Isaiah 6:3: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is filled with God’s glory!Opening Prayer:
Creator God, God within us and God beyond us, your wonder fills all that is. Thank you for the gift of all of creation. Teach us to live in peace and harmony with each other and all that you have made. May our world grow in beauty and harmony as we imitate your care for this wondrous world.Reflection:
Describing God as holy often is meant to describe God’s transcendence, God being other than all creation. I like to think of transcendence as the God that is larger than all of creation and yet all of creation is held within God’s very being. There are no limits to God and so the universe can continue to expand and expand and yet be held within the very being of God.
The Earth is filled with God’s glory. The attributes of God are reflected in everything that God has made. When I encounter another person or when I spend time in nature, I can see something of God. Our Loving Parent chooses to be made known in everything that is. Having the same parent, we are truly brothers and sisters to all humans and to all of creation.
We are called to live in peace. We are called to live as holy people just as God is holy since we are made in the image of God. Holiness for us does mean holding all people and all creation in a loving way, just as creation is held within God’s very being. We are called also to live in peace and justice in our relations with all people and all of creation.
Reflection Question:
Reflect on what it means to be held within the very being of God. What does it mean for you to hold all people and all creation in a loving way?
(Pause for a moment of silent reflection)
Prayer Intentions:
Response: God, hear us.
That we recognize the gift and value of all species and work for an end to their extinction, we pray.
That we choose to recognize all as our brothers and sisters and care for each other and all creation with love, we pray.
That we live in gratitude for all the wondrous gifts given us by our Creator God, we pray.
Closing Prayer:
God of the sun and the moon, of the mountains, deserts and plains,
God of the mighty oceans, of rivers, lakes and streams
God of all creatures that live in seas and fly in the air
of every living thing that grows and moves on this sacred Earth.
We are formed by Christ into Your People, called to bring the world into Your marvelous light.
As the Body of Christ, we are messengers of ecological vocation.
We are entrusted with caring for this Earth which You have created.
Help us to love and respect it; to repair what we have damaged;
to care for what You have made good and holy.
Give us the wisdom and the passion to change our minds, our hearts and our ways.
Let us be mustard seeds in our world bringing about ecological conversion which grows and spreads to every corner of the Earth
For our sake now and for every generation which is to come. Amen.
(Catholic Earthcare Australia, 2002)
Dominican Blessing: May God the Creator bless us, May God Redeemer heal us and May God, the Holy Spirit, fill us with peace.
Suggested Practice: I commit myself to add one new practice to the ways I already care for creation.
Join us to Be Peace, Build Peace, and Preach Peace. You can reach us via email at vocation@oppeace.org.
Please share this Novena on your Facebook page and forward it to at least 5 people. The Seventh Day of the Novena will be a prayer for Peace within our Family.To download and print a copy of this reflection, please click here.
Prepared by Sr. Diana Kozlowski, OP, Columbus, OH.
Opening Prayer:
Creator God, God within us and God beyond us, your wonder fills all that is. Thank you for the gift of all of creation. Teach us to live in peace and harmony with each other and all that you have made. May our world grow in beauty and harmony as we imitate your care for this wondrous world.
Reflection:
Describing God as holy often is meant to describe God’s transcendence, God being other than all creation. I like to think of transcendence as the God that is larger than all of creation and yet all of creation is held within God’s very being. There are no limits to God and so the universe can continue to expand and expand and yet be held within the very being of God.
The Earth is filled with God’s glory. The attributes of God are reflected in everything that God has made. When I encounter another person or when I spend time in nature, I can see something of God. Our Loving Parent chooses to be made known in everything that is. Having the same parent, we are truly brothers and sisters to all humans and to all of creation.
We are called to live in peace. We are called to live as holy people just as God is holy since we are made in the image of God. Holiness for us does mean holding all people and all creation in a loving way, just as creation is held within God’s very being. We are called also to live in peace and justice in our relations with all people and all of creation.
Reflection Question:
Reflect on what it means to be held within the very being of God. What does it mean for you to hold all people and all creation in a loving way?
(Pause for a moment of silent reflection)
Prayer Intentions:
Response: God, hear us.