Season of Creation

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

We are currently celebrating the Season of Creation, which runs from 1st September until the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on 4th October.  This is an ecumenical celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home.  (You can find more details on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales website https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home/our-work/environment/season-of-creation/).

This year is especially significant as it marks the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’: On Care For Our Common Home.  In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis it might be easy to lose sight of the wider environmental crisis which we face.  However, while the exact origins of Covid-19 may be disputed, it is clear that it originated in animals and that, in general, we are seeing an increase in the transmission of diseases from animals to humans.  This is because, with a growing human population and economic activity, the pressure on animal habitats is growing and the interaction between animals and humans is increasing. We may be grateful for greater life expectancy and, greater prosperity but it means that we as human beings are having a growing environmental impact. Some geologists have proposed the present era should be called the Anthropocene Era because it marks a time when human activity is having a significant impact on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems.  Epidemics such as Covid-19 might be seen as one of those impacts. 

Pope Francis challenges us take these developments seriously.  We are called to cherish God’s creation, a creation we share with all our fellow human beings and all God’s creatures.  We have, perhaps, traditionally had an attitude that creation had been given to us to dominate and simply use for our immediate benefit.  We now realise the cost of this and, also, that it fails to appreciate the beauty of the gift we have been given. 

Pope Francis also points out that we cannot separate our care of creation from the demands for justice.  Again Covid-19 illustrates this.  We are all aware of the impact of the pandemic on ourselves and those close to us.  However, those who are most likely to suffer in the long term are those who are most vulnerable and those who are poorest. Earlier in the year the UN said, “The pandemic is deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems which are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic”. 

This season of creation challenges us to look at the wider picture.  As Christians we are called to respect creation, to work nurture it and to work to ensure that those in greatest need are protected.  How do we do this?  Through prayer and through raising awareness, as we are doing in these weeks, but also by looking at our own lifestyles and choices.  Pope Francis is clear that our reaction both to Covid-19 and the wider environmental crisis cannot be one of selfish individualism or nationalism but must one of working together with others for the common good of all creation. 

Pope Francis concludes his prayer at the end of Laudato si’, “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.”

Fr Chris Pedley, S.J.