The season was initiated in the Eastern Orthodox church in 1989 and has been supported by many churches over the years, from 2019 including the Catholic Church.  It offers a range of suggestions, resources, liturgical celebrations, and an possible  blessing of animals, pets, domestic and wild, around feast of St Francis. Visit   www.seasonofcreation.org

The season begins on 1 September with the Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation proposed by Pope Francis.  Our  common prayer and action can support us as we lament the individuals, communities, species, and ecosystems that are lost, and those whose livelihoods are threatened by habitat loss, climate change and conflicts. Our overall action is a response to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor. 

“SEEDS OF PEACE AND HOPE.”   Theme and Message of Pope Leo XIV for the 10th World Day of Prayer for Creation 1 September 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters!  The theme chosen by Pope Francis is most timely while celebrating the 2025 Jubilee as Pilgrims of Hope. Jesus often used the image of the seed, comparing himself to the grain of wheat that must die so as to bear fruit (Jn 12:24). Seeds are buried in the earth, life springs up, even in unexpected places, pointing to the promise of new beginnings. In Christ, we too are “seeds of peace and hope.” The prophet Isaiah tells that “the Spirit of God, poured out on us, can make an arid and parched desert into a garden, a place of rest and serenity. The wilderness will become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field a forest. Justice and righteousness will abide and the work of righteousness will be peace, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places” (Is 32:15-18). Passage taken from the Season of Creation guide.

These words remind us that with prayer, determination and concrete actions are necessary if this “caress of God” is to become visible to our world (LS 84). The prophet contrasts justice and law with the desolation of the desert.  In parts of the world our earth is being ravaged. Injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities and greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution and loss of biodiversity. Extreme natural phenomena caused by climate changes provoked by human activity are growing in intensity and frequency, together with the effects of the human and ecological devastation wrought by armed conflicts.

When justice and peace are trampled underfoot, those most hurt are the poor, the marginalized and the excluded, such as indigenous communities.  Nature is reduced to a bargaining chip, God’s creation turns into a battleground for the control of vital resources. The wounds are the effect of sin and surely not what God had in mind when he entrusted the earth to men and women whom he created in his image (cf. Gen 1:24-29). The Bible provides no justification for us to exercise “tyranny over creation,” (LS200) Texts are to be read in their context. overseeing and preserving, implying mutual responsibility between human beings and nature” LS67.

Environmental justice can no longer be regarded as an abstract or distant goal, but an urgent need that involves more than protecting the environment. It is a matter of justice – social, economic and human. For believers it is also a duty born of faith, since the universe reflects the face of Jesus Christ, in whom all things were created and redeemed. I pray that Almighty God will send us in abundance his “Spirit from on high” so that these seeds, and others like them, may bring forth an abundant harvest of peace and hope.

MARFAM INTRODUCTION SEPTEMBER.  Our World of Families and Season of Creation.  A fairly recent insight in Church thinking is integral ecology and the need for Care of creation.  We, the various forms of the human family, with different religions, political ideologies and experiences of wealth and poverty are the greatest threat to our world’s security and stability today.  Every other family in creation will suffer because of our actions. Is this the heritage we want to leave to our children?  How can the harmful attitude be redeemed during this Season of Creation from 1 September to 4 October in harmony with other Christian churches and the various resources including Jubilee 2025.  Pope Francis:Human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a right to life and happiness, and endowed with unique dignity. We cannot fail to consider the effects on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development and a throwaway culture. LS 43. Culture is more than what we have inherited from the past; it is also, a living dynamic and participatory present reality, which cannot be excluded as we rethink the relationship between human beings and the environment. LS143.  Jubilee  All  the baptized, with their respective charisms and ministries, are co-responsible for ensuring that manifold signs of hope bear witness to God’s presence in the world.  SNC17.

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY. September 1.   LISTEN TO THE CRY OF THE  POOR.    (From BECOMING ECO-FRIENDLY FAMILIES)

Families are asked to reflect and share together. Who are the poor? Jesus, in his Beatitudes – his blueprint for life – said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Is poverty an attitude, a spiritual vision of life, or is it material, as in having little or nothing by way of resources?  Are these different aspects of poverty?  The disadvantaged, disenfranchised and homeless people are often hopeless and even helpless. They may have little except their own selves and yet have the same dignity of the children of God as those more endowed with material possessions. 

Saint Mother Teresa, the most recognised champion of the poor, worked tirelessly with her sisters caring for the destitute in the city of Calcutta, providing food and care for the sick and dying. She also often said that the greatest poverty in in the world is to feel unloved. St Francis himself chose and embraced poverty as a treasure, like Mother Teresa showing how a passionate love of God is one antidote against poverty.  But what is the child crying for, who is forced to go to bed hungry, as there is absolutely no food in her shack for her or her brothers and sisters?  Is it love, or is it a simple piece of bread, maybe with jam or peanut butter?  Are the poor the mothers or fathers with no work or shelter desperate to care for their children? Are the poor crying out of resentment, out of pain or misery?

Reflect, share, act. Scripture:  Jesus said, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  From Luke 4:16-30.    “The Church’s love for the poor is a part of her constant tradition.”  Catechism of the Catholic Church (2444, 2448)   Pope Francis: The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together. The gravest effects of all attacks on the environment (by humanity) are suffered by the poorest. Our world has a grave social debt towards the poor who lack access to drinking water, because they are denied the right to a life consistent with their inalienable dignity.LS 30.   Approximately a third of all food produced is discarded and whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor.  LS 50  “We are called to form consciences not to replace them. AL 37.  Ecological education can take place in a variety of settings: at school, in families, in the media, in catechesis and elsewhere. Good education plants seeds when we are young, and these continue to bear fruit throughout life.  LS213. Eco-tip and prayer: Prayerfully consider: The poor should be directly involved and take responsibility in addressing the issue of poverty, which should not only be a case of handouts and decisions by those in power and church leadership.  How can each family take responsible action? DAILY PRAYER.  God of love show us as families how to be channels of Your love for all Your creatures.  Pour out Your Spirit upon us as we pray and work together to tend the garden and foster peace with creation.