“Humanity’s abuse of nature requires a true conversion and invites us to change our lifestyles.”
Pope Francis made this appeal in his Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to be held on Sunday September 1 Papal Message: World Day for the Care of Creation 2024. All parishes are encouraged to celebrate a Mass for Creation on this day and consider other actions to foster stewardship of creation.
The theme this year is “Hope and Act with Creation,” drawn from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans (8:19-25), which focuses on the hope of salvation that is born of faith, namely, the newness of life in Christ.
The message is in nine sections, which all highlight our responsibility to take care of our Common Home. It stresses that, as Christians called to live in faith and charity, caring for the environment is “a task to be undertaken freely, in obedience to Jesus’ commandment of love.” The Catholic Bishops Conference have shared a more in depth analysis of the message.
The Pope encourages the faithful to remember their identity as “children of the Father,” suggesting that we are empowered to effectuate concrete change amid living holy lives. In this way, the message concludes, “our lives can become a song of love for God, for humanity, with and for creation, and find their fullness in holiness.”
If you would like more information or suggestions for parish action, please contact caritas@prcdtr.org.uk