situation our Pacific neighbours suffering the effects of global warming. The impacts of elevated atmospheric carbon are many - the intensity of cyclones increases; sea levels rise inundating small islands; acid seas melt the shells of small sea creatures, often the food of the poor. www.pacificclimatechangescience.org
Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God’s infinite wisdom and goodness. Pope Francis Laudto Si’ #69
LOCAL CULTURE
People grow a sense of blessed belonging within their physical environment and its time rhythms through story. Aboriginal people have this tradition: Marked by the laughing of the kookaburra, sunset was one of the most pleasant times of day. The fire would be lit, the food prepared, and while the food was cooling the children would be listening to the storyteller. (Francis Bodkin D’harawal, 2013 Envirobook, Sussex Inlet NSW.) The moon drained white by day lifts from the hill where the old pear tree fallen in storm springs up in blossom still. Judith Wright Late Spring http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/late-spring-3/
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
26 B SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
PROCLIAM GOSPEL JOY
DISMISSAL
The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart Ps 18
Empowered by the truth preached by Jesus we can go out to evangelise, confident in a Gospel that is good for ourselves, the planet and future generations.
READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Nm 11; Ps 18; Jm 5; Mk 9] SEASON OF CREATION
You have revealed the beauty in your power The spirit … on the seventy elders If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart The Law … gives wisdom to the simple From presumption restrain you servant Your wealth is all rotting Listen to the wages you kept back Your word Lord is truth … make holy in truth If your eye should cause you to sin, pluck it out. GREETING
Today’s Readings remind us that we are graced to live honestly. Sadly, our comfortable lifestyle often rests on the back of slave-like wages in countries removed from our sight and the ecological ruin of their land. Let us confess our complicity.
Greater investment needs to be made in research aimed at understanding more fully the functioning of ecosystems and adequately analyzing the different variables associated with any significant modification of the environment. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #42
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. R ejoice – God wills that we sour on eagle’s wings. That our Church never stop proclaiming a prophetic wisdom that rejoices in the goodness of every being on Earth as kin … we pray 2. Consumerism – God has led people in every age to avoid the distractions of wealth. That our nation reject the allure of corroding consumerism and model a new life of simple dignity … we pray 3. Mission – Jesus came on a mission to bring life to the full. That parishioners live out their baptism as missionaries of hope attuned to our time of ecological crisis … we pray 4. Prophets – God’s prophets challenged Israel. That we listen to ecological scientists and social workers, naming them as prophets of truth in our times … we pray 5. W itness - God rises up saints in every age, humble and dedicated. That we join in the eco-justice witness given by Church saints and secular heroes in our day … we pray 6. B irds and Animals – God created all that lives in Earth. That we be happy with the scientists who dedicate themselves to caring for birds and animals … we pray
Pope Francis introduces a new phrase in to Church teaching, integral ecology, and connects ecological insights with the radical way of life of St Francis in his environmental encyclical Laudato Si’ (#10-11). The newness of the vision the Pope names as integral ecology and the way it stretches the moral imaginations is revolutionary. He devotes the whole of Chapter Four in his encyclical to explaining the phrase. It embraces a bundle of connected spheres - ecology, human fulfilment, care for the poor, economics, lifestyle, politics and life style. Integral ecology has believers proclaim with joy the integral connection between Justice, Peace and Care for Earth (JPIC). It offers a new spiritual package both to inform our Sunday Mass and guide daily living.
The establishment of a legal framework which can set clear boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems has become indispensable Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #53
HYMNS
1. Christ, be our light (Longing for light) 2. Psalm 19: Lord, you have the words 3. Eat this bread 4. Priestly people, kingly people 5. Thuma mina – Send me Jesus
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
WHAT CAN I DO?
