Deacon Tom writes
All God’s Creatures, Great and Small
Looking up at the sky on a clear
October evening can be an exhilarating experience. The stars shining brightly
give us a good reason to stop and consider the immensity of the universe. What
is more amazing is that we believe that God put all that we see in place just
for us, for us human beings, the highlight of his creation.
When we read the account of Adam
naming the animals today, we recall how God has given us the responsibility to
take care of, to be good stewards of all he has entrusted to us. As Pope Francis reminds us in his encyclical on the environment, Laudation Si, “…our common home is like a sister with
whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace
us”. Our First Reading is so appropriate for today’s Feast of St. Francis
of Assisi. Francis’ love of all
God’s creatures is legendary. He lived a simple life that enabled him to see
God’s goodness at work throughout the natural order. In his poem “Canticle of
the Sun”, he calls the sun and the moon his “Sister” and his “Brother”.
Today is also “Respect Life”
Sunday. Our Church sets this day aside to remind us of the dignity and worth of
every human life. The value of human life flows from our creator in whose image
and likeness we are made. Every person is unique. Every life is special and
sacred. Many of the evils we see today are specifically directed against the
dignity of the human person…abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, “ethnic
cleansing”, prostitution, pornography, war, poverty, and “white slavery”. When will we ever learn? Will we
grow out of our “hardness of heart”?
Dr. Bernard Nathanson was a doctor
who was responsible for over 75,000 abortions. He experienced a radical
transformation (Grace???) in the 1980’s when he saw the astonishing images of
the fetus produced by the then new ultrasound technology. In rethinking his
position, he was drawn to the Catholic Church because of its strong belief in
the dignity of life, from the moment of conception to the very last, natural
breath.
Today we recognize that we are all
God’s creatures, great and small alike. We are called to celebrate this life as
best we can by being good stewards of all creation… ourselves included!!!... by
loving one another as a way of showing our thankfulness to our God who loves us
without limit or condition; God who loves us into life.
Enjoy the
day!
Deacon Tom
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