Although I don’t like the thought of the winter season approaching because it can be such a long season, I do enjoy this time of year — here in the Northeastern United States. It surely “tells the glory of God” in the beautiful raiment that covers our countryside and its hills and valleys. Such an encounter with natural beauty and the coming feast of St. Francis, the patron of ecology, has led the leaders of the Christian churches, including Pope Francis, to designate the month of September until October 4 — the Memorial of St. Francis — as the Season of Creation.
This idea originated with Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios who back in 1989 designated September 1 as a Day of Prayer for Creation. The World Council of Churches then extended the celebration to include the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4. In 2015, Pope Francis endorsed this time of prayer for the Catholic Church and its focus to reflect prayerfully on the gifts of Creation and the mission given us by God to care for Creation and respond to its needs and crises today.
The theme of this year’s Season of Creation is, “To hope and act with creation,” as found in Paul’s Letter to the Romans (8:19-25). As noted in the Vatican press release for this year’s observance: “To hope in the biblical context does not mean to remain still and silent, but to groan, to cry out and to struggle actively for a new life in the midst of difficulties. Creation and all human beings are called to worship the Creator, working for a dynamic future from which the firstfruits of hope can spring.”
In the Celebration Guide for the 2024 celebration of the Season Creation, it was noted: “Creation is standing on tiptoe waiting for the manifestation of the children of God! The children of God are those who stretch up their hands towards the Creator, recognizing themselves as humble creatures, to praise and respect God, and at the same time to love, respect, care for and learn from God’s gift of Creation. Creation is not given to humanity to use and abuse, rather, humanity is created as part of Creation. More than a common home, Creation is also a cosmic family that calls us to act responsibly. This is how the children of God have an intrinsic vocation and an important role to play in the manifestation of the kingdom of justice (cf. Romans 8:19).”
For me, these words are the bridge to the U.S. Catholic Church’s October observance of Respect Life Month. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end and at every point in between. This year’s theme focuses on John 10:10 — “I came so that they might have life.” As Pope St. John Paul II said in Evangelium vitae, “The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus’ message. …The Gospel of God’s love for man, the Gospel of the dignity of the person and the Gospel of life are a single and indivisible Gospel” (nos. 1 & 2).
“To hope and act with creation” is to acknowledge that all life is a gift from God. Correspondingly, our care for God’s creation is rooted in the dignity of man and woman who are made in the very image and likeness of God. The Creation story found in Genesis 2 denotes the fact that, “We are created by God for relationship — relationship with Him and with one another. We are created to be interdependent and care for one another, especially those who are most vulnerable or going through difficult times.”
Catholic writer Mark Shea sought to flesh out this idea in a July 14, 2014, article in the National Catholic Register entitled, “The Seamless Garment: What It Is and Isn’t.” His purpose was to challenge readers that it was “long past time for Catholics of all stripes to embrace the whole of Catholic teaching and not merely the parts that suit us.”
He wrote in the article about the Church’s “consistent ethic of life.”
Shea observed: “This very typical Catholic balance results in a vision of the human person in which indeed, every human life is sacred and the goal is not merely ‘not killing innocent human life’ (a bare minimum threshold of elementary decency) but the flourishing of human life (in keeping with Jesus’ promise of abundant life). As (Cardinal Joseph) Bernardin puts in his 1984 lecture ‘A Consistent Ethic of Life: Continuing the Dialogue’: ‘Nuclear war threatens life on a previously unimaginable scale; abortion takes life daily on a horrendous scale; public executions are fast becoming weekly events in the most advanced technological society in history; and euthanasia is now openly discussed and even advocated. Each of these assaults on life has its own meaning and morality; they cannot be collapsed into one problem, but they must be confronted as pieces of a larger pattern.’
I want to encourage the Catholics of the Diocese of Syracuse to use the coming month of October to take time out and learn more about the Catholic Church’s social teaching and its connection to issues facing our nation on the November ballot. They can assist us in sorting out as the NYS Bishops have stated, “the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
In summary fashion, they are:
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
Human life and dignity are the foundation upon which all other principles are built. Life is sacred, and the right to life is inalienable. Every person is precious, and this foundation explains why we are called to promote the culture of life.
Care for God’s Creation
We are called to be stewards of our common home: “We must recognize our grave duty to hand the earth on to future generations in such a condition that they can worthily inhabit it and continue to cultivate it.” (Benedict XVI)
Rights and Responsibility
Each individual possesses fundamental rights, especially the right to life, and should have the means for its proper development. Basics such as food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, etc. ensure all human dignity. We are responsible for working for these means for others, for ourselves and for the universal right to them.
Call to Family, Community and Participation
Being inherently social, we live and care for one another in community, starting in our family. We are obliged to help form and participate in our society in a way that affirms the dignity of all.
Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
Work must be understood as a gift to participate in God’s act of creation and we have a right to share in that gift. Work exists for people and not people for work. In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of human work, either because opportunities for gainful employment are limited or humans are being exploited.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
In a society scarred by deepening division between the poor and the rich, our Catholic tradition calls us to prioritize extending care to the poor and marginalized as Jesus did. “Love for the poor is at the center of the Gospel.” (Pope Francis)
So we pray … “Loving and Creator God, we pray that you will make us sensitive to these groans and enable us to have the same compassion as that of Jesus, the redeeming Lord. Grant us a fresh vision of our relationship with Earth, and with one another, as creatures that are made in your image. Amen.” (excerpt from Season of Creation Prayer 2024)
