Prayer for the World May 19, 2025
- Victory Noll Sisters
- May 19
- 3 min read
A People of Courage
Introduction
The reading for reflection in our prayer today is by Dan Misleh, Executive Director of Catholic Climate Covenant. He speaks of his confidence that “…Pope Leo will continue to uplift those most impacted by our environmental neglect and call us to be better caretakers of our common home” following in Pope Francis’ footsteps.
Song: We Are Here by Sharon Burch
Mother Earth says, “Now take good care of me
Please do not hurt me, hey, hey-oh Hey-oh, hey-oh, hey-oh”
Please do not hurt me, hey, hey-oh Hey-oh, hey-oh, hey-oh”
And all living creatures say, “Take good care of us
Please do not hurt us, hey, hey-oh Hey-oh, hey-oh, hey-oh.
And we are here to be ourselves To be with one another
To be with our surroundings To be, to be
And we are here to take care of ourselves To take care of one another
To take care of our surroundings Take care, to care
And we are here to love ourselves To love one another
To love our surrounding To love, to love, to love.
Reading for Reflection
As he (Pope Leo) addressed the massive crowd that evening in St. Peter’s Square, he said it takes courage to live our faith fully and to transform the world into one that embraces bridge-building, dialogue, and understanding.
I believe that Pope Leo XIV understands that we are I a transformative time, much like Leor XIII did when he penned Rerum Novarum. Among the many crises we face, few argue that climate chaos is not chief among them. So I have no doubt that Pope Leo will continue to uplift those most impacted by our environmental neglect and call us to better caretakers of our common home. He will follow in the footsteps of not only our beloved Pope Francis, but Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II, both inspiring teachers of our social mission.
Living our faith courageously is not some distant dream. Personally, I find great hope in our youth and young adults. For example, 31-year-old Fernando Garcia in Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana is working to implement energy audits and systemic change in his parish, as well as promoting Catholic Social Teaching around care for creation. Many who still embrace the faith are calling on their Catholic leaders to step up and address the crisis through concrete actions, such as committing Catholic facilities to a net-zero approach to emissions and sharing the teaching in our liturgies and Church celebrations. Dan Misleh
Silent Prayer
This teaching on creation care is at the core of our faith. It goes back to Genesis, which is several thousand years older than Earth Day. We need to recover those ancient and timeless traditions to be stewards of God’s good gift of creation (our relationship with nature), recognize that we must do so through prayer (our relationship with God), and demonstrate active concern for our fellow travelers (our relationship with one another), especially those most impacted by our neglect, the poor and vulnerable. Dan Misleh
A Prayer for Our Earth
All powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey toward your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace. Pope Francis
Silent Prayer
Closing Song