Killing the Praise of God - Part 2

Scriptures do say that humans have a unique place in creation, but we are still part of creation, we are not separate from it. When we forget that we can end up treating creation as simply a resource to be exploited for our own gain, and we ignore the relationship we have with the world around us. Francis of Assisi understood the close relationship humans have with creation deeply. Near the end of his life Francis wrote a song which expresses this relationship of humans with other parts of God’s creation eloquently. I quote the first part of the song here:

Canticle of the Sun Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
     all praise is Yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong,
     and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.
Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,
     especially Sir Brother Sun,
     who is the day through whom You give us light.
     and he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,
     of You Most High, he bears the likeness.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
     in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
     and fair and stormy, all weather's moods,
     by which You cherish all that You have made.
Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,
     so useful, humble, precious and pure.
Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,
     through whom You light the night
     and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You my Lord through our Sister, Mother Earth
     who sustains and governs us,
     producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.

For Francis the various parts of creation were his sisters and brothers, not to be exploited or taken for granted, but rather reasons to give God praise. We would all do well to adopt the approach of Saint Francis. Take some time this summer to commit to being a better sibling of creation. Think about specific ways you can help maintain or even strengthen creation’s praise of God. It is part of our Christian responsibility to be good stewards of the world God created, and we need to strive to do that in personal and corporate ways. There are many young people leading such efforts, may their youthful energy and enthusiasm rub off on all of us.

There is a prayer in the Iona Abbey worship book that I quite appreciate. The Iona faith community is shaped by the Celtic Christian tradition, along with its appreciation of creation, reflected beautifully in this prayer that I am using to conclude this post:

There is no pain in our hearts or in our planet
     that you do not know,
     for you have touched the lowest places on earth.
Teach us to grieve with you, O Christ,
     the loss of all the beauty that is being killed.
There is no place in the heavens
     that cannot be touched by your resurrection presence,
     for you fill all things.
Give us strength in your victory over death
     to grow into your way of love,
     which does not despair but keeps sowing seeds of hope
     and making signs of wholeness.
Under Christ’s control
     all the different parts of the body fit together
     and the whole body is held together
     by every joint with which it is provided.
Teach us to know our interconnectedness with all things.
Teach us to grow with each other
     and all living creatures through love. Amen. 

I hope, dear reader, that you get many opportunities to get out in nature. I hope you find restoration and inspiration in the midst of God’s creation. Listen to the birds sing, watch deer gracefully leaping, marvel at how squirrels jump from branch to branch, let your imagination soar with the pelicans floating majestically on updrafts, be delightfully surprised when a meteorite streaks across the night sky, hear the rumble of a thunderstorm in the depths of your being, soak in the saturated colours of a sunset, breath in the fragrance of flowers in bloom, feel the warmth of the sun on your face, walk in the dampness of grass covered in dew, enjoy God’s creation in all its diversity and wonder. Then join your praise with the praise of all creation, giving thanks to God for this amazing world.

The prayer is from the Iona Abbey Worship Book

Wild Goose Publications - Compilation © 2001 The Iona Community
The picture of the waterfall in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone by Dennis Hendricksen