by Joseph Nangle, OFM
Pax Christi USA 2023 Teacher of Peace
While the Season of Creation (September 2 to October 4) is not an official “time,” such as Advent or Lent, in the Catholic liturgical year, there is a growing conviction that the Church will soon declare it as such. The season fits nicely into the calendar year of the global north – the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Also, it concludes appropriately with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology.
However, because the season is not yet part of the traditional liturgical cycle, the current Sunday, weekday prayers and scriptural readings from the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament do not necessarily lend themselves easily to ecological themes. To remedy this, the Catholic Liturgical Guide for these five Sundays has wonderfully adapted each week’s Liturgy of the Word and Eucharistic prayers to issues connected with our Common Home.
Download the Season of Creation 2024 Catholic Liturgical Guide
We have Amy Echeverria, the International JPIC Coordinator for the Columban missioners, and Jesuit Fr. Jim Hug to thank for this outstanding resource. Here are selected examples of their work based on this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 22.
- Sign of the Cross – “In the name of our Creator God… and of the Word of God speaking into the world visions of true human greatness in service… and the Wisdom of God guiding every creature in keeping Earth alive and whole. Amen.
- Penitential Rite – “Creator God, we have become alienated from each other and from Earth and have viewed this planet as disposable, a source of endless resources – Loving God have mercy.
- Gloria – “As we contemplate our true reality, let’s join our voices with all Creation to sing our praise to God.”
- Opening prayer: “Stir in us Christ’s passion for the greatness of service, service of all peoples, of all creatures and of our Common Home.”
Liturgy of the Word
- First reading (Wisdom, Chapter 2:12, 17-20) Could it be true that God will not protect Earth… from the destructive effects of humanity’s actions?
- Second reading (From the Letter of St. James, Chapter 3:16-4:3) A warning about thedestructiveness of selfish competitive patterns of action… what Pope Francis describes in Laudato si as “dynamics threatening the life of the planet.”
- Gospel (Mark, Chapter 9:30-37) Jesus finds the apostles competing as to which of them will be “first among them.” He does not tell them to stop competing but to channel their energies into service – and to us, service to Creation in this time of growing crisis and need.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
- Prayer Over the Gifts “Through these gifts of bread and wine we also offer our lives, our talents, and our commitment to care for all in need on planet Earth and to work for the restoration of our Common Home itself. Receive and transform our gifts and our energies into Your true Bread of Life for our world. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Closing prayers
- Prayer after Communion: “Now may the power of Christ’s body and blood reach deep into our hearts, our minds, and our bodies to heal our wounds, to open our eyes, our ears and our hearts. Strengthen and protect us in the prophetic mission to heal and renew all of Earth’s communities entrusted to our care.”
- Final blessing: “May God bless us all with deep reverence and love for Creation in all its beauty, intricacy and lavish goodness; and guide us in caring for it wisely and well. Oh God, our Creator, Jesus, our Brother, and Holy Spirit in whom we live and move and have our being now and forever. Amen.”
The Catholic Liturgical Guide points to a striking fact: that the divinely inspired Holy Scriptures have relevance for every set of circumstances under the sun. As we face the current, desperate state of our Common Home, reliance on God’s Word is essential for our own well-being and hope.
Download the Season of Creation 2024 Catholic Liturgical Guide
Joe Nangle OFM is a Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace and the 2023 Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace. As a member of the Assisi Community in Washington, D.C., he is dedicated to simple living and social change. Joe also serves as the Pastoral Associate for the Latino community at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Arlington, Virginia.