Reflection
As people of faith we believe that creation is a revelation of God and a sacred trust. The challenges facing the Earth require the human community to develop new ways of seeing, thinking and interacting with the larger web of life. Our existence, survival and well-being depend on the life-support systems of our planet. We are part of the whole community of life and are intimately connected with the natural world. The wonders of earth, sky and sea and the diversity of life forms delight our senses and stimulate our imaginations. Yet, we know that natural habitats and the species dependent on them are destroyed daily by our interference. As those who reverence the One who creates and sustains all life, how can we act less selfishly and more responsibly?
Prayer
Gracious God, all creation reveals your glory and love. Give us the desire, the will and the imagination to preserve and protect the integrity and beauty of the Earth.
Action
Today take time to think and pray about how your activity can contribute to the beauty and harmony of God’s sacred creation.
Suggested Readings
O God, how glorious is your name in all the earth!
Who are we that you should be mindful of us.
Yet you entrust us with the work of your hands to care for all your
creation.
Psalm 8:1,4,6
Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live for ever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.
Pope Francis
Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars.
Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.
Now think.
What delight God gives to humankind with all these things…
We are to work with it. For without it we cannot survive.
Hildegard of Bingen
There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.
Mohandas Gandhi
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
Native American Proverb
We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.
Aldo Leopold
It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.
Ansel Adams
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.
Chief Seattle