3. Opening Prayer
God of goodness and beauty, you made the world, filled it with
life, and asked us to care for it. Our selfishness and lack of
respect cause us to disrespect the Earth that you have created
for us. For this, we ask for your forgiveness. Help us to
understand that we are here to live as stewards of your earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
4. First Reading
A reading from the book of Genesis.
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the Earth, it
was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the
deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
Then, God said. “Let there be light.” and there was light. And
God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light
from the darkness. God called the light day and he called the
darkness night. And there was evening and there was morning
the first day.
5. Gospel Reading
Luke 12: 13-21
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the
family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a
judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your
guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the
abundance of possessions. ”Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich
man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I
have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull
down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and
my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for
many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This
very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have
prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for
themselves but are not rich towards God
6. Petitions
The response to the petitions is:
“Lord hear our prayer”
• For Pope Benedict, may he guide his people and show them how to protect
the Lord’s Earth. We pray to the Lord.
• For the poor and the innocent, may they find peace within their environment.
We pray to the Lord.
• May we realize to come together as a community and as a family to praise
you for the beauty of creation you have given us. We pray to the Lord.
• God, you created this wonderful world and sent us to take care of it. Give us
the strength to continue teaching your word and nurturing your world. We
pray to the Lord.
7. Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 19: 1-6
The Glory of God is the light of the city, and its
lamp is the Lamb, hallelujah. The heavens
declare the glory of God, and the firmament
shows his handiwork. One day tells its tale to
another, and one night imparts knowledge to
another. Although they have no words or
language, and their voices are not heard, their
sound has gone out into all lands, and their
message to the ends of the World. In the deep
has he set a pavilion for the sun, it comes forth
like a bridegroom out of his chamber, it
rejoices like a champion to run its course.
It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the
heavens and runs about to the end of it again;
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
8. Closing Prayer
Lord,
Please help us to be more like you in
every way possible. You created
every creature on this beautiful
planet Earth and we as humans
always make mistakes but, we must
learn to ask your forgiveness. When
we hurt and endanger animals and
plants, we are really hurting. Please
help us to learn to treat everything on
this Earth better and as we want to
be treated.
Amen
10. Discussion Questions
1. What did you do this
weekend to celebrate Earth
day?
2. What can we do in our
classroom and at home .to
help the Earth and all the
creatures in it?
3. Why do you think God gave
us the responsibility of
taking care of his Earth?
4. How can we prove to God
that we can take care of his
Earth?
5. Why is it important for us to
celebrate the Earth and
have a day dedicated to it?
11. The Earth is indeed a precious gift of the Creator
who, in designing its intrinsic order, has given
us bearings that guide us as stewards of his
creation. Precisely from within this framework,
the Church considers matters concerning the
environment and its protection intimately
linked to the theme of integral human
development.”
-Pope Benedict XVI