• Write to congratulate an eco-group’s achievement • Visit a farmers’ food market and ask where produce comes from • Ask your school to run an ecological art project
Where profits alone count, there can be no thinking about the rhythms of nature, its phases of decay and regeneration, or the complexity of ecosystems which may be gravely upset by human intervention. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #190
COVENANT
Jesus left his ‘Holy Spirit Covenant’ as an abiding companion until the end of time at the Last Supper (Jn 16:7-8, 13). God’s spirit is near in all events on Earth (Is 58:1, 21). The gift of the Spirit would accompany the followers of Jesus into the world, gracing them with power to boldly preach the Good News and witness before judges (Ac 5: 25-26, 40-42). Outsiders held the followers of Jesus in respect when they saw their good deeds of healing and sharing their goods in common inspired by the abiding Spirit (Ac 2:42-45). Wisdom and justice are joined as shown by the early Christians confronting greed which puts the Holy Spirit to the test (Ac 5:9). The Spirit preaches the Gospel so that the breath of God keeps renewing the world (Ps 104:27-30). CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Thomas Berry (1914-2009) was cultural historian, cosmologist and ‘geo-logian’. His priestly mission was to preach God’s activity in the evolving cosmos. He wrote that a deep understanding of the functioning of the evolving universe is a necessary inspiration and guide for the human species. The titles of his books convey his thinking about ‘the great work’ of God: The Dream of the Earth; The Universe Story; Earth as Sacred Community. In Australia, working at Macquarie University, David Christian developed the Big History Project. From a science starting point, Big History tells the long story of the universe from the Big Bang to our complex modern societies. The project aims to empower students to locate their particular disciplines in a trajectory that places them and their studies within the wider universe. http://bighistory.mq.edu.au/ MYSTICISM
Following one’s vocation is a spiritual journey when life is embraced with love. It is a calling from God to love unreservedly – covenant love. To be a nurse, teacher or married is a God given call to use one’s talents in a life of service and dedication, creative and nurturing. People find happiness and fulfilment in following their vocation. It is a journey that can sometimes be difficult and with no apparent end but upheld by God’s grace it is pursued with unending love. In an environmentally aware age, the life of a scientist or dedicated campaigner could be regarded as an ecological vocation of which Popes have written.
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
To grow in appreciation of the diverse gifts of the natural world is a primary aim of many UN Environmental Programs http:// www.unep.org/ . They explain the life cycles of species and the conditions under which they flourish. The Programs detail the threats to the life cycles of many species. In particular, biodiversity provides the basis for ecosystems and the services they provide. All people fundamentally depend on Earth’s natural services for human existence. The UN encourages knowledge and care of Earth’s life cycles through programs such as local school projects or Landcare. Many believers see participation in these programs as acting in God’s name as loving co-creators.
it is no longer enough to speak only of the integrity of ecosystems. We have to dare to speak of the integrity of human life, of the need to promote and unify all the great values. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #224
LOCAL CULTURE
Australian culture developed a can do character and people became inventive in the process. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) used science to solve pressing issues and shape the future – ask, seek and solve. It served real local and global needs but new policies involving ‘business partners’ threatens its values. http://www. csiro.au/en/About There’s a mountain before you One you feel you can never climb The distance is frightening, but I know you can make it to the other side If only you try Unknown You can do Anything http://www.thepoetrypad.com/inspirational-poems/youcan-do-anything
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
26 C SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
GOD ALWAYS FAITHFUL
SEASON OF CREATION
The Lord who keeps faith forever Ps 145
In 2013 Pope Francis exhorted pastors to better promote mission by addressing real life issues in the Eucharistic assembly, taking on the smell of the sheep. Humanity faces an ecological crisis and needs spiritual help to do so. In 2015 the Pope explicitly asked that pastors be prepared from their seminary days to address ecological conversion; and that preparation be done in a systematic way. Pastors can benefit from a Season of Creation framework. A systematic schema can nurture Catholic communities to live the ecological dimension of their faith. God is always faithful and Church leaders must be the same.
READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Am 6; Ps 145; I Tm 6; Lk 16] Woe to those ensconced so snugly Praise the Lord my soul It is the Lord who keeps faith forever Just to those who are oppressed The Lord protects the stranger Aim to be saintly … fight the good fight Filled with faith and love, patient and gentle Jesus was rich but became poor Not be convinced even if someone rise from the dead. GREETING
Today’s Readings remind us that God is the faithful one whose power makes us into saints. Let us confess for the times that we have become comfortable and smug in our own achievements.
whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenceless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #56
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. F aithfulness – God keeps faith with our world forever. That our Church leaders have the resolve to remain faithful to serving and caring for all of God’s creation … we pray 2. Pride - Jesus taught parables about pride. That we help guide our nation to know when to change track, to choose pathways leading to true joy for the total Earth community … we pray 3. Witness – Jesus told his disciples to read the signs of the times. That in our particular vocation in life we be Good News for all on the human journey … we pray 4. Saints - All holiness springs from God. That God’s gifts of faith, love and hope guide our journey to become the saints God wants us to be appropriate to our time … we pray 5. F railties - Jesus took on the frailties of human nature. That when we disagree with others, even in a good cause, we act with respect and patience … we pray 6. V ocation – God gives each person a vocation. That we recognise the vocation of scientists, praise their dedication and learn from their example … we pray
HYMNS
1. In faith and hope and love 2. Psalm 146: Praise the Lord, my soul 3. Be thou my vision 4. Bread of life, hope of the world 5. The Church of Christ, in every age
Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #69
WHAT CAN I DO?
• Send a ‘thank-you-letter’ to an ecological scientist for their particular work • Explore the ecological aims of the IPCC or CSIRO • Ask how you can better serve ecological conversion in your parish
DISMISSAL
In this Eucharist we have been nourished by God who is faithful. Given the power to be saints we journey in respect for others and the Earth that upholds us.
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
COVENANT
LOCAL CULTURE
God’s ‘Noah Covenant’ is often called the Forgotten Covenant (Gn 9:8-15) and the rainbow is its sign. It is an everlasting promise to the human race in Noah’s descendants, but also to every living creature, never to again destroy Earth (Si 44:19). It is a unilateral covenant, based solely on God’s own faithfulness. God is faithful to this unilateral covenant made for every age (Lk 1:68-75). The natural world suffers if Israel is unfaithful (Is 24:4-6) but salvation is also shown in the heavens and Earth itself (Ps 96:11-12). God worked through the natural world to constantly save the Chosen People (Ps 105:26-35) because God never takes back gifts already granted (Rm 11:29). God loves all in the Earth community in a covenant that liberates the whole of creation, even the physical world, so that in freedom it can attain its God given purpose (Rm 8:19-21).
An egalitarian tone runs through much Australian literature. Mateship is defining word - intense loyalty arising from shared experience, mutual respect and unconditional assistance. Usually associated with men it now includes women as it shows in times of natural disasters or tragedy.
CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Teachers in Catholic Schools – Sisters, Brothers and lay – instil in students a love for the environment and how ecology helps reveal the wonder of God’s creation and its fulfilment in Christ. God is faithful in all Earth and human happenings. In the diocese of Townsville, school principal Paul Lucas was among those who formed teachers to teach their own students. He believes that teachers learn and grow through their teaching. Paul cooperated with Catholic Earthcare to publish a statement on the Great Barrier Reef. Together they also created an eco-faith curriculum framework for schools called On Holy Ground. The Townsville diocese backs teachers locally with a dedicated centre for the environment. www.gumburu.tsv.catholic.edu.au/
Our old world diff’rences are dead, Like weeds beneath the plough, For English, Scotch, and Irish-bred, They’re all Australians now! Author Unknown We’re All Australians Now http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=44598
The ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #219
MYSTICISM
In Jesus the spiritual and material worlds are united - Incarnation. We remember the Incarnation of Jesus every time we celebrate the Sacraments by using material objects to mediate the spiritual. Passed on as traditional wisdom, the followers of nature religions respect the spiritual dimension of the Universe and look for human fulfilment by being linked to its mystery. Native peoples celebrate this mystery. This spiritual way of belonging on Earth can be a revolutionary reminder to people imbued with a materialistic mind-set.
