Tag Archives: leo-xiv

Magnifica humanitas

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INTRODUCTION

1. Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together. Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible. Yet every era also runs the risk of creating an inhumane and more unjust world. Whenever humanity is in danger of marring its true identity, we Christians lift our eyes to the Incarnate God, knowing that it is “only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear.” [1] In Jesus Christ, this humanity in its grandeur becomes the Way, the Truth and the Life, opening the path for each of us to grow toward fullness.

2. Founded on Christ, the living stone, we experience the powerful and mysterious action of the Holy Spirit, and we believe that every authentic human effort to cooperate with him for the good will be blessed by our heavenly Father, in whom we place our hope. For this reason, we can diligently contribute to every initiative that builds a more just world, and we can call others to collaborate in promoting the integral development of every human being. We wish to engage in dialogue with all men and women of our time, with whom we share in the events, questions and aspirations of humanity. [2] Together with them, we seek to identify new paths for the common good and for promoting a dignified life for all. Indeed, openness to dialogue is an integral part of the Church’s vocation because, constituted in Christ as “a sacrament… of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race,” [3] she recognizes history as the place where the Gospel challenges and directs human experience.

For more:

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html

The presentation of the encyclical in on YouTube. Pope Leo’s short summary at the end of the video is worth waiting for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxcXcP6NyRM

The Season of Creation: September 1-October 4

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Ten years ago, Pope Francis called for A World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation for September 1st. The day of prayer, coinciding with the publication of his letter Laudato si’ , began a Season of Creation, an ecumenical endeavor shared with other churches and communities that extends from September 1st to October 4th, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. 

Our church calendar, besides feasts and seasons, has days of prayer when particular causes  arise. In a recent letter, Pope Leo called the care of creation a particularly timely issue to pray for:

“…given the evidence in various parts of the world that our earth is being ravaged. On all sides, injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution and the loss of biodiversity. Extreme natural phenomena caused by climate changes provoked by human activity are growing in intensity and frequency (cf. Laudato Deum, 5), to say nothing of the medium and long-term effects of the human and ecological devastation being wrought by armed conflicts.

As yet, we seem incapable of recognizing that the destruction of nature does not affect everyone in the same way. When justice and peace are trampled underfoot, those who are most hurt are the poor, the marginalized and the excluded. The suffering of indigenous communities is emblematic in this regard.

That is not all. Nature itself is reduced at times to a bargaining chip, a commodity to be bartered for economic or political gain. As a result, God’s creation turns into a battleground for the control of vital resources. We see this in agricultural areas and forests peppered with landmines, “scorched earth” policies, [1] conflicts over water sources, and the unequal distribution of raw materials, which penalizes the poorer nations and undermines social stability itself…

Environmental justice – implicitly proclaimed by the prophets – can no longer be regarded as an abstract concept or a distant goal. It is an urgent need that involves much more than simply protecting the environment. For it is a matter of justice – social, economic and human. For believers it is also a duty born of faith, since the universe reflects the face of Jesus Christ, in whom all things were created and redeemed. In a world where the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters are the first to suffer the devastating effects of climate change, deforestation and pollution, care for creation becomes an expression of our faith and humanity.

Now is the time to follow words with deeds.”

 ( For THE 10th WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
FOR THE CARE OF CREATION 2025)

Recently, the Dicastery for Divine Worship provided a preliminary text for a Mass for the Care of Creation. A good resource for prayer during the Season of Creation.

MASS FOR THE CARE OF CREATION

Entrance Antiphon Ps 18: 2

The heavens declare the Glory of God,

and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands.

Collect

God our Father,

who in Christ, the firstborn of all creation,

called all things into being,

grant, we pray, that docile to the life-giving breath of your Spirit, we may lovingly care for

the work of your hands.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive, O Father,

these fruits of the earth and of our hands:

bring to completion in them the work of your creation,

so that, transformed by the Holy Spirit,

they may be for us the food and drink of eternal life.

Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

cf. Ps 97: 3

Prayer after Communion

May the sacrament of unity

which we have received, O Father,

increase communion with you and with our brothers and sisters,

so that, as we await the new heavens and the new earth,

we may learn to live in harmony with all creatures.

Through Christ our Lord.

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/creation/documents/20250630-messaggio-giornata-curacreato.html