Encounter Christ in Creation
OPENING REFLECTION:
Think of your daily habits. How do you care for creation in your day-to-day life? How might you improve your habits to become more intentional about recognizing God’s presence in creation, and to enter into more authentic communion with creation? Do you ever consider the communities most affected by careless ecological practices?
REFLECTIONS FROM POPE FRANCIS:
“’The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast’.[152] For this reason, the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion. It must be said that some committed and prayerful Christians, with the excuse of realism and pragmatism, tend to ridicule expressions of concern for the environment. Others are passive; they choose not to change their habits and thus become inconsistent. So what they all need is an ‘ecological conversion,’ whereby the effects of their encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with the world around them. Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.” (Laudato Si’, 217)
FOR PRAYERFUL CONSIDERATION:
Where do you find Christ in creation? By encountering Christ in creation, do you recognize your responsibility to be in right relationship with the environment? How does an encounter with Christ—present in the cries of the earth and the cries of the poor—fuel an ecological conversion?
PROCESS: Art as Creation
Pope Francis reminds us, “When we can see God reflected in all that exists, our hearts are moved to praise the Lord.” Consider creating a piece of artwork—a poem, painting, prayer—that reflects how your heart is moved to an ecological conversion.
CLOSING PRAYER: God of all people, may we be your hands in caring for all creation.
