Facilitator:
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis says:
“We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.” (Laudato Si’, 2)
Throughout our time together, we will emphasize praying with creation, trusting God’s presence and gift within every speck. This includes praying outside in nature and with the plants and living beings inside and outside our homes.
We also do not want to forget that we too are made up of and sustained by the elements of creation: earth, wind, fire, and water. Meditating with the breath is an opportunity to pray with creation at every moment.
St. Francis also prayed with and through these elements in his Canticle of the Creatures. We will meditate on portions of his song in this meditation.
MEDITATION SCRIPT TO BE READ CONTEMPLATIVELY
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Bringing awareness to the element of water. We bring to mind all of the bodies of water around us, the rivers and lakes, streams and springs on our planet. All life depends on this precious resource, to drink, to bathe, to wash….We then can connect to the water within, feeling the saliva in our mouth, perhaps the moisture in our breath or in our eyes. The human body is approximately 60% water. Water assists in digestion, absorption, circulation, and the transportation of nutrients. We are made of water...Water also connects us to our baptism, and how through water we were initiated into our community of faith.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Bringing awareness to the element of fire. We reflect on the huge sphere of fire, the sun, that brightens the sky, brings warmth to cold days, and animates all algae, plants, trees, fruit that produce oxygen for us to breathe... We connect with the fire within our own body, feeling our heart pumping, our blood surging in your body, our digestion process churning, turning the food that has been nourished by the sun, into fuel for our actions, our thoughts, everything we do. We run on fire... Fire also calls to mind the flames of the Holy Spirit that came down upon the disciples at Pentecost. And it brings to mind the flames of the Holy Spirit which many of us were anointed within the sacrament of confirmation.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.
We bring awareness to the element of earth. Below our feet, we feel the stability of the earth, feeling the hardness of the ground that always supports us. Our very bodies are made up of the same elements that make up the earth’s crust: aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium. We feel the structure and hardness of our bones, the weight of our body sitting here. Noticing our spine that holds us upright, our skull resting gently on our neck. We too are made up of the earth... We call to mind the gift of the Eucharist, made up of the fruits of the earth and the vine. These earthen elements transformed into the body of Christ which becomes our spiritual nourishment.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather,
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Bringing awareness to this element of air. Connecting to the breath wherever it is felt the strongest, whether it is at the tip of the nostrils, in the rising and falling of the chest, the expansion and collapse of the belly. Connecting to this life force which sustains us at every moment, and connects us to everyone here in this room, with the plants and trees that give off oxygen. This air we are breathing is the same air breathed by all living beings in the past, present, and soon in the future. We recall the sacrament of life, of how God breathed life into Adam. How God breathes life into each and everyone one of us.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
Taking a moment to rest in the breath, allowing ourselves to just rest in the sensations, allowing ourselves to abide in God.“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” (John 15: 5). Let us just take the time to abide in God, abiding in the elements around us and within us.