13 March. An initiative for this time, by Pope Francis, is “24 Hours for the Lord” to be commemorated on Friday and Saturday before 4th Sunday of Lent with Eucharistic adoration, reflection and personal conversion.

Nature as a revelation from God. SEE.  Since her introduction to the Laudato Si Movement and Action Platform Judy had become much more active and aware of the natural beauty of nature and how often it is defaced by pollution, smog, smoke and lack of care for God’s very extensive garden. She liked to quote the passage from Laudato Si’ 85. Nature is also a continuing revelation of the divine. She shared, “I believe that the plant ecosystem is an important link in the chain of life. I think one day neglecting the plant kingdom will be considered a sin, even if not a crime.”   

JUDGE, reflect and share. 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 continuing 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. 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.   Pope Leo:  The heart is the place where external reality has the greatest impact, where the deepest searching takes place, where the most authentic desires are discovered, where one’s ultimate identity is found, and where decisions are formed. It is only by returning to the heart that a true ecological conversion can take place”.  

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 help you choose.  This 24 hours can be commemorated in the parish but also with some time for prayer and reflection in a family, praying especially for peace in the home and the WORLD, A FAMILY OF FAMILIES.