Oct 1st, 2021
Monday, 4th of October is the closing day of the ecumenical celebration of the Season of Creation 2021. On this day, we celebrate also the Feast of the Patron Saint of ecology St. Francis of Assisi.
The reflection made during this time underlines the urgency to act for our planet, to make it the common home for everyone, the “Oikos” of God. As St. Francis of Assisi taught us, every living being is a creature of God, every stone, every blade of grass, as well as every lake and ocean are elements and creatures of the same Father and we are all invited to respect and preserve them.
At the beginning of this season Pope Francis has invited all the faithful to join in prayer to renew our faith in God our Creator and to take action to achieve an integral ecology and take up the cry of the Earth, as explained in the Encyclical “Laudato Si’”: "The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to causes related to human and social degradation”. (Laudato Si', n. 48).
Now that the Season of Creation is coming to end, our commitment should not stop but it should be a new beginning to continue the renewal of our baptismal call to care and to sustain an ecological conversion so that all creatures may find their place in our common home.
Pope Francis has warned us, some days ago, “during this time of crisis - health, social, environmental - let us reflect on how the use of material goods can be harmful for the earth. Let us choose to change and to move toward a simpler and more respectful style of life regarding creation” (Pontifex). This reflection should be a turning point in our lifestyle, trying to be more careful about our choices and our way to act every day.
The entire world has joined the Season of Creation, all the faithful Brothers and Sisters were united in prayers and in action. We can’t miss this unique opportunity to act together, especially in this particular era where we live hit by natural and human-made disasters and climate change.
Moreover, for the first time in history, the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and Anglican Communion have jointly warned of the urgency of environmental sustainability, its impact on poverty, and the importance of global cooperation.
In fact, with an official appeal, Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby have called people to pray, during this time of the Christian Season of Creation, for world leaders ahead of the United Nations climate talks (COP26) in November (Joint Message)
