Is God Green?
OCTOBER 25TH, 2009 — 33RD SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
JEREMIAH 31: 7-9, PSALM OF THE COSMOS, MARK 10: 46-52
Dear Friends,
On this weekend, Churches throughout the world are ringing their bells 350 times in solidarity with the United Nations proclaimed International Climate Action Day. The thesis is that unless we reduce carbon emissions to 350 parts per million, life on this planet will be unsustainable due to the global warming climate changes that come about. Each of us is invited to consider how we might simplify our lives and how we might share the gifts we have with those who have less. (If you are interested in learning more, a group called Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light has quite a ministry {www.mipandl.org.) In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus heals Bartimaeus, a blind man, who then follows Jesus down the road with a heart bursting with gratitude. We, too, are deeply blessed . We think so often that we could have been born somewhere that didn't have electricity or running water or opportunities for education or wonderful family and friends and community to worship with and be supported by or health and home and garden. How can we share with others the fruits of these many blessings? We find ourselves moved to gratitude, praying that our every breath may be a thank you to God for all the blessings that God has bestowed on us. This Psalm of the Cosmos (which we will use for the second reading) expresses some of this grateful wonder!
Psalm of the Cosmos
Loving God, all creation calls you blessed,
and so do we, and so do we.
Loving God, all your creation calls you blessed.
Your spirit imprints the whole universe with life and mystery.
Yes, all creation proclaims your love.
We now join this chorus of praise.
Loving God, all of nature calls you blessed,
and so do we.
For you have woven an intimate tapestry
and call it life
and called it good.
In love you have formed a universe so diverse yet so related,
and into its web you call us forth
to walk the land and swim the sea
with all our natural brothers and sisters.
To the stars
we seem no more than blades of grass.
Yet to you, each of us,
as each blade of grass and each star,
is an irreplaceable treasure,
an essential companion on this journey of love.
Loving God, as you lure the whole world into salvation,
guide us with your Spirit
that we might not be only pilgrims on the earth,
but pilgrims with the earth,
journeying home to you.
Open our hearts to understand
the intimate relationship that you have with all creation.
Only with this faith can we hope for tomorrow's children.
Amen. Alleluia!
Loving God, loving God,
all creation calls you blessed,
and so do we, and so do we.
and so do we, and so do we.
Loving God, all your creation calls you blessed.
Your spirit imprints the whole universe with life and mystery.
Yes, all creation proclaims your love.
We now join this chorus of praise.
Loving God, all of nature calls you blessed,
and so do we.
For you have woven an intimate tapestry
and call it life
and called it good.
In love you have formed a universe so diverse yet so related,
and into its web you call us forth
to walk the land and swim the sea
with all our natural brothers and sisters.
To the stars
we seem no more than blades of grass.
Yet to you, each of us,
as each blade of grass and each star,
is an irreplaceable treasure,
an essential companion on this journey of love.
Loving God, as you lure the whole world into salvation,
guide us with your Spirit
that we might not be only pilgrims on the earth,
but pilgrims with the earth,
journeying home to you.
Open our hearts to understand
the intimate relationship that you have with all creation.
Only with this faith can we hope for tomorrow's children.
Amen. Alleluia!
Loving God, loving God,
all creation calls you blessed,
and so do we, and so do we.
(by Source unknown)
We invite you to come and pray with us at Spirit of Life and share in the experience of who each of us are which graces our time together. We are a Catholic community where every voice is heard, and women and men are unafraid to acknowledge the equality of women and men; and to embrace feminine as well as masculine... and beyond... images of God. As a community, we try wholeheartedly to "be Christ" to one another, to tend to the needs of one another, and to those in need in our world. Together, we celebrate our belief that we are being transformed by God's grace as we gather together in prayer. We warmly invite you to come and gather with us at our Table, and join in our experience of the "kin-dom" of God. We are an inclusive, open, affirming and interactive community, deeply committed to being a people of "justice and joy."
May your heart be an open space for others to find a home,
Find more about past weekly reflections and podcasts in our ARCHIVE PAGE.
