God Loves the Animals!
For St. Francis Day - October 4 (or celebrated on Sunday, October 6)
Open with Prayer:
God, we thank you for this time together,
for the technology that makes it possible,
and the hearts that connect us.
Be with us as we travel, join us in this journey,
and help us see and hear you always. Amen.
Read: The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light; and
where there is sadness, joy.
O, God, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Today is a day we honor St. Francis, a friar who lived in Italy in the 13th century. Not only did he dedicate his life to living a life of goodness to God, but he was committed to living as a poor man. But that’s not all! St. Francis loved animals and he loved the world around us. He kept preaching, over and over again, that God made a good and beautiful world, even if we humans sometimes mess up that world and get it wrong sometimes.
Like St. Francis, we can thank God for Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth. And thanks to St. Francis, we get to bring our pets and other animals to church for a blessing!
Ask:
What part of the Prayer of St. Francis most stuck out to you? How might you try and do or be that in the days and weeks ahead?
In this prayer, St. Francis asks God to help him sow (or bring) light into darkness. What do you think it means to be light to a dark and hurting world?
St. Francis is most known for how he loved the earth and loved animals. How does his life teach you to better care for creation?
On the Feast of St. Francis, we get to bring our pets and animals to church for a blessing. How is your pet or animal a blessing (or a gift) to you?
Finish with Prayer:
God, thank you for how much you love our pets and animals!
God, today we thank you for: (something or someone you’re grateful for)
God, today we need your help with: (something hard or difficult you need to do)
God, today please be with: (someone who may be sick, sad, or hurt)
We ask all this in Jesus’ name.
Amen
(Parents, for more information on the Feast of St. Francis, check out this page from All Souls Catholic Church or check out some of the Creation Care resources at the Episcopal Church website).