Paul Robson, SJ
On September 1st each year, in the Orthodox Church, the church year starts with a commemoration of God’s creation of the world; and in 1989 the Orthodox Church declared that that date would be a day of prayer for the environment. Christian groups like the World Council of Churches later proposed a “Time for Creation”. In 2015, Pope Francis designated September 1st as a World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation for the Catholic Church. Nowadays many Christian groups observe a Season of Creation from September 1 until October 4, with the latter date being the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.
In our Gospel reading for this Sunday, we hear: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down to estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28) This question suggests that we should take the long view, that we should look ahead and plan ahead. I’m reminded of the Indigenous teaching which states that we should consider how our actions will impact those who will live seven generations from now. How do our actions today affect other people and all of creation today; but also, what about the people and the world and all the creatures of the future?
