Today is the feast of St. Francis, patron of animals, merchants and ecology.
St. Francis, you loved all of God’s creatures. Help us to follow your example of treating every living thing with kindness.
A Franciscan Animal Blessing: FOR ALL ANIMALS
Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. On the fifth and sixth days of creation, you called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air, and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all animals his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this animal. By the power of your love, enable [him or her] to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.
Today is also the last day of the Season of Creation 2023. In September, Pope Francis announced the name of his next Apostolic Exhortation on the Environment: “Laudate Deum”, which will be published today: “A look at what has happened and say what needs to be done," he said.
On September 21st, Pope Francis said: “There is a throwaway culture that is always going on, there is a lack of education to use the things that remain, to remake them, to replace them in the order of the common use of things. And this throwaway culture also affects nature.” And he insisted on the urgency of returning to the proper use of nature: “Today humanity is tired of this misuse of nature, and must return to the path of good use of nature. And how we use nature, a word that may sound strange, I would say: dialogue with nature, dialogue.”