During her last five years, my aunt lived at Nazareth Home Clifton. She had suffered a stroke and was confined to a wheelchair with limited mobility. I went to visit her once or twice a week and whenever the weather allowed, I would roll her to their garden courtyard.
While we sat there together, she would observe everything and often comment on the bright blue color of the sky, the shapes of the clouds or a particular flower that caught her eye.
She frequently repeated a bit of wisdom that I will always remember, “If anyone is upset or troubled about anything, they need to come to a place like this and sit, just sit. It will bring them peace.”
Indeed, time spent in nature, in the world of God’s creation, can restore our spirits. But this healing power doesn’t come from nature alone.
In their 2016 statement on “Renewing the Earth,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops began by reminding us, “Nature shares in God’s goodness, and contemplation of its beauty and richness raises our hearts and minds to God.”
St. Francis of Assisi perfectly illustrated this in his great song of praise, the Canticle of Creatures. He begins each stanza with the phrase, “Praise to you, My Lord, (Laudato Si’ Signore) through all your creatures — Brother Son, Sister Water, Brother Wind, Mother Earth.”
Pope Leo XIV referred to this in his homily for the first Mass for the Care of Creation:
“With infinite love, God has created all things and given them life. That is why St. Francis of Assisi could call every creature his brother, his sister and his mother. Only a contemplative gaze can change our relationship with creation and bring us out of the ecological crisis brought on by the breakdown of our relationship with God, with our neighbors and with the earth, that is the effect of sin.”
In other words, only by learning to love and appreciate the beauty and goodness of God’s gifts will we care enough to undertake the hard work of repairing the damage and healing our broken relationships with the earth and all who share our common home.
This process of healing is mutual. By restoring our connections with the natural environment, with our Creator and all our fellow creatures, our spirit also will be healed.
With this in mind, I am inviting everyone to observe the 2025 Season of Creation, from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4, by taking time to observe and reflect on the wonder of God’s Creation. You can find Season of Creation resources online at seasonofcreation.org.
In the Archdiocese, there are a number of events planned to celebrate this season, including a Green Mass at St. Raphael Church on Sept. 25 and several short pilgrimages on different dates in different locations. Many parishes and schools are also making their own plans.
There is great value in gathering with others to reflect on God’s goodness revealed in nature and recommit ourselves to caring for our common home. As Pope Leo told the young pilgrims gathered at Medjugorje, “The path toward the Lord is traveled together. That is the beauty of faith lived in the church.”
Pam Raidt is a member of St. Francis of Assisi Church, retired from teaching in the Archdiocese of Louisville and serves on the Archdiocesan Creation Care Team.
