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Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who need to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone. This basic awareness would enable the development of new convictions, attitudes and forms of life. A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal.

Laudato Si’ #202.

Scripture: Who has learned your counsel,unless you have given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high?And thus the paths of those on earth were set right,and people were taught what pleases you,and were saved by wisdom.’ Wisdom 9:17-18

Prayer:All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universeand in the smallest of your creatures.You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.Pour out upon us the power of your love,that we may protect life and beauty.Fill us with peace, that we may liveas brothers and sisters, harming no one.

Taken from the concluding prayer of Laudato Si

Reflection on Laudato Si’. Week 1: Beginning 4 September 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

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Underlying the principle of the common good is respect for the human person as such, endowed with basic and inalienable rights ordered to his or her integral development. It has also to do with the overall welfare of society and the development of a variety of intermediate groups, applying the principle of subsidiarity. Outstanding among those groups is the family, as the basic cell of society. Finally, the common good calls for social peace, the stability and security provided by a certain order which cannot be achieved without particular concern for distributive justice; whenever this is violated, violence always ensues. Society as a whole, and the state in particular, are obliged to defend and promote the common good. Laudato Si’ #157.

Scripture:So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:1-32

Prayer:O God of the poor,help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,so precious in your eyes.Bring healing to our lives,that we may protect the world and not prey on it,that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.Touch the heartsof those who look only for gainat the expense of the poor and the earth.Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,to be filled with awe and contemplation,to recognise that we are profoundly unitedwith every creatureas we journey towards your infinite light.We thank you for being with us each day.Encourage us, we pray, in our strugglefor justice, love and peace.

Taken from the concluding prayer of Laudato Si

Reflection on Laudato Si’. Week 2: Beginning 11 September 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) Social Justice Sunday

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We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it. We have had enough of immorality and the mockery of ethics, goodness, faith and honesty. It is time to acknowledge that light-hearted superficiality has done us no good. When the foundations of social life are corroded, what ensues are battles over conflicting interests, new forms of violence and brutality, and obstacles to the growth of a genuine culture of care for the environment. Laudato Si’ #229.

Scripture:Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land. Amos 8:4-7

Prayer:Father, we praise you with all your creatures. They came forth from your all-powerful hand;they are yours, filled with your presence and your tender love.Praise be to you!

Son of God, Jesus,through you all things were made.You were formed in the womb of Mary our Mother,you became part of this earth,and you gazed upon this world with human eyes.Today you are alive in every creaturein your risen glory.Praise be to you!

Holy Spirit, by your lightyou guide this world towards the Father’s loveand accompany creation as it groans in travail.You also dwell in our hearts and you inspire us to do what is good.Praise be to you!

Taken from Laudato Si’, ‘A Christian prayer in union with creation’

Reflection on Laudato Si’. Week 3: Beginning 18 September 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

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Reflection on Laudato Si’. Week 4: Beginning 25 September 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone. If we make something our own, it is only to administer it for the good of all. If we do not, we burden our consciences with the weight of having denied the existence of others. That is why the New Zealand bishops asked what the commandment “Thou shall not kill” means when “twenty percent of the world’s population consumes resources at a rate that robs the poor nations and future generations of what they need to survive”. Laudato Si’ #95.

Scripture:“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. Luke 16:19-31

Prayer:Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love,teach us to contemplate youin the beauty of the universe,for all things speak of you.Awaken our praise and thankfulnessfor every being that you have made. Give us the grace to feel profoundly joinedto everything that is.

Taken from Laudato Si’, ‘A Christian prayer in union with creation’Slum image above: By Jonathan McIntosh - Own work, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53838

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In calling to mind the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi, we come to realize that a healthy relationship with creation is one dimension of overall personal conversion, which entails the recognition of our errors, sins, faults and failures, and leads to heartfelt repentance and desire to change. The Australian bishops (A New Earth – The Environmental Challenge, 2002) spoke of the importance of such conversion for achieving reconciliation with creation: “To achieve such reconciliation, we must examine our lives and acknowledge the ways in which we have harmed God’s creation through our actions and our failure to act. We need to experience a conversion, or change of heart”. Laudato Si’ #218.

Scripture:A Psalm of David. The heavens are telling the glory of God;and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19.1

Prayer:God of love, show us our place in this world as channels of your love for all the creatures of this earth, for not one of them is forgotten in your sight. Enlighten those who possess power and money that they may avoid the sin of indifference, that they may love the common good, advance the weak, and care for this world in which we live. The poor and the earth are crying out. O Lord, seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future, for the coming of your Kingdom of justice, peace, love and beauty. Praise be to you! Amen.

Taken from the concluding prayer of Laudato Si

Reflection on Laudato Si’. Week 5: Beginning 2 October 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunday closest to St Francis’ Day)