For many people around the world, the year 2020 may be considered a year of online meetings and virtual interactions. However, with the coronavirus pandemic exposing deep-seated injustices in various levels of society, it is clear that more than anything, 2020 needs to be a year of action.
Taking place during the Laudato Si’ Special Anniversary Year, and with the urgent cries of the earth and the poor amplified by the global crisis, this year’s Season of Creation calls for an urgent reconciliation of our relationship with the environment and one another.
“As the world experiences deep uncertainty and suffering in the midst of a global emergency we are called to recognize that a truly healthy recovery means seeing that ‘everything is connected’ and repairing the bonds we have broken,” Monsignor Bruno-Marie Duffé, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, wrote in a letter on 24 May 2020.
With the theme Jubilee for the Earth: New Rhythms, New Hope, the invitation is “to consider the integral relationship between rest for the Earth and ecological, economic, social and political ways of living. This particular year, the need for just and sustainable systems has been revealed by the far-reaching effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. We yearn for the moral imagination that accompanies the Jubilee.”
Father James Hug SJ worked on materials for the Sundays of the Season of Creation and these are compiled in a document Season of Creation 2020, Jubilee Time for the Earth: A Catholic Liturgical Guide. He shared with Ecojesuit that “since we Catholics don’t have a lectionary with specific selections oriented toward creation spirituality for that period, I have tried to suggest ways to orient the regular official readings for those Sundays toward care for creation and creation spirituality.” The Laudato Si’ Institutes Network (LISTEN), a new international network that collaborates with the Vatican, the Global Catholic Climate Movement, and more, undertakes the publication, promotion, and distribution of the liturgical guide.
This year’s celebration is a call to reflect on the deep pains experienced by the poor and the earth, and to draw strength and hope from the message of Laudato Si’ towards urgent action.“This special season offers us the chance to work toward the renewal of our Earth and the precious relationships we share, and I warmly invite you to join in its commemoration,” said Monsignor Duffé.
Here are some ways to take part in this year’s Season of Creation:
1. Join the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September
2. Follow the 2020 Season of Creation Catholic Liturgy Guide
3. Attend an event
– A just transition for Asia Pacific and Oceania, now on YouTube
–Refueling Africa through ethical investment
–Laudato Si’ Retreat: An Introductory Immersion
–Transición justa para América Latina, el continente de la esperanza
–A just transition: European nations’ responsibility to their people and to the world
4. Join the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES) Season of Creation Vigil “Breathing Together”
5. Take a pledge to pray, live more simply, and advocate for our common home in Live Laudato Si’
Ecojesuit is celebrating this season through a collaboration with Don Bosco Green Alliance and Living Laudato Si’ Philippines and gathering young people from 15 countries around the world to share and exchange their ideas, perspectives, and initiatives, towards a more equitable economy that values human dignity and ecological sustainability.
The virtual dialogue series Reimagining Development: Youth Perspectives for a Better World also aims to contribute a set of recommendations to The Economy of Francesco, an international convention of young economists, entrepreneurs, and change-makers in Assisi, Italy on 19 to 21 November 2020.
Discover more ways to meaningfully participate through the Season of Creation celebration guide.
