…each creature has its own purpose.  None is superfluous.  The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, [God’s] boundless affection for us.  Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.                                              Laudato Si’ §84

We, poor instruments that we are, sow, plant, water, but God alone gives the growth. It has to be this way because God alone is the source of all good.                                                                                                                                           Gailhac 28 July 1872

Everything is the center of the world. Everything is sacred.                                                                                           Black Elk

We are earthly beings. Not only are we of the planet Earth, we are also of the earth, in the sense
of the soil…:the earth that feeds us and allows us to live and share in life…My initial relationship with the earth is not with Earth as a planet, part of a solar system, but with the earth on which I took my first steps; on which I smelled my first smells, both pleasant and unpleasant; on which, in time, I took firmer steps; on which I jumped, toiled, and shed tears.
Ivone Gebara, Longing for Running Waters

How would I describe my relationship with the earth, the world around me?  What passages from Scripture come to mind as I reflect on these readings?  What concrete action can I take today to demonstrate my commitment to care for our Common Home?

Prayer:   Loving God, as RSHM, we recognize the interconnectedness of all creation, and want to proclaim “fullness of life for all” through our relationships with one another, all peoples, and our Earth.  May we reveal your loving tenderness as we respond to the urgent cries of our beautiful, yet broken, Common Home.  Amen.