Visio Divina (“Divine Seeing”) is Latin for a prayer practice of reflecting on visual images as a way to listen to the voice of God. Gaze at this image or find it on campus and spend some time gazing at it there. What do you notice, and what do you wonder about it? What might God be revealing to you about God, the created world, and your life through this experience of reflection? Spend some time in gratitude before leaving the image or the location on campus.
SEASON OF CREATION 2025
The Season of Creation spans five weeks between the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (September 1) and the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4). The beginning and end date of the Season of Creation are linked with the concern for creation in the Eastern and Western traditions of Christianity. September 1 is not only the beginning of the Orthodox Church year but was proclaimed by the late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I, in 1989 as a day of prayer for the environment. In 2015, Pope Francis designated September 1 as a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation for the global Roman Catholic Church as well. On October 4, Catholics and other churches from the Western traditions commemorate the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. The ecumenical appeal of this season makes it a veritable platform to engage Christians of every tradition in ecological conversion. The Villanova community, in keeping with its Augustinian value of searching together, also honors and draws on the wisdom of other faith traditions, whose teachings summon humanity to pray and care for creation.
The 2025 Season of Creation occurs during the Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope, announced by Pope Francis in May 2024. Following the election of Pope Leo XIV in May 2025, he continued Pope Francis’s initiatives, including the theme for the September 1 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, “Seeds of Peace and Hope.” This day of prayer, inaugurated with the publication of Laudato si’, also marks its tenth anniversary and serves as a fitting subtopic for our theme of Peace with Creation.
Some elements of nature have been carefully chosen to aid our reflection during these five weeks. It is a time to slow down, listen, and breathe. The Season of Creation invites us to be attentive to the gentle rhythm of a running stream, to the air that serenades us as it blows through the trees, and to the fire that warms and comforts us. The importance of this celebration lies in two facts: our calling as stewards of creation and the need for bold and prophetic action in addressing the ecological crisis.
WEEK ONE: TREES + PLANTS
September 1-6, 2025
Judaism:
“When the Holy One created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said, ‘Look at My works.
See how beautiful they are, how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil or destroy My world— for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.’”
—Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13
We cannot grasp that disaster reveals itself in the weather if fluctuations of air and wind and precipitation have no substance in themselves and therefore no capacity to disclose reality.
Psalm 148, by contrast, offers a counterpoint to ingrained conceptual limitations and invites us to take seriously our own weather events. “Praise the Lord, O you who are on earth, all sea monsters and ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and smoke, storm wind that executes God’s command” (verses 7-8). Here the praising of God is carried out not only by creatures but also by climatological phenomena-fire and hail, snow and smoke and storm wind.
Psalm 104, by contrast, imagines interconnected species coexisting in symbiotic balance: “The trees of the Lord drink their full, the cedars of Lebanon, His own planting, where birds make their nests; the stork has her home in the junipers. The high mountains are for wild goats; the crags are a refuge for rockbadgers” (verses 16-18). The Psalm testifies to an ecological imagination at work, observing trees drawing water for themselves and in so doing, benefiting the birds who make their homes in those trees. Each species’ place, needs, and activities are interlinked and mutually sustaining. This world is neither vertically arranged nor bifurcated but rather an ordered non-hierarchical web. Likewise, the humans who till the soil in this Psalm appear not as stewards but as one species living in harmony with others.
Rather than placing humans outside of a pristine, untouched “nature,” the Psalmist sings praise for a world in which the human animal can be present without dominating the rest of creation. Finally, if most biblical texts grant humans a singular capacity for willful agency, these Psalms speak of the animacy and responsiveness of all creation. Psalm 148 calls upon them to praise God: Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all bright stars. Praise Him, highest heavens, and you waters that are above the heavens (Ps. 148:3-4). Elsewhere, forests, hills, and other phenomena of the “natural world” dance and sing: mountains skipped like rams, hills like sheep (Ps. 114:4). The flood waters have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring (Ps. 93:3). The liveliness of the natural world breaks through in these moments; the nonhuman world is given agency, animation, and voice.
