Laudato Si Sunday Reflection: On being one body

Today's reflection is brought to you by
1 Corinthians 12:12-30 and paragraphs 1-6 of
Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.

Your body, O God,
is visible in your creation,
and we are part of it.

We all drink of your spirit:
the tallest trees
to the smallest insects.

Pope Francis said
this earthly home you give us
is like "a sister with whom we share our life
and a mother who opens her arms to embrace us."

We are all part of your one body,
embraced by the great web of life
from the furthest reaches of the universe
to the ground on which we stand.

Help us to see beyond ourselves,
to the places and the creatures that we hurt
by our forgetfulness to care for ALL that you have made
through our pursuit of our own desires.

Bring us to ecological conversion
"for our good and the good of all of creation."

Please remind us,
frequently,
that your body does not consist of only human beings,
but of many other members too:
rain forests and coral reefs,
glaciers and wetlands,
bees and polar bears,
human beings and tiny aquatic life.

Help us to see
that when other members suffer
we also suffer.

Help us to think deeply
about the choices we make
so that we
may do the least harm
and the most good
for all
 -- and so
honour you.

Make us aware of our place
in your one body.

Come, Holy Spirit,
help us to heal our home and all its creatures.

+Amen