Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he or she who sees takes off their shoes...
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

These words from the poet Browning have a special resonance as we begin the Season of Creation, the annual, ecumenical time of prayer and action on behalf of our planet. It begins on 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Pope Francis in his Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation reminds us that the season is “an opportunity to cultivate our ‘ecological conversion’ and that we are invited to “pray once more in the great cathedral of creation, and revel in the “grandiose cosmic choir” made up of countless creatures, all singing the praises of God”. The Pope calls us to feel even more responsible for acting each day in accordance with the summons to conversion that brings about lasting change.

In 2022 the theme for the season is Listen to the Voice of Creation which offers us a rich entry point for us to consider our vocation to care for our common home. To listen to creation is to recognize that, besides all human beings, other-than-human life, all the species, biomes, and ecosystems have agency, purpose, and a distinct voice. Creation speaks a language of love, of justice and peace, of living within limits, and of respect for the interdependence of all living things throughout all time. Learning the languages of creation entails being in intimate and healthy relationship with the world around us.

The burning bush is the symbol for this year’s Season of Creation and today creation cries out to us as forests crackle, animals flee, and people are forced to migrate due to the fires of injustice. In contrast, the fire that called to Moses as he tended the flock on Mt. Horeb did not consume or destroy the bush. This flame of the Spirit revealed God’s presence. This holy fire affirmed that God heard the cries of all who suffered, and promised to be with us as we followed in faith to our deliverance from injustice.

I have heard their cry. I know their sufferings.
Come, now! I will send you. I will be with you.
Exodus 3: 1-12

As we journey through the Season of Creation may we renew our reverence for Earth and the other creatures with whom we share this planet. May we lament the ways that human activities assault the web of life and restore our faith, love and hope as we renew our efforts to create a more just, habitable world.