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September 17.  Saint Hildegard von Bingen, Doctor of the Church.   PRESERVE WILD LIFE.  (From Becoming Eco-Friendly Families)  I remember being amused by a car bumper sticker I saw ages ago, “preserve wild life, pickle a squirrel.”   WIth a much more finely honed environmental conscience I don’t find that funny any more. We have done too much harm to wild life, destroying their habitats and migration routes, poaching and trafficking in rhino horns and pangolins. At the same time nature conservation is a growing industry, enjoyed widely by tourists – families of course too.  It is to study and be able to protect species that are at partial or total risk of extinction. Many thousands of plant and animal species do become extinct each year, but rewilding projects and ongoing research in scientific study of all aspects of wild life are a sign of hope.   

Few things can beat a couple of days in a game park where many of us chase around looking for the big five – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo.  Others study birds, trees and all types of vegetation, insects and the myriad other elements that are needed to make up a successful eco-system.    The majority of people have not experienced this luxury but many do have knowledge and love of wild life, while others know little and care less.

St Hildegard von Bingen, was a remarkable holy woman, way ahead of her time in the 11th century.   She was a religious abbess and founded monasteries, but was also an artist, writer, composer, a nature conservationist, and pharmacist who studied the environment and created medicines which she administered to the sick who came to her. 

A mystic and theologian, she received visions which caused her to see humans as “living sparks” of God’s love, coming from God as daylight comes from the sun. Sin destroys the original harmony of creation; Christ’s redeeming death and resurrection opened up new possibilities. Virtuous living reduces the estrangement from God and others caused by sin.  Like all mystics, Hildegard recognised the harmony of God’s creation and the place of women and men.

Reflect, share, act. Scripture:   Simon, do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Her sins, which are many are forgiven for she loved much.” Luke 7:36-50.   Pope Francis:  It may well disturb us to learn of the extinction of mammals or birds as they are more visible. But the good healthy functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles and an innumerable variety of microorganisms to maintain the equilibrium of a particular place.  Many birds and insects which disappear due to synthetic agrotoxins are helpful for agriculture: their disappearance will have to be compensated for by other techniques. A sober look at our world shows that the degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is making our earth less rich and beautiful.  We seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something which we have created ourselves.  LS 34

 Eco-tip:  Reflect on and discuss scientific developments in medicine that support or manipulate life and where possible advocate for justice and the right to life.

DAILY FAMILY PRAYER from Season of Creation 2026.  May God our Father, who brought water from a rock, sustain us in the desert. May Christ our Lord, who is Living Water, refresh us for the work of restoration.  May the Holy Spirit carry us on currents of grace until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amen. St Francis guide and inspire us on our way.