1. Intro:
Dear brothers and sisters, today, May 24, 2021, is the end of the Laudato Si' year announced by the Pope in May 2020. As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the message of Laudato Si' encyclical today remains prophetic, just as it was in 2015, according to a statement from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. “The message can indeed provide a moral and spiritual compass for the journey towards creating a friendlier, fraternal, peaceful and sustainable world,” the statement written. “Indeed, Covid-19 has made it clear how deeply connected and interdependent we are all.”
Pope Francis during the tree-planting ceremony at the opening of the 2019 Amazon synod said: “Planting a tree gives hope.It is to believe in a life that grows and bears fruit to satisfy the hunger of Mother Earth. This brings us back to our roots by reconnecting with divine energy and teaches us how to return to the Father as our Creator.”
In response to Pope Francis' call to take care of the common home, today, the parish (group...) we gather here to organize a tree planting session. We plant this tree, water it and cultivate it, so that the ethnic communities are heard and respected. Tree planting is a symbol that invites parishes to become more committed to the poor, especially ethnic minorities, who are abandoned outside the society.
To start the tree planting ceremony, let's sing thanksgiving to God
2. Sing: God’s glory (Vinh quang Chua)
3. Prayer:
Preacher(P): Let us pray together in thanksgiving for the Mother Earth, the source of all life. Brother Sun has life-giving energy, Sister Water nourishes and revives us and the fellow creatures who are living with us, and because of them we are called to cultivate and preserve this garden.
Response(R): Lighten our hearts and stay with Your world.
P: Almighty God, You are present in the whole universe and in the tiniest creatures. The Lord embraces all that exists with tenderness. Pour out upon us the strength of Your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, so that we can live like brothers and sisters, without harming anyone.
R: Lighten our hearts and stay with Your world.
P: God of the poor, make us know to help the abandoned and forgotten on this Earth, who are precious in Your eyes. Bring healing into our lives, so that we can protect the world without harming it, so we can sow beauty instead of pollution and destruction. Touches the hearts of those who seek only self-interest at the expense of the poor and the earth.
R: Lighten our hearts and stay with Your world.
P: In the time of global pandemic of COVID-19, please hear our cry and heal the world and all creatures. Inspire our hearts to rise above the demands of production and consumption, to dream of a way of life for justice and sustainability that is inclusive for all while restoring the environment and diversity of species.
R: Lighten our hearts and stay with Your world.
P: We thank You, O Lord for being with us every day. Continue to bless us, we pray, in our fighting for justice, love and peace.
R: Lighten our hearts and stay with Your world. Amen
Communal prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven,
You gave us this land
Looking down from the sacred realm of heaven,
Bless us who we are the people of God,
and the land that you give us
and give it riches according to your mercy
Please pour down the morning dew like a blessing
And benevolent rains
Watering the crops,
To satisfy the soaring mountains
as well as the deep valleys,
Please watering
into each bush, every herb
and these saplings
that we are planting before You today,
Let them take root
and spread widely
That they may bloom in grace, according to Your will
to be blessed and to make splendor.
Please strengthen our hands
of all our brothers and sisters,
The one who revived this land
and bring forth fruit from the waste of the earth.
Please look down
from your holy place,
from the heaven,
and bless this land
so that it can flow
milk and honey
Amen
4. Planting tree