Prayers

A Prayer for Our Earth by Pope Francis

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe

and in the smallest of your creatures. 

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty. 

Fill us with peace, that we may live

as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned 

and forgotten of this Earth,

so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it, 

that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain

 at the expense of the poor and the Earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize 

that we are profoundly united with every creature 

as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day. 

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle

for justice, love and peace.

Amen.

Pope Francis published this prayer in Laudato Si’, and is meant for sharing with all who believe in our Creator God.

Dear Creator:

We gather to ask for Your help during this very difficult time.  The activities of humanity have brought our planet perilously close to an environmental catastrophe.  Many of us are working to avoid a breakdown in the fragile web of life on Earth, but we acknowledge that the problem is too big, and we cannot do it alone.

We pray for the leaders of governments across the world to work together to remediate climate change and understand the urgency of the problem so that safe and effective action is taken soon. 

At this time we pray for the inevitable conflicts and political unrest that will follow uncertainty and insecurity and as people compete for dwindling resources.  Ukraine is heavy on our minds now and we pray for an end to the conflict there followed by healing and stability.

We pray for scientists and inventors to continue to find solutions and that You give them insight and wisdom.

We pray for climate activists that they stay strong, speak the truth, and are heard.  We especially pray for our Youth, that they will be strengthened and supported in times of adversity. 

We pray for the victims of Climate Change who have been injured by floods, hurricanes, fires, droughts, tornados, rising sea levels, and all forms of pollution, especially the victims who are without resources.

We pray for the owners and Board members of companies who fear and resist change to open their eyes and understand the consequences of their actions.  We pray they change their hearts so that they will be part of the solution and help all those people and life forms they are now hurting.

We pray for all workers whose jobs are displaced by new and better technologies, that they find meaningful employment.  We pray also that jobs and community resources be fairly given to those groups who have historically been marginalized or have been victims of pollution.

We pray for those people in the media and persons of influence who propagate misinformation about the environment.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they had a change of heart and became champions of the truth?

We pray for those who dismiss Climate Change or still need to be convinced that the problem is real, serious, and urgent, that they have the courage to face the truth, change their minds, and act responsibly. We pray that all people understand the scope of the environmental problem and be motivated to make positive changes.

We pray for people of faith to claim their moral authority and power to impact positive change as they have effectively done in the past for so many of the problems that humanity has faced. 

We pray for individuals to do what they can to lower their carbon footprint, reduce the waste they produce, communicate to our leaders, vote responsibly, and understand the importance of their purchasing choices and the food they eat.

We pray for all people to act responsibly concerning procreation, so that all children born in the future are wanted and loved.

We pray for all those involved in Agriculture, that they find sustainable ways to produce food and preserve the soil and habitats of sensitive species.

We pray for all the creatures and plants of Creation, for their well-being and survival, and we pray that Stewards of the Earth will not become discouraged no matter how insurmountable the odds appear. 

Above all, we pray that the present crisis will bring about a spiritual awakening in the hearts and minds of all people to replace greed with contentment, cooperation, and generosity, to replace condemnation and prejudice with compassion and tolerance, and to replace apathy with thoughtful engagement.  We pray that our attitude towards Nature be one of reverence rather than one where we consider Nature a commodity to be exploited.  We pray that people come to understand that their true place in the web of life is one of humility and respect for all the species on Earth.

Opening Prayer:

My soul will not be quieted.

It is a restless seeker for wholeness and community in the human family. 

Beloved God, let not my fear and sorrow of these times keep me from radiating your light.

Strengthen and guide me Creator and Oneness of all things. In you, I hope.

Reading: 

 "...the expression of sorrow is an expression of love. You mourn what you love. Grief for the world and love for the world are two sides of the same coin. Inseparable…. If you try to pave over the pain because it hurts or pathologize it or drug it then you are losing touch with that great love which, as you experience it, is the great reciprocity at the heart of the universe. It is a two-way street. As you allow yourself to love your world it is loving you back. It is here to discover like jewels in this time of darkness"
                                                                                                                                                                     - Joanna Macy

Intentions:  Response – May it be so.

May all beings be granted the strength, determination and wisdom to extinguish anger and reject violence as a way. Response – May it be so. 

May all suffering cease and may I seek and find the love and compassion that already lives within me and allow them to inspire and permeate my every action. Response – May it be so. 

May I exercise the gift of choice and the power to change what threatens the human family. Response – May it be so. 

May I know freedom so that my fearless, unhindered action will be of benefit to all. Response – May it be so.

Closing Prayer: 

O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us.  May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all beings.  Help us become a community that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens.  Listen to our heart’s longings for the healing of our world.

Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God.  Amen

Canticle of the Creatures

All praise be yours, My Lord

through all that you have made.

And first my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day...

How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor!

Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;

In the heavens you have made them, bright and precious and fair.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air...

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,

So useful, lowly, precious and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,

through whom you brighten up the night...

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother,

Who feeds us...and produces various fruits

With colored flowers and herbs...

Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks,

And serve him with great humility.

- Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

The Sheltering Tree

Hey! Learn to hear my feeble voice.

At the center of the sacred hoop

You have said that I should make the tree to bloom.

With tears running, O Great Spirit, my Grandfather,

With running eyes I must say

The tree has never bloomed

Here I stand, and the tree is withered.

Again, I recall the great vision you gave me.

It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives.

Nourish it then

That it may leaf

And bloom

And fill with singing birds!

Hear me, that the people may once again

Find the good road

And the shielding tree.

- Black Elk

From Interfaith Power and Light with many more interfaith prayers at this link

We hold brothers and sisters who suffer from storms and droughts intensified by climate change.

We hold all species that suffer.

We hold world leaders delegated to make decisions for life.

We pray that the web of life may be mended through courageous actions to limit carbon emissions.

We pray for right actions for adaptation and mitigation to help our already suffering earth community.

We pray that love and wisdom might inspire my actions and our actions as communities. . .

  so that we may, with integrity, look into the eyes of brothers and sisters and all beings and truthfully

  say, we are doing our part to care for them and the future of the children.

May love transform us and our world with new steps toward life

Prayer for our Earth from Pope Francis Encyclical