Once again, we find ourselves in the Season of Creation, from 1 September until 4 October, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The theme for this year’s observance is, “To Hope and Act With Creation.”
The Season of Creation is like a very large tree. Its trunk, branches and leaves are large, impressive and, fortunately, increasingly obvious to more and more people. Its roots, however, while not that obvious, are equally vast and draw from many diverse sources.
Some trace the Season of Creation to Dimitrios, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, the “first among equals” of the Orthodox churches, who declared a day of prayer for the environment on 1 September 1989. Ever since, the ecumenical patriarch has been a leader in Christianity’s commitment to the environment.
However, at the same time, people around the world were becoming more aware of the ecological challenges facing humanity. In 1992, the United Nations convoked the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The first of several U.N. conferences on the environment, it attempted to increase awareness of the problem of climate change and to call nations to respond to challenges that climate change poses to all humanity.
The World Council of Churches in Geneva took interest in a “Season of Creation” from the very beginning and was instrumental in extending the ecumenical patriarch’s day of prayer to a monthlong observance.
In 2015, Pope Francis published the encyclical “Laudato Sí.” The title of the encyclical was taken from the opening lines of St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creation: Laudato Sí.” The subtitle of the encyclical is “On the Care for Our Common Home.” Significantly, Pope Francis wrote the encyclical in close cooperation with Dimitrios’s successor as ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew.
The roots and branches of “the tree” did not stay within the confines of Christianity, however. The encyclical’s call to protect “our common home” struck a chord with members in all the great faith traditions of the planet, as well as with those who identify with no faith tradition at all.
In the 35 years since Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios called for a day of prayer for the environment, the Season of Creation has become a true, worldwide movement. That is clearly something to be celebrated. However, celebration is not enough. The challenge that Dimitrios and millions of others saw remains. It would be tragic if the Season of Creation became just another “observance.” The dangers facing our planet have, if anything, gotten worse since 1989.
The time between 1 September and 4 October is not merely a time to “observe” nor, for that matter, merely a time to pray, as important as that might be. It is a time to recommit and to strategize on what Pope Francis calls “care for our common home.” Unlike many observances that recall past events, the Season of Creation draws us to the future — a different, better, more sustainable future.