SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER - for OUR COMMON HOME - EARTH
1. What the Word of God says (Genesis 1:24-31) “And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’ Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” 2. What Laudato Si’ says “The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, of God’s endless care for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a touch of God. We can all surely remember a beautiful sunrise or sunset, a walk among plants and flowers or sitting beside a running stream drinking fresh, cool water. All these places have given us a chance to recover something of our true selves.” (Laudato Si’ 84) “This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. 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. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail’ (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.” (Laudato Si’ 2)
3. Reflection for Today Earth is our common home and our Faith gives us trust that God’s Spirit is constantly renewing the face of the Earth. As part of our Christian vocation, we are called to participate in renewing the Earth, safeguarding a place for every creature and working towards reforming just relationships among all creation. At present we are inhabitants of a world deeply troubled by environmental crisis as seen by such phenomena as global warming, soil erosion, creeping desertification, air and water pollution, etc. These problems have emerged as a result of human activity and their effects are experienced most profoundly among the poor. Along with all “citizens” of planet Earth, we are called to take positive action in response to this world-wide environmental crisis such as reducing consumption and waste, reusing and recycling resources,
4. Prayer for Today God of second chances, we recognise the damage we have done to the earth and the injustice we see in society every day, all of it fuelled by worship of profit and possessions. We pray for the coming of a better world with justice, kindness and humility at its heart. We ask that you guide us to be co-creators of this new world. Give us confidence to follow the prophetic voices to stand against injustice to people and to our common home, so that together, in your strength, we stop this climate crisis. God, in your mercy hear our prayer. Amen. 5. Action for Today
Reduce your use of plastic by finding alternatives to plastic and wherever possible, properly dispose of the plastic you do use to keep it out of our oceans and rivers.
Wear re-usable fabric face masks to lessen the number of disposable masks and when disposing of your mask/s, cut the elastic to prevent the feet of birds from becoming entangled.
DAILY MASS AND BIBLE READING LINKS
• Online Daily Mass (Daily TV Mass, Bryanston Catholic Church).
• Todays Bible reading and reflection from the Vatican.
• Parish Banking Details
• Blessed Sacrament’s Sunday Mass will be LIVE on Saturday evening and also recorded.
• Online Mass Booking Form