The nobility of the human vocation to participate responsibly in God’s creative action Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #131
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Among its diverse service, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has a section on Aboriginal climate knowledge accumulated over millenniums. This knowledge grows from their forebear’s intimate relationship to land and sense of belonging to country where everything is looked upon as kin. Native peoples live the meaning of ecology – a species at home, in love with a place. One orally recorded story goes back over 10,000 years to the last ice age when the oceans were meters lower so that the Yarra River flowed into the sea through Port Philip Bay Heads. http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/?ref=ftr
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
GOOD FRUIT IS GOD’S DOING The vineyard of the Lord is Israel Ps 79 READ LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
27 A SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
DISMISSAL
Planted in love, we have been nourished in mind and spirit by our celebration of the Eucharist. From Jesus the vine we draw strength to go out and produce good fruit.
[Is 5; Ps 79; Ph 4; Mt 21] Lead us to seek beyond our reach The song of his love for his vineyard I expected it to yield grapes He expected justice but found bloodshed You brought a vine our of Egypt Let your face shine on us and we will be saved If there is anything you need, pray for it Fill you minds with everything that is true … noble I call you friends Let us kill him and take over his inheritance Lease the vineyard out to other tenants The kingdom of God will be taken from you
We should not think that political efforts or the force of law will be sufficient to prevent actions which affect the environment because, when the culture itself is corrupt Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #123
Believers themselves must constantly feel challenged to live in a way consonant with their faith and not to contradict it by their actions Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #200
SEASON OF CREATION
In 1971 Paul VI was the first Pope to teach about environmental issues in the context of social justice (Eighty Years). From Karl Rahner to Rosemary Ruether, many theologians have explored the relationship between God, the natural world and the human journey in the light of modern sciences. John Paul II in his 1990 New Year Message legitimized the place of eco-theology, teaching that nature has its own God given integrity. He promoted eco-prayer under the patronage of St Francis of Assisi. As a fruit of eco-faith awareness, around the world conferences of bishops and Church agencies, such a Caritas, applied these insights locally. The 2015 environmental encyclical of Pope Francis paints a vivid new picture of the link between faith and social justice. It shows a revolutionary vision. HYMNS
GREETING
Today’s Scripture tells us that we are like a vineyard planted by the love of God. We ask forgiveness for the times we have become sour grapes for Earth and for neighbour.
1. Seek ye first the kingdom of God 2. Psalm 80: The vineyard of the Lord 3. Gift of finest wheat 4. Abide in me 5. Bring forth the Kingdom
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. M ission - In every age the People of God has faltered. That our Church today not be distracted from the mission of Jesus and fail to serve the environmental crisis of our age … we pray 2. Limits - God leads us beyond the limited reach of our minds and spirit. That our national leaders stand against the tyranny of economics and create simple opportunities for all … we pray 3. Fruitful - God made all places good, setting us on Earth like a vineyard. That our parish community produce good fruit appropriate to our place and time … we pray 4. Refugees – The People of Israel migrated to Egypt. That in this time of forced migrations, may we be generous and share the gift of this land which God owns and gives to all … we pray 5. W ine and Drink – Wine is gift of Earth and fruit of human hands. That we be guided to use it as a source of joy and celebration rather than making it a pathway of abuse … we pray 6. F ascination – God created all that exists and declared it good. That we rejoice with scientists in their fascination with the many good things of Earth … we pray
WHAT CAN I DO?
