Kicking off #Mercy2Earth

The convergence of Divine Mercy Sunday and Earth Day weekend offers much to ponder and pray for this Lent

As always one step ahead, the Global Catholic Climate Movement announced this week that this year's Lenten journey takes on special meaning with Earth Day landing squarely one day before the great Feast of Divine Mercy, celebrated the Sunday after Easter. This will make the weekend of April 22nd and 23rd a special time for Catholic ecologists—one we can begin preparing the way for right now.

According to the GCCM, #Mercy2Earth is a global campaign to encourage Catholics to reflect and act on Pope Francis’s September 1st 2016 message “Show Mercy to our Common Home.” The campaign is structured around Lent as a time of preparation and the weekend of Divine Mercy and Earth Day as a special time to act.

Midway between now and Divine Mercy Sunday is World Water Day, during which Catholics are being asked to fast in reparation of our social and ecological sins, and to “pray for ourselves and the ways that we have failed in caring for creation and for our neighbors.” Prayers that day will also be for world and local leaders, that they be graced with “the moral courage to protect our precious bodies of water and our planet. We will pray for all people whose communities have already been devastated by the rising tides. And we will pray that all people have access to clean, safe, drinking water, especially in light of the changing climate.”

Other events scheduled to date can be found at the GCCM #Mercy2Earth calendar.

Make sure to keep up with the many happenings and resources being provided by GCCM and others as we continue in prayer, sacrament, and activity to take in and live out the Church’s great teachings on protecting creation and, thus, protecting life.

May God bless these efforts and may he have mercy on us, and on the whole world.​

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About the Blog

Catholic Ecology posts my regular column in the Rhode Island Catholic, as well as scientific and theological commentary about the latest eco-news, both within and outside of the Catholic Church. What is contained herein is but one person's attempt to teach and defend the Church's teachings - ecological and otherwise. As such, I offer all contents of this blog for approval of the bishops of the Church. It is my hope that nothing herein will lead anyone astray from truth.