Today we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ Encyclical
Laudato Si. Five years ago Pope Francis
appealed for an inclusive dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our
planet. Pope Francis called the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency
of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path.
This encyclical was written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common
future with candor and humility.
The title is taken from the first line of the encyclical,
"Laudato si', mi Signore," or "Praise be to you, my Lord."
In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us
that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a
beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. The encyclical is divided
into six chapters which together provide a thorough analysis of human life and
its three intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbor, and with the
earth. At noon today Christians around the world are called to pray:
Loving God, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in
them, You created us in your image and made us stewards of all your creation,
of our common home. You blessed us with
the sun, water and bountiful land so that all might be nourished. Open our minds and touch our hearts, so that
we may attend to your gift of creation. Help
us to be conscious that our common home belongs not only to us, but to all
future generations, and that it is our responsibility to preserve it. May we help each person secure the food and
resources that they need. Be present to
those in need in these trying times, especially the poorest and those most at
risk of being left behind. Transform our
fear, anxiety and feelings of isolation into hope so that we may experience a
true conversion of the heart. Help us to
show creative solidarity in addressing the consequences of this global pandemic,
Make us courageous to embrace the changes that are needed in search of the common
good, Now more than ever may we feel that we are all interconnected, in our
efforts to lift up the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen
Let us pray in solidarity with people all over the world
for our common home – the earth.
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