SEPTEMBER 1st:
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
FOR THE CARE OF CREATION
INTRODUCTION
The title of my thoughts for today is, “September 1st: World Day of
Prayer for the Care of Creation.”
THE MIND OF CHRIST
Today’s 1st reading from 1st Corinthians ends
with the words, “Have the mind of Christ.”
What is the mind of Christ when it comes to our care of
the earth?
Jesus told us to
watch and marvel at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field.
However, I don’t think we can be definitive as to Christ’s
thoughts about hydroelectric power plants and light bulbs.
Yet, I believe, we
can come up with opinions on what we think would be smart thoughts about caring
for the earth in 2020 – of course.
So some thoughts about the care of creation in 2020.
SEPTEMBER 1ST
Calling this day “World Day of Prayer for the Care of
Creation” has been around since 2015 for us Catholics,.
However, I don’t remember speaking about this in the past few years.
So last night I did some home work and these are a few of
my thoughts.
I like that the Eastern Orthodox wing of the Christian
Churches began this idea.
Back in the mid-80’s at a big Eastern Orthodox assembly
the issue of environment was discussed big time. Patriarch Bartholomew ends up with the nickname, “The Green
Patriarch.”
Around 2001 different European Christian communities
picked up on this theme and did their best to make worldwide improvements in how we care for creation.
Then in August of 2015 Pope Francis makes his move – by
backing the idea of September 1st as a special day to look at the
environment.
There were documents – called encyclicals from Eastern Orthodox
leaders and then Laudato Si from Francis.
We can ask ourselves what have we picked up from this
focusing on Green Theology etc.
I like the way for different years and different meetings,
groups looked at specific areas. For example: The Black Sea, the Danube, the Adriatic Sea,
the Baltic Sea, the Amazon, the Artic, the Mississippi.
I like the way folks looked at water – not just for
baptism, but for drinking, for agriculture, for recreation, for aqua filters,
etc.
Then there have been calls to look at agriculture and nutrition,
air and atmosphere.
SPECIFIC IMMEDIATE PLACES ON THE PLANET
Next I looked back to the late 1960’s and Monsignor Bob Fox picking 4th street in
Manhattan as a street to be cleaned.dd
On a Saturday, hundreds of people started on Avenue D
near the East River and swept and cleaned their way to the Hudson River on the
West Side. They had trucks, brooms,
shovels and plastic bags and they did it.
I also remember a specific lot – around 6th
street – perhaps between Avenue B and C - where a building had sat. Now it was
just dirt and an empty lot. In this vacuum of space were two old rusty cars – toilet bowls – tons of garbage
and waste – a couch. A group cleared it
– planted grass – put in some benches and a few cement card and chess tables, a
vegetable garden, lights, trees and flowers – painting the back fences etc. and
that lasted for my 2 years on the Lower East Side.
It was a model on what could be done.
I loved hearing about the Cayuga River in Ohio being cleansed. There were newspaper articles that it was the
river that had so much oil on it – that it once was on fire.
I like Gene Grohe’s pride that Lake Erie has been
cleansed a good bit.
So too Perfume Bay
– Stink Creek – just before Coney Island. As kids when we went to Coney Island –
when we went over this water on the subway – we would pause and yell out the
open window, “Phew!” and make out we were choking. It has been cleansed a bit.
I noticed last night that finally that the Gowanus Canal
in Brooklyn might finally get its $500
million clean up check.
CONCLUSION
So once a year now Christians ask that September 1st
we concentrate on how we are caring for the earth.
So talk, pray, and act is the message.
