Easter Prayer for Earth Day The Care for Creation Ministry at Holy Rosary and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes, Seattle
God of all creation, your majesty, splendor and glory are evident for all to see, from the magnificence of the night sky to the abundant beauty you have given us here in our common home, the Earth. R: Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. O Lord, we are told by the prophet Isaiah that you designed and made the world and did not intend it to be a wasteland. Yet, in our shortsightedness and sinfulness, that is what it is becoming. It nurses gaping wounds from overuse of natural resources, unrestrained waste, and the cancer of deforestation in the Amazon, the lungs of our planet. In many places we have poisoned our life-sustaining water and air, and our reckless use of fossil fuels has produced relentless and dangerous warming of the climate. R: Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Risen Savior, may the glory of your Resurrection help us accept the hard choices and daunting challenges we face in renewing the life of this place that your generous love has provided for us. May oceans of justice flow over us so that, in righteousness, we might find ways to rescue the poorest of your children, who suffer the most from environmental degradation yet have done the least to cause it. R: Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Compassionate God, grant us the humility to acknowledge that we need your help. We struggle to solve these problems on our own and, knowing that with you nothing is impossible, we implore you to come to our aid. R: Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. God of all creation, help us to recognize that all people are your children, and the harm we do to any of your beloved beings harms us as well. Help us to be more concerned about the greater human family's needs than we are about our own wants. Help us to bring healing to the wondrous home you created for us. R: Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Grant that the Holy Spirit stir in us the grace to become faithful stewards of all the gifts you have given us, so that they may always proclaim your great glory. Amen.