From Reading Psalms as the Water Rises by Mara H. Benjamin, in Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, Spring 2022
VISIO DIVINA
Look at the tree in this booklet or find this tree on Villanova’s campus. Gaze at the tree and see if you can access a sense of wonder about it— its roots and branches, the height and size of the canopy. What do you wonder about this tree? What does this tree reveal to you about God? Gaze at the tree again and listen for how God might be speaking into your life through reflections on this tree. What will you take from this experience of reflection as you go through this week?
“If you have a sapling in your hand and you hear that the messiah has come, first finish planting the sapling— then go and greet the messiah.”
—Avot De-Rabbi Natan B 31:2
WEEK ONE: TREES + PLANTS
ECO-THERAPY: AN UNDERRATED GIFT FROM NATURE
Samuel Odidi ’25 MA
Often, we overlook the myriad gifts that the environment provides, as our minds are clouded by greed and unending desires. We tend to view nature solely through the lens of its economic value, leading to the exploitation of Earth’s resources at the expense of its natural vitality. Within nature lies an untapped reservoir of healing and restorative power—one that has primarily been recognized by hermits and eco-enthusiasts. The breathtaking beauty of the natural world is a divine gift, infused with healing and solace for all living beings. Until we acknowledge that we are part of a larger community of life, we will continue to regard nature merely as a resource to fulfill our material needs.
Richard Louv, a renowned nature journalist and author of Last Child in the Woods, once stated, “Nature does not steal time; it amplifies it, and nature inspires creativity.” This sentiment resonates deeply with me, particularly in light of my own childhood experiences, especially after losing my mother at the age of twelve and navigating the search for my true calling in life. I’ve come to realize that spending time in nature offers profound solutions to the overwhelming challenges of human existence. For me, nature serves as a therapeutic haven for all its inhabitants.
The celebration of the season of creation is a constant reminder of the importance of working towards peace and sustenance for the natural world. To be at peace with creation, we must adopt a holistic perspective that honors the gift of nature and fulfills our obligation to “till and keep” the earth. After all, when nature is at peace, we, too, will find solace.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2025:
10th anniversary of World Day of Prayer for Creation:
EVENT HIGHLIGHT
Campus Tree Tour led by Hugh Weldon, Villanova’s Horticultural Supervisor. Wednesday, September 3, at 11 a.m., meet at the Peace Pole outside St. Rita Hall.
TAKE A SELF-GUIDED TREE TOUR
Take an intentional walk throughout campus to notice the variety of trees that provide beauty, shade and texture. Slow down and become aware of the plants, flowers and vegetation on Villanova’s campus. Use the Trees of Villanova guide to identify trees and familiarize yourself with their location. How do they change throughout the seasons? Which is your favorite?
WEEK TWO: THE COSMOS
September 7-13, 2025
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion of love, understanding and compassion and committed towards the ideal of non–violence. As such, it also attaches great importance to wildlife and the protection of the environment on which every being in this world depends for survival.
We regard our survival as an undeniable right. As co-habitants of this planet, other species too have this right for survival. And since human beings as well as other non-human sentient beings depend upon the environment as the ultimate source of life and wellbeing, let us share the conviction that the conservation of the environment, the restoration of the imbalance caused by our negligence in the past, be implemented with courage and determination. These teachings lead us to the following words by His Holiness the Dalai Lama:
“As we all know, disregard for the natural inheritance of human beings has brought about the danger that now threatens the peace of the world as well as the chance to live of endangered species. Such destruction of the environment and the life depending upon it is a result of ignorance, greed and disregard for the richness of all living things. This disregard is gaining great influence. If peace does not become a reality in the world and if the destruction of the environment continues as it does today, there is no doubt that future generations will inherit a dead world. . . .
We are the generation with the awareness of a great danger.
We are the ones with the responsibility and the ability to take steps of concrete action, before it is too late.”
