Patchouli Ponderings: April 2010

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Celebrate Earth!

How often do I pray for the earth, for animals, plants or other parts of nature?

This week’s tip comes from Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations.

“Perhaps it is more than coincidence that we created this Earth Day at the same time that the church used to process through the fields praying and singing in late April. They were called for centuries the “Rogation Days,” and of course reflected the largely agrarian Christian world of that time. For three days they prayed for the earth, the crops, the fields, streams, and the animals. Surely they were also praying for good weather for their crops, and they knew the immediate and specific connection between planting and harvesting. (There was no packaged food yet.)

When you pray for something, you are offering it respect and acknowledging its dignity and importance in the great cycle of life. How sad that many of us now suffer from “NDD” or Nature Deficit Disorder, and do not even know where our food comes from or the names of many plants, trees, foods, and animals that are keeping us alive and keeping the world beautiful and balanced. Maybe all days deserve to be Earth Days, or Rogation Days of praying, and not just one day.”

Mantra:

The whole earth is full of God's glory!