Scripture: I will heal their faithlessness. I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.  I will be as the dew to Israel, he shall strike root as the poplar, his shoots shall spread out, his beauty shall be like the olive and his fragrance like Lebanon. Hosea 14:1-9.  Pope Francis:  “God has written a precious book whose letters are the multitude of created things present in the universe. From panoramic vistas to the tiniest living form, nature is a constant source of wonder and awe.   It is also a continuining revelation of the divine.  LS 85

St Francis asked that part of the friary garden always be left untouched, so that wild flowers and herbs could grow there, and those who saw them could raise their minds to God, the Creator of such beauty. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.  LS12. It is significant that the harmony which St Francis experienced with all creatures was seen as a healing of the rupture of broken relationships with creation. St Bonaventure held that through universal reconciliation with every creature, St Francis in some way returned to the state of original innocence. Today sin is manifest in all its destructive power in wars, the various forms of violence and abuse, the abandonment of the most vulnerable and attacks on nature.  LS66.

Reflect, share, act, pray.  Do you think you could fall in love with nature? If so, what aspect?  Find out more about the Laudato Si Movement and the Action Platform in order to become active in your aspect of choice. St Patrick, whose feast is today, also used nature to teach, about God and the Trinity.