Every year from 2015 in the Church, between September 1 and October 4, we celebrate Season of Creation: a time to pray, celebrate, convert, care for and make profound gestures of caring for the Earth and promoting the integral development of human beings. More and more communities, parishes and dioceses are joining this global initiative that encourages Christians from all continents.
Each year, Season of Creation has a theme, jointly chosen by Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants. This year’s theme is “Jubilee for the Earth“. In the midst of the crises of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has shaken our world, we have awakened to an urgent need to heal our relationships with creation and with each other.
At the same time, this crisis has proved to be a time of restoration and hope. We have seen, for example, rivers cleaned up and the air of cities purified, or animals revived and re-inhabited so many places. In other words, the crisis has been a sign of Jubilee for our Earth. We can see how the Earth challenges us to find truly new ways to live on it, less aggressively and more in harmony.
The first day, September 1, is the World Day of Prayer for Creation. In his message, Pope Francis reminded us that during Season of Creation “Christians throughout the world renew their faith in God the Creator and unite in a special way in prayer and work for the defense of the common home.”
This is a special time for us to announce together the Good News of salvation to all creation (Mark 16:15), that is, the good news that integral healing and remediation are meant for the whole Earth and the beings that inhabit it. It is our task to realize very concrete signs of salvation.
With regard to this year’s motto, the Pope pointed out that “in Sacred Scripture, the Jubilee is a sacred time to remember, to return, to rest, to repair and to rejoice“. These attitudes, frequently practiced, will be vital for our proclamation to be convincing, and will help us at the same time to care for God’s creation.
In this way we will be able to transmit to our brothers and sisters the value that the Earth has for being God’s creature and being the sacred place where God’s love is manifested.