• Visit a Catholic ecology-spirituality centre • Read the life of St Francis of Assisi • Ask if your parish is Good News for the neighbourhood
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
COVENANT
God is angry with Job’s human arrogance and challenges him to explain the design of the universe (Jb 38.2-9). The planets, the world and all they contain witness to God’s ‘Covenant of Liberation’. God endowed creation with multiple and unique diversity (Sg 1:5-6, 9-11). God set the world on its cosmic foundations, gave it freedom to be itself, untamed like the crocodile (Jb 40:25-29). Earth is God’s work and humans do not control it (Ps 24:1-4). The vineyard is a free gift of God. Humanity is called to humbly learn wisdom by observing the animals, birds, fish and all creatures (Jb 12:7-10). Jesus invited his disciples to have ears to hear and learn how the seed sprouts (Mt 13:4-9). They are called to have the freedom of the children of God (Rm 8:21). CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
The Church is ever under reform as Vatican II declared. God plants new vineyards and prunes the old vines. Paul of Tarsus moved the focus of the Church from Israel to all nations. In our times the Forum for Religion and Ecology at Yale University is moving Christians not only to appreciate the insights of ecological scientists but learn from the eco-spiritual experiences of other religions. Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker lead the Forum which gathers vast resources and promotes dialogue. The Forum publishes a newsletter available to all. http://fore.yale. edu/
The emptier a person’s heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #204
LOCAL CULTURE
Bush poetry not only helped form Australian attitudes as immigrant people related to unique landscapes different from their previous homelands, it challenged society. The reality of earning a living in country and city differed. Class tensions were brought to light.
So you’re back from the country, Mister Townsman, where you went, And you’re cursing all the business in a bitter discontent; Well, we grieve to disappoint you, and it makes me sad to hear That it wasn’t cool and shady Banjo Patterson In Defence of the Bush http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/paterson-a-b-banjo/indefence-of-the-bush-0001040
MYSTICISM
One style of mysticism concentrates on the Web of Life. The phrase was taken by Fritjof Capra as the title of his 1996 book. He told of the breakdown of a mechanistic-scientific viewpoint, but also the emergence of new ways to understand the physical universe. Interconnection and cycles of life are phrases that stimulate new images for understanding and mutual belonging. In ethics, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin gave wider meaning to the phrase ‘seamless garment’ to include care for neighbour and every living thing on planet Earth.
(Mary Mother of God) grieves for the sufferings of the crucified poor and for the creatures of this world laid waste by human power Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #241
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
The language of Human Rights explores social justice issues. Only gradually did the right to freedom and the right to vote emerge. Many human rights are now accepted internationally under the umbrella of the United Nations. Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical explored the rights of workers and limits of capital. Catholic social teaching grew to preach ecological rights for humanity and the rights of natural species. Importantly it called for dismantling the unjust structures as sinful http://www. catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/principles/glossary/#Structures . The Earth Charter movement was an early systematic approach to implementing the rights of the natural world. It promotes the triple-bottom-line test for decision makers and suggests a fourth – the human right to the spiritual benefits offered by Earth. http:// Earthcharter.org/
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
27 B SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
HAPPY AND PROPER IN GOD
DISMISSAL
Bless us all the days of our lives Ps 127
Today we have mediated on the human journey and the relationship of man and women. Our Eucharist has strengthened us to go forward in hope for a renewed communion of love for all on Earth.
READ LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Gn 2; Ps 127; Heb 2; Mk 10] It is not good that the man should be alone The man gave names to all … birds …wild beasts This at last is bone from my bones A man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife Bless us all the days of our lives You will be happy and prosper By God’s grace he had to experience death for all God … through whom everything exists God will live in us in perfect love They are no longer two but one body Let the little children come to me
SEASON OF CREATION
Following Papal teachings about ecological conversion, in 2003 the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference set up Catholic Earthcare Australia (CEA) http://CatholicEarthcare.org.au/. CEA initiated many projects – the Garden Planet DVD; A Climate Change Conference; Regional Bishops Statements; an energy efficiency scheme. It now works ecumenically though the National Council of Churches (NCC) and is part of the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM). It is helping to promote a Synod on Creation for the Catholic Church and its role in human history. Preparation for the Synod could be part of the proposed 2020 Plenary of the Australian Church.
