Season of Creation, 1st September – 4th October 2019

Published on September 10, 2019

Please go to the website of the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference – www.catholicbishops.ie – for information on the Season, and information on where more material can be accessed. Pope Francis says ‘Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years. Yet we are called to be instruments of God the Father, so that our planet might be what he desired when he created it, and correspond with his plan for peace, beauty and fullness. Pope John Paul II says ‘Faced with the sacredness of life and of the human person, and before the marvels of the universe, wonder is the only appropriate attitude.

Reflection

Following one’s vocation is a response from within to the needs outside us. A vocation meets the human needs of the world but with a motivation from within. We care for our children and grandchildren not just because they are sick or insecure, but because we love them. this love will move us out to help them in various situations. We find a call to be ‘people for others’ because our heart teaches us that with Jesus we are all brothers and sisters, and that God wants to save the world, and needs our help to do so. This is the Sunday we all pray that our particular vocation in life may become clear and may become stronger. God calls each of us to love God and love our neighbour. This is the first Christian calling at our Baptism; we then find the best way for each of us with our own particular set of gifts, talents and even weaknesses to live out that call to love. We think especially today of religious life and priesthood. There are needs for priests, sisters and brothers in most parts of the world. as a community in families and parishes we thank those who have given their lives in these vocations and pray they may increase.