From THE ASSISI DECLARATIONS: Messages on Humanity and Nature from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam & Judaism, BASILICA DI S. FRANCESCO ASSISI— ITALY WWF 25TH ANNIVERSARY, 29 September 1986
VISIO DIVINA
Look at the images of the sky in this booklet or as you are moving through your week on Villanova’s campus. Gaze at the stars, the clouds, the colors of the sunrise or sunset, the moon, and see if you can access a sense of wonder about them. What do you notice about the sky, about the cosmos we are part of on planet Earth? What does this reveal to you about God? Consider the sky again and listen for how God might be speaking into your life through reflections on the cosmos and your place in it. What will you take from this experience of reflection as you go through this week?
WEEK TWO: THE COSMOS
LET THERE BE! A Meditation on Creation
Father Bitrus Galadima, OSA
“Let there be” is a recurrent phrase in the Bible’s creation narrative (Gen 1-2), expressing God’s permission for all of creation to come into being. In the narrative, the rest of creation (Gen 1:3-25) precedes the creation of humans (Gen 1:26-27). Thus, humans are the last or youngest of created reality. Other creatures provide the premise and purpose for human existence. It is from other creatures that humans derive their vocation to multiply and govern (Gen 1:26b.28) as well as their nourishment (Gen 1:29-30). Consequently, to cause damage to other created realities is to cause damage to the premise and purpose, the meaning and nourishment of human existence.
Given that science operates a posteriori, it is understandable that the truth about the dependence of humans on other created realities for both nourishment and purpose taught by the inspired authors of the Bible several millennia ago is being proclaimed by science only lately, when the exploitative and abusive relationship of the human species with the rest of creation is manifesting catastrophic ecosystemic, health, social, and economic consequences for human existence.
The seed of hope that man, made in God’s image and likeness (Gen 1:26), will truly continue to fully be lies in letting other creatures to also be: let there be light (Gen 1:3-5); let there be sky (Gen 1:6-8); let there be water and land (Gen 1:9-10); let there be vegetation (Gen 1:11-13); let there be sun, moon and stars (Gen 1:14-19); let there be fishes and birds (Gen 1:20-23); let there be wild and domesticable animals (Gen 1:24-25). For in their being is man’s premise and purpose as well as his God-ordained vocation and sustenance!
EVENT HIGHLIGHT
• Sustainability for the Forgotten, a book and lecture by Gary Maclis, Professor of Engineering at Clemson University. Beginning with the story of a French priest in the 1960s working with the impoverished of Brazil, the lecture discusses how the sustainability movement has often overlooked the forgotten—the poorest of the poor, the chronically underprivileged, victims of natural disasters, refugees, and the oppressed. Notably, the lecture also focuses on hope and possibility, proposing practical solutions from engineering innovations to effective social policies.
Thursday, September 11, at 7 p.m., in Drosdick Hall. Sponsored by the Department of Ethics, the College of Engineering, and the Office for Sustainability in Mission and Ministry.
• Mass for the Care of Creation, at 12:05 p.m. Friday, September 12, at Corr Chapel. The Rev. John Abubakar, OSA, Villanova University’s Chief Sustainability Officer, will preside.
This Mass features a new formulary of the Roman Missal, inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’, which highlights the importance of the interconnectedness of humanity, God and the natural world, emphasizing the need to care for the environment and humanity’s role as stewards of creation. All are welcome!
• Pet Therapy on the south campus green, Wednesday, September 10, 4-5 p.m.
WEEK THREE: NON-HUMAN ANIMALS
September 14-20, 2025
Hinduism:
Hinduism believes in the all-encompassing sovereignty of the divine, manifesting itself in a graded scale of evolution. The human race, though at the top of the evolutionary pyramid at present is not seen as something apart from the earth and its multitudinous life forms. The Atharva Veda has the magnificent Hymn to the Earth which is redolent with ecological and environmental values. The following verses are taken from this extraordinary hymn:
Earth, in which lie the sea, the river and other waters, in which food and cornfields have come to be, in which lives all that breathes and that moves, May she confer on us the finest of her yield
Earth, in which the waters, common to all, moving on all sides, flow unfailingly, day and night, may she pour on us milk in many streams, and endow us with lustre
May those born of thee, O Earth be for our welfare, free from sickness and waste. Wakeful through a long life we shall become bearers of tribute to thee.
