On the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which is celebrated on September 1 of each year, the Holy Father wrote a Message that was published yesterday morning.
"God’s gaze, at the beginning of the Bible, rests lovingly on his creation. From habitable land to life-giving waters, from fruit-bearing trees to animals that share our common home, everything is dear in the eyes of God, who offers creation to men and women as a precious gift to be preserved", writes Pope Francis who strongly invites the faithful to join the Season of Creation, the period that opened today and will end on October 4, in memory of St. Francis of Assisi, during which, we are all called to a moment "of increased prayer and effort on behalf of our common home".
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development encourages this celebration and has sent to Episcopal Conferences and pastoral workers around the world a letter with useful material to organize moments of prayer in order to etting our prayer be inspired anew, to reflect on our lifestyles, and to undertake prophetic actions in favour of the care of our home that we live in and that we will leave to our children.
Finally, in his Message, Pope Francis invites all believers to unite, to network so that: "Each Christian man and woman, every member of the human family, can act as a thin yet unique and indispensable thread in weaving a network of life that embraces everyone. May we feel challenged to assume, with prayer and commitment, our responsibility for the care of creation. May God, “the lover of life” (Wis 11:26), grant us the courage to do good without waiting for someone else to begin, or until it is too late."
The Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is available in 7 languages: [ DE - EN - ES - FR - IT - PL - PT ]
Material for the Celebration of Creation Time is available at: SeasonofCreation.org/en