GREETING
Today’s Readings remember the grace of God’s love, poured out in creation and the love of man and women. This mystery of love challenges every age and culture. We ask forgiveness for the times we have not loved.
in the beauty intended by the one who uses new technical instruments and in the contemplation of such beauty, a quantum leap occurs, resulting in a fulfilment which is uniquely human. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #103
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. C omplexity – God creates all that exists within the complex setting of love. That our Church shed meaning on the communion of love between God, Earth and humanity … we pray 2. Mystery – God has set the layers of the evolving Cosmos. That our nation keep discovering ever new layers of love in the mystery of Earth, rejoice in it and pull back from harming it … we pray 3. Relationships - From the beginning God set a bond between man and woman. That all believers be gentle when questions about human relationships are raised … we pray 4. Separation – Humanity journeys on many stages through life. That we demonstrate God’s presence by welcoming those separated from family, friends and culture … we pray 5. C hildren – Jesus called the children and blessed them. That we never be a scandal to children but help them grow in age, wisdom and grace … we pray 6. C elebrate – Israel sang Psalms in praise of God’s works. That our nation recognise scientists who discover ever new depths to Earth and may we rejoice with them … we pray
HYMNS
our environment, but when it is disorderly, chaotic or saturated with noise and ugliness, such overstimulation makes it difficult to find ourselves integrated and happy. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #147
1. All people that on Earth do dwell 2. Psalm 128: May the Lord bless us 3. Gather your people 4. Let all Mortal Flesh keep Silent 5. All the ends of the Earth (Dufford) WHAT CAN I DO?
• Send a copy of Laudato Si’ to your local Member • Personally gather a bunch of flowers or make an eco-card • Document major environmental changes in your neighbourhood over time
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
The common good is “the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfilment” Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #156
COVENANTS
God has made an eternal promise in the ‘New Heaven and New Earth Covenant’ (Mk 13:24-27). Jesus was the first born of a vast number of people that cannot be counted living with God in the new Jerusalem (Rv 5:1, 7:9, 21:1, 22). From that city flow symbolic rivers of life (Rv 22:1-2). There is no need to mourn past disasters because in Christ we are part of a transformed Earth (Rv 20:11-13). The new thing which God is doing is beyond the Scriptures to contain (Jn 21:24). The human journey that began with uncertainty and striving as the legacy of Adam and Eve after they were expelled for the Garden ends in the glory of a new Heaven and new Earth where we are co heirs with Christ (Rm 8:17). God’s providence sustains the journey so there is no need to be afraid (Lk 12:22) for like a tree, the faithful will bear fruit (Lk 13:6-9). CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Sean McDonagh is an Irish Columban priest who initially missioned in the Philippines. From the tribal T’boli people he learnt about the central place of forests in their culture. It pervaded their language, religion, song and health care. Thomas Berry tutored him to see the intimate connection between the Christian message and Earth’s historical processes. Sean wrote Care for the Earth in 1986 while lecturing in Sydney. He inspired the Columban Society to make environmental issues a priority in helping answer the twin cry of the Earth and the poor. Writing and lecturing ever since Sean worked with scientist John Feehan who wrote Singing Heart of the World. Together they started the Columban Ecology Institute formation centre in Ireland. Sean was an advisor to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace which presented reflections to Pope Francis before he published his environmental encyclical. Sean lives his mission call to ecological vocation. MYSTICISM
One reform of the liturgy post-Vatican II aimed to foster liturgy as a medium of spirituality that nourished the faithful. Church history shows that as the one Gospel ran through a multitude of lands, it was localized as local Rites in Arabic, Greek, Roman and other cultures in what is termed inculturation: incarnation of Jesus meeting culture. Ecological insights are now leading Christians to celebrate a Season of Creation as a structured liturgical way to find the voice of God in a global environmental crisis and face local ecological challenges with insight and courage. http://www. vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/ rc_cti_1988_fede-inculturazione_en.html
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