Earth, my mother, set me securely with bliss in full accord with heaven, O wise one, uphold me in grace and splendour.
Not only in the Vedas, but also in later scriptures such as the Upanishads, the Puranas and subsequent texts the Hindu view point on nature has been clearly enunciated. It is permeated by reverence for life and an awareness that the great forces of nature—the earth, the sky, the air, the water and fire—as well as the various orders of life including plants and trees, forest and animals, are all bound to each other with the great rhythms of nature. The divine is not exterior to creation but expresses itself through natural phenomena. Thus in the Mundaka Upanishad the divine is described as follows:
Fire is his head, his eyes are the moon and the sun; the regions of space are his ears, his voice the revealed Veda; the wind is his breath, his heart is the entire universe; the earth is his footstool, truly he is the inner soul of all.
EVENT HIGHLIGHT
• Labyrinth Walks, Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 3-5 p.m. at Tolentine Green (between Drosdick Hall and the pedestrian bridge).
In honor of the Season of Creation, join us in an ancient practice of embodying the metaphysical journey of life by walking the labyrinth, a circular path that represents the many journeys (internal and external) we take in life. Facilitated walks will be offered for free outdoors (weather permitting) on the Villanova campus. Come with an open mind, leave feeling a little more grounded.
• Friday Flow, Friday, September 19, 3-4 p.m., Stoneleigh Gardens.
• St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service, Saturday, September 20. Villanova’s 20th year of serving the local community in a variety of sustainable ways: sorting clothing and furniture, restoring parks and community gardens and serving those in need.
VISIO DIVINA
Look at the images of animals in this booklet, or animals you encounter as you move through your week at Villanova. Gaze at birds, squirrels, bugs, any animals you encounter and notice their presence with a sense of wonder and curiosity. What do they reveal to you about God? Consider the animals again and pay attention to how God might be speaking into your life through reflections on non-human animals around you. What will you take from this experience of reflection as you go through this week?
WEEK THREE: NON-HUMAN ANIMALS
Reflection
Hannah Rosko’25
Avis, meaning “bird”, a family name on my mother’s side, was passed down to my sister when she was born two decades ago. Naming a child is a significant responsibility: in the Gospel of Luke, Zechariah and Elizabeth are called by God to name their son John, defying the expectation of naming him after his father. Names may instill within a child an ideal to aspire to or may represent the continuation of tradition. “Avis” is a glimpse into the beauty of developing a relationship with nature, an ideal in our modern industrialized society that often fails to be completely realized.
Only twenty months apart in age, the upbringing my sister and I experienced together reinforced this value of connecting with the natural world. One of the first Bible stories we learned was the story of the Garden of Eden, a paradise characterized by harmony between man, woman, and nature. As children, we gardened with our mother, attempted – largely unsuccessfully – to fish with our father, birdwatched with our grandmother, and learned we could pick and eat wild plants like wood sorrel and sumac at our community nature center. Regrettably, our young adult lives have vastly different priorities. To me, being a university student is a unique opportunity to reflect on the trajectory we aspire to in our adult lives. It is in this way that I am reminded of the ideals imparted upon me and my sister by our family in childhood, including that of nurturing meaningful relationships with nature, as I progress towards new stages in my life.
WEEK FOUR: ROCKS | WATER
September 21-27, 2025
A Pennsylvania Lenape Story as told by Chief Robert Redhawk Ruth Nek Newa Ahasak
The Prophecy of the Fourth Crow |As told by Robert Red Hawk Ruth Translated by Shelley DePaul Lomewe, luwen hunt okwes xu punenhasu xkwithakamika. Long ago it was said that a fox will be loosened on the earth.
