As a follower of God, I pray a lot. It’s only natural.
But I was challenged recently in an inadvertent way: as a committed Christian environmentalist, do I pray FOR God’s creation? Hmmm. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I do not often do that. I pray for God’s followers as stewards of God’s creation, and, along with that, for my own creation stewardship. I pray for the church, that it might give better practice and witness to earth care. I pray for a healthy environment for my grandchildren and their grandchildren (and their grandchildren), and, by implication, for all future generations. But do I pray for the earth itself? Do I pray for the blessing of God’s very own handiwork, creatio divina? It’s a nuance that gave me pause.
And then through an acquaintance I came across a prayer for creation published by the Episcopal Church, “A Litany for the Planet,” and though I have not yet been able to discover its source, it struck me strongly that it was a prayer I had been neglecting. So I have begun to pray it, and, as with all good prayer, enter into the practice of joining with God to see it manifest as best I can. It takes me to diverse places of creation care and environmental concern. And so, in the spirit of Francis of Assisi’s "Canticle of the Sun," I offer it here for my readers to pray as well.
“A Litany for the Planet”
On your earth, the garden of life,Creator, have mercy.On soil, that it may be fruitful in all seasons,Creator, have mercy.On rocks and minerals that form the foundations for life,Creator, have mercy.On volcanoes and lava flows that reveal the power of earth’s core,Creator, have mercy.On hills and great mountains; on cliffs, caves, and valleys,Creator, have mercy.On deserts and their hardy creatures,Creator, have mercy.On your waters, which sustain a diverse community of life,Creator, have mercy.On coral reefs, and on the animals, plants, and fish that inhabit them,Creator, have mercy.On ocean deeps, teeming with life; on the open seas and all that travel upon them,Creator, have mercy.On rivers, bringing water to thirsty places,Creator, have mercy.On lakes and streams, home to a diversity of life,Creator, have mercy.On ponds and marshes, cradles of life,Creator, have mercy.On wetlands and estuaries; on rocky coasts and beaches,Creator, have mercy.On islands and atolls, oases and all harsh outposts of life,Creator, have mercy.On glaciers and ice fields, holding the delicate balance of waters,Creator, have mercy.On storms, floods, and tempests, and all fearsome forces of weather,Creator, have mercy.On rains that water the earth, causing plants to sprout and grow,Creator, have mercy.On snow and hail, sleet and winter cold, and on the dormant things that wait for spring,Creator, have mercy.On mists and fog silently watering the ground,Creator, have mercy.On the atmosphere of your planet earth, that it may sustain all that breathes,Creator, have mercy.On winds that carry seeds and spores; on breezes that warm and cool the earth,Creator, have mercy.On lightnings and fires that cleanse and destroy, and on all that lies in their path,Creator, have mercy.On all the ecosystems of your earth and their intricate communities,Creator, have mercy.On forests of many kinds; on trees and shrubs and vines,Creator, have mercy.On grasslands, tundras, and plains, and on their varied plants,Creator, have mercyOn ferns and fungi; on spore-bearing and seed-bearing plants,Creator, have mercy.On micro-organisms of endless variety, the complex and the simple,Creator, have mercyOn reptiles and amphibians,Creator, have mercy.On four-legged creatures,Creator, have mercy.On two-legged and winged creatures,Creator, have mercy.On many-legged creatures and insects,Creator, have mercy.On mysterious creatures and places unknown to humankind,Creator, have mercy.
And on the human family across the globe, of many colors and communities, in kinship with all creation,Creator, have mercy. Amen.
~~ RGM, May 31 2021