The concept of mutuality in the science of ecology has emerged slowly – Earth being happy in a local place. In the last 150 years the work of ecology began with a holistic view, moved through a measuring perspective to return to a more integrated view. Ernst Haeckel in 1866 wrote that all Earth’s living organisms constituted a unified whole but he was criticised for lacking a metric to quantify mutuality. Later Aldo Leopold was among those who reconsidered holism as the pathway to help ecosystems flourishing. Ethical considerations emerged and the environmental movement started. Pope Francis writes of integral ecology which as a package helps us understand mutuality. Many religions support a holistic view often expressed as communion (John Grimm and Mary Evelyn Tucker, Ecology and Religion, Island Press, Washington, 2014). https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=gbYWsRxxdUY
To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfilment. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #222
LOCAL CULTURE
Membership in labour unions has been formative of Australian culture since the 19th century. The blessing of prosperity was to be shared fairly. I have always believed in the power of the collective, the solidarity of a union, as the greatest force for change not only in workplaces but in society. (Ged Kearney, President of the ACTU). http://www.actu.org.au/about-the-actu Raise your banners high Strength to strength and line by line Unity must never die Raise your banners high John Tams Unity http://unionsong.com/u292.html
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
A CATHOLIC SEASON OF CREATION: LITURGICAL RESOURCE
27 C SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME
JOY IN GOD GIVEN PEACE
DISMISSAL
Ring out your joy to the Lord Ps 94
In this Eucharist we have celebrated the abiding presence of the Spirit of Jesus. We go as missionaries to help all people imagine an Earth of peace for future generations of every species.
READ THE LECTIONARY ECOLOGICALLY
[Hab 1; Ps 94; I T 1; Lk 17] SEASON OF CREATION
The upright will live by faithfulness Harden not your hearts Ring out your joy to the Lord The flock that is led by his hand They tried me even though they saw my work Fan into flame the gift God gave you God’s gift is not a spirit of timidity Never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord Keep as your pattern the sound teaching The word of the Lord stands forever Increase our faith Servants: done no more than our duty GREETING
Today the Scriptures remind us to celebrate with joy that God has called us as friends and missionary disciples. Have we been ashamed to say that we are God’s servants?
Liturgical practices rely on the symbolic value of using material things to make the spiritual world present, however, Bernard Crooke warned that over dependence on artificial intermediaries can lead to the ‘The Distancing of God’ (Fortress Press 1990). He wrote before the link between ecology and faith was well developed. Writers now argue that ecological awareness can help bring the divine closer. Celebrating a new liturgical creation season is a doable step towards an expanded new story. It offers a way of harmony and true peace. (Christian Faith and the Earth: Current Paths and Emerging Horizons in Ecotheology, ed. Ernst M. Conradie et al., Bloomsbury 2014).
The same mindset which stands in the way of making radical decisions to reverse the trend of global warming also stands in the way of achieving the goal of eliminating poverty. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #175
St Francis asked that part of the friary garden always be left untouched, so that wild flowers and herbs could grow there, and those who saw them could raise their minds to God. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #12
HYMNS
1. Sing a New Song 2. Psalm 95: If today you hear his voice 3. In faith and hope and love 4. On Eagle’s 5. Though the mountains may fall
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
1. P eace - God gives to humankind the Cosmos and all creatures on Earth as brother and sister. That our Church publicly praise the work of all who care for creation … we pray 2. Serve – God has blessed our nation. That our leaders look beyond our borders to serve with structured relief so that all nations live in joy, harmony and at peace … we pray 3. Singing –God gives us music in the sound of the waves and the wind in the trees. That our parish hymns remember God’s works with joy filled thanksgiving … we pray 4. Freedom – God’s teachings are demanding but lead to freedom. That we open our ears to hear the cries of those oppressed by tyrannical work conditions and advocate for reform … we pray 5. S ustainability - God takes us beyond what our minds can imagine. That we support farmers to stand up for ecological sustainability even when economically pressed by restructuring … we pray 6. O cean – Lord you made the ocean a source of mystery for your Chosen people. That we support the ocean scientists who open up to us its hidden beauty … we pray
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u
WHAT CAN I DO?