Ok nen luwe newa ahasak xu peyok.
Also it was said that four crows would come.
Netami ahas kenthu li guttitehewagan wichi Kishelemukonk..
The first crow flew the way of harmony with Creator.
Nisheneit ahas kwechi pilito entalelemukonk, shek palsu ok ankela. The second crow tried to clean the world, but he became sick and he died.
Nexeneit ahas weneyoo ankelek xansa ok koshiphuwe.
The third crow saw his dead brother and he hid.
Neweneit ahas kenthu li guttitehewagan lapi wichi Kishelemukonk.
The fourth crow flew the way of harmony again with Creator.
Kenahkihechik xu withatuwak xkwithakamika. Caretakers they will live together on the Earth.
We have chosen to tell the story of the Lenape in Pennsylvania through “The Prophecy of the Fourth Crow,” an ancient story passed down among the Lenape for generations. This story relates the ways in which Lenape people have struggled to survive and to keep their community and culture intact. Chief Red Hawk summarizes the current interpretation of the Prophecy in the following way:
“We now know that the First Crow was the Lenape before the coming of the Europeans. The Second Crow symbolized the death and destruction of our culture. The Third Crow was our people going underground and hiding. The Fourth Crow was the Lenape becoming caretakers again and working with everybody to restore this land.”
https://www.penn.museum/sites/FAP/prophecy.shtml
EVENT HIGHLIGHT
• Fireside Chat: Laudato si’ at 10 Years: Looking Back to Plan Ahead. Monday, September 22, at 1 p.m. in Connelly Center’s Villanova Room. A panel of four speakers will discuss the impact of Pope Francis’s groundbreaking Catholic teaching on environmental stewardship and social responsibility. The discussion will also explore the interconnectedness of God, humans and the Earth and how we must work together to create a sustainable future.
• Outdoor Adoration of the Eucharist in the Grotto, Thursday, September 25, following the 5:30 p.m. daily Mass in Corr Chapel.
• Pet Therapy in the Health Services Building, Wednesday, September 24, 4-5 p.m.
VISIO DIVINA
Look at images of rocks and water in this booklet or around you on campus at Villanova. Choose one to gaze at for a period of time with a sense of wonder and curiosity. What does this reflection reveal to you about God? Consider this image again and ask for the grace to know what lesson God might want you to take from this experience of reflection, as you consider your own life. How does your daily life impact the ecosystems of which you are a part, and how are you impacted yourself?
WEEK FOUR: ROCKS | WATER
Hope Lies in the Layers of Life
Lainey Koch ’28
Most famous deserts are characterized by large, colorful cliffs, consisting of layers upon layers of sediment. Each section of rock has a different story to tell, whether it be the era of its formation, or the erosions which resulted in its current beauty. People travel far and wide to glimpse these natural masterpieces which have witnessed and contributed to so much of Earth’s past. Yet their beauty was not always so. These perfect layers and patterns were formed through hardship and suffering, but also strength and perseverance. Each one was deposited and created through circumstances similar to and also vastly different from one another. They reached their current state through weathering, erosion, or even tectonic movements. Yet it is through facing countless instances of challenge and change that the true beauty of these cliffs emerges. Why can we acknowledge the fundamental role adversity plays in reaching the fullest and most beautiful potential of these cliffs, but not within ourselves? When amidst adversity, we fail to recognize that our layers are still forming, not crumbling apart. We must persevere to emerge bettered and become at peace with not only ourselves, but those around us. Like these cliffs, we must embrace the hardships of life and allow these pressures to shape us for the better, all while instilling in us the hope and resolve to continue. When we bare our scars and true colors, revealing our strength and individuality, others will flock to our beauty just as they do these desert cliffs.