• Interview a scientist about the scientific method of inquiry • Explore links between climate change and human history • List links between growing peace and care for creation.
keep in mind the principle of subsidiarity, which grants freedom to develop the capabilities present at every level of society, while also demanding a greater sense of responsibility for the common good. Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #196
COVENANT
Scripture witnesses to the abiding promise of God to give peace (Ps 29:11) so that a type of ‘Peace Covenant’ is a fruit of God’s blessings. God guided the People Israel to survive as a society and live in peace through the teaching given to Moses in the Ten Commandments amplified in the Law, Pentateuch and Torah. These defined issues of moral behaviour, religious practice and governance to make the simple wise (Ps 19:17). Social harmony and individual peace was the end blessing God wanted for the People symbolised by the lion and lamb lying down together (Is 11:6-9). Peace was conferred on members of the body of Christ (Co 3:15) since peace was a fruit of the God’s Spirit (Ga 5:22). Peace must be sought after (1P 3:11). Peace flows from love (Jn 14:27). CHAMPIONS AND SAINTS
Norman Habel came from near Hamilton, Australia. Ordained as a Lutheran minister he became a Biblical scholar and taught in the USA. Returning in 1974 to Australia he became known for his children’s books called The Purple Puzzle Tree. From 1984 he was Principal of Kodaikanal School in South India. With his wife Janice Orrell they established the Grihini community health programme for oppressed Dalit women. A student of the Book of Job he published a commentary in 1985. He initiated The Earth Bible five volume series. To help promote joy in God’s creation, as well as human responsibility to care for Earth, he led an ecumenical movement to include The Season of Creation as part of the liturgical year of Church communities.
ECOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Over the centuries, French winemakers developed the concept of terroir by observing the differences in wines from different regions, vineyards, or even different sections of the same vineyard. It is a way of describing the unique aspects of a particular place that influence the wine. Burgundy wines were cultivated by well-educated monks and they accumulated wisdom from long term observation of the effect of particular parcels of land on the wine it produced. Some legends have the monks going as far as ‘tasting’ the soil. Planting the right vine in the right place is a story for all - how to wisely work to grow humanity as well as preserve land, a vision of harmony and peace. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terroir
a critique of the “myths” of a modernity grounded in a utilitarian mindset (individualism, unlimited progress, competition, consumerism, the unregulated market). Pope Francis Laudato Si’ #210
LOCAL CULTURE MYSTICISM
The life of Saint and Pope John XXIII exemplifies a spirituality of happy service – student chaplain and diplomat, pastor and pope. He drove a movement for renewal of the Church as one who trusted completely in God. With quiet zeal he advanced global peace, ecumenism and dialogue. Symbolically he opened the windows of the Vatican to let in the Holy Spirit in by convening the Second Vatican Council. Its first document addressed the pastoral renewal of Church liturgy. A new service to the Church at this time to further liturgical renewal would be to grow a Season of Creation that better expresses creation spirituality and theology.
Joy and peace was the dream of settlers migrating to the Lucky Country. But the dream began like war for the Australian Aboriginal people decimated by imported diseases, loss of land and direct massacres. Even help was given but with a Europeans bias. Mobs of natives were pushed to the fringes of county and towns. Remember you are dust. Peace, like the scent of rain approaching, is the measure of our procession, a welling from the land. Anne Elvey Coming into town from Holy Thursday to Ash Wednesday http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=1960#. VyVCKzB96Uk
w w w.c ol umb a n.org.a u