WEEK FIVE: HUMANITY
September 28–October4
Islam:
The unutterably vast and glorious cosmos reflects the all-transcendent glory of God, the All-Sustaining Lord of the worlds of being that extend beyond our grasp. In its heart, this Earth with its evanescent community of life, of which we are a part, is exquisite beyond all telling, and more precious than mortal human beings can comprehend, for it too reflects the grace and mercy of the Lord of all. Each thing that God has created is a sign of His power, wisdom, and grace, and we seek insight, understanding, and guidance from these signs. He has unfolded all things in balance with one another, in need of one another, and all support and benefit one another. Nothing is created wantonly or in vain. All are created in Truth and for Right, and each has rights on us: that we care for it in reverential awe for its Lord, in compassion unwithheld, and in utmost beauty and good. To serve the Lord of all by working utmost good is the deepest purpose of our lives, for God “…created death and life to try you, which of you work most good…” (67:2)
from Othman Llewellyn, Fazlun Khalid and others. Al-Mizan: Covenant for the Earth. The Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Birmingham, UK, 2024.
VISIO DIVINA
Look at the images of people in this booklet or around you in your daily life at Villanova. Spend time noticing the people around you with a sense of wonder and curiosity. What does this practice reveal to you about the nature of God? Spend a little more time noticing the people around you. What might God be encouraging you to notice about humanity as part of creation, moving forward?
EVENT HIGHLIGHT
Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation, Saturday, October 4, 2025. Join the National Pilgrimages of Hope movement to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope, the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ encyclical, and the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures. Experience Christ in Creation and deepen your connection with God, the Earth and each other. Our pilgrimage, from Villanova University to St. Joseph University, will take place on St. Francis Day, Saturday, October 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will also mark the conclusion of our 2025 Season of Creation celebration. For more information:
WEEK FIVE: HUMANITY
SEEDS OF PEACE AND HOPE REFLECTION
Jalyn Jimenez ’26
Immigrants in this nation are viewed as threats. They are mistreated, persecuted, and attacked as if their existence endangers national security. They are portrayed as undeserving, unproductive, and unworthy of love by mainstream media and those in power. But immigrants are not strangers to fear or a problem to be solved. They are my family, my neighbors, my community, and the reflection I see when I look in the mirror. I come from immigrants. Those who made unimaginable sacrifices, who left behind their homes, loved ones, and memories for the possibility of something better. They were separated from their parents and missed funerals, forced to grieve through phone screens because unforgiving borders kept them apart. They arrived in this country with little to no understanding of English, carried only by their faith and steadfast trust in God. They crossed hostile borders, some with infants clinging to their backs, risking everything to rewrite the future for their children and the generations to come. Because of their sacrifices, I now walk through doors they could only dream of. Immigrants are not who we should fear, they are who we must stand beside, uplift, and protect. Immigrants are the heartbeat of our communities. The keepers of culture, traditions, and hope. They carry forward the flavors, rhythms, and languages that shape our identities. They fuel our economy and enrich our nation with unwavering resilience. Vilifying them is to reject the very fabric that holds this nation together. Honoring their presence is a matter of recognizing truth, and a debt this country has yet to repay.
LAUDATO SI’ 10th ANNIVERSARY
LAUDATO SI’ AND ITS IMPACT: VILLANOVA FREE STORE
Vicky Hoy ’26
I used to accept the phrase, “Just buy a new one,” without question. But over time, I began to wonder why discarding and replacing had become the norm. It feels as if we have forgotten our remarkable ability to fix, to reinvent, and to rediscover value in what we once deemed broken. I once read that we have produced enough clothing to last six generations—so why do we continue to manufacture more?
Pope Francis writes, “Whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor.” This quote, while about food, reflects a broader truth: our wastefulness comes at the expense of others, including the Earth. We are caught in what he calls a “complex crisis which is both social and environmental,” one that disconnects us from each other and from the natural world.
When I stumbled upon Villanova’s Free Store tucked inside Falvey Library, I felt a sense of quiet hope. This unassuming space offers students the chance to take and donate freely giving new life to clothes, books, and now bikes. It’s a small but powerful act of resistance to a culture of disposability.
The Free Store reminds me that every object has a story, and every act of reuse is an act of love—for our planet, for our community, and for generations to come. It is a living testament to Laudato Si’, calling us back to simplicity, gratitude, and care for our common home.
READ LAUDATO SI’ : ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME
Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis, 2015
PEACE WITH CREATION
An Augustinian invitation to recall, rejoice and rededicate ourselves as one Family to the Care of our Common Home as we celebrate the tenth anniversary of Laudato Si’ .
by Fr. Art Purcaro, OSA
In this Jubilee year of Hope, we praise and thank our loving God, creator of all that exists, for having chosen Pope Leo, a gentle missionary bishop, a son of Augustine, to shepherd us at this time, sixteen centuries after Augustine himself faced the breakdown of an empire, yet remarkably similar to the moment we are now experiencing.
Hunger and misery, violence and war, climate disasters and denial confront us, screaming for attention. To hear the cries of the poor means to be attentive to the cry of the planet, our common home. Want and waste go hand in hand. If we long for Peace, we need to work for Justice.
Augustine repeatedly encouraged all to recognize and give testimony to the God who loves us all and gave all that exists to all of us to share among us in a divine plan of communion; reminding us that everything is interconnected.
In that spirit of communion, we recall and commit ourselves to promote the way of life of the early Christians which Augustine and many others who chose to follow Christ throughout the centuries:
• Honor God in one another.
• Do not call anything your own but have everything in common.
• Pride lies in ambush even for good deeds.
• It is better to need less than to have more.
• Do not try to please by your clothes but by your behavior.
• Put the common good before your own.
• Love the person, hate the offense.
• Let the mouth that caused the wound provide the cure by asking for forgiveness.
• Live not as slaves under the law, but as free persons founded in grace.
• Have one mind and one heart, entirely centered upon God.
Pope Leo addressed us all when he spoke these words to the hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the world for the Jubilee of Youth, buzzing with the hope that maybe, just maybe, this generation—our generation—would be the one to put an end to war and hunger.
As we celebrate this Season of Creation, Pope Leo speaks from the heart directly to our heart when he says: You are the sign that a different world is possible. A world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons, but with dialogue.
May our hearts always be restless, searching together for ways to build a better world for all.
NATURE PROCLAIMS THE BEAUTY OF GOD
AUGUSTINE ENCOURAGES US:
“ Let your mind roam through the whole creation; everywhere the created world will cry out to you: ‘God made me!’” (Commentary on Psalm 26/2,12).
Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air, question the beauty of the sky, question the far-flung ranks of the stars, question the sun making the day splendid with its radiant beams, question the moon soothing the darkness of the night with its gentle rays, question the animals that move in the waters, that stroll about on dry land, that fly in the air...question all these things and they will answer: “Look, we are beautiful!” But who could have made these beautiful passing things if not the God who is beautiful and unchangeable? (Sermon 241, 2)
Blessed are You, Lord God of all Creation! Through your goodness we enjoy the fruits of the earth, the work of human hands! You bless us with all good things so that all might share and enjoy life in abundance. We rejoice and we praise you with all of Creation as we proclaim with our lives: Blessed be God forever!
CONCLUDING REFLECTION
It is hoped that at the end of our five-week reflection of listening to the sound of creation, of being in awe of the power of the wind to create, of the beauty of water in shaping the earth’s coastland and canyons, and of course, the wonder of our being, we will be energized to become seeds of peace and hope, growing as peacemakers with all of creation. Inner transformation that makes us successful images of God, leading us to care as God cares, is the goal of the Season of Creation. The number five symbolizes God’s grace, goodness, and favor. May the earth experience grace upon grace during these five weeks. May our ecological conversion be seen in our concern for our neighbor and our common home.
Fr. John Abubakar, OSA Chief Sustainability Officer, Office for Sustainability, Mission
