It can mean the feeling of pain and suffering, the experience of sadness and loss calling out for relief and sympathy. The earth and the poor have equally endured this tears of lamentation. The cry is not just an expression of pain but also an appeal to responsibility.
“Response to the Cry of the Earth is a call to protect our common home for the wellbeing of all, as we equitably address the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and ecological sustainability.”
On World Earth Day, which we celebrate annually on April 22rd, “Mother Earth” is crying out for help to all of her “children,” all inhabitants of the planet, to urgently care for her and repair the damage that is being done to the earth, which Pope Francis calls “Our Common Home — Our mother is crying out to us because ...
Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one. O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this Earth, so precious in your eyes.
It focuses on care for the natural environment and all people, as well as broader questions of the relationship between God, humans, and the Earth. The encyclical's subtitle, “Care for Our Common Home,” reinforces these key themes.
Luke 19:28-44
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
For our ignorance and willful disregard of the damage we have done to you, to the air and the waters, and the soil and the life of this beautiful planet. to uphold our part in reversing the damage we have caused, for fortitude to make and sustain a commitment to do our part to heal the planet.
Dear God, thank you for this beautiful planet. Bless it and keep it safe from harm. We pray for the protection of the animals, the soil, air and water. May we care for all you have made.
The Earth's cry for help is growing louder by the day, urging us to take immediate action to address these urgent environmental problems. Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, unsustainable consumption, and land degradation threaten the very foundation of life on our planet.
Climate change, a significant long-term shift in the global climate patterns, is a growing concern and has far-reaching impacts on the environment, including rising sea levels, changes in precipitation patterns, and more frequent and severe weather events. Today, our mother earth is in crisis.
Mother Earth is often revered as a goddess in world mythology, but seldom recognized as also an important metaphor in the biblical theology of Old and New Testaments.
When we cry to God, we are essentially saying, “My Lord, my God, this is too much for me to bear. This is too much for me to handle. I'm giving it to you. I'm acknowledging you as the only one who can take it. I'm trusting you to hold me, to love me, to fix me.
Story. Mother earth is crying; she says the land is polluted. Deforestation is at an alarming rate with hectares of forest being burned and cut each second. The trees hold the soil together and make it difficult for erosion to take place and are also a home for the vast majority of plants and wildlife.
Even before God became man, it's clear throughout the Old Testament that God feels sorrow, even weeps for the crushing blows of His people. Psalm 34:18 promises us that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted.” How can you be close to someone who is brokenhearted and not feel their pain?
Mother Earth is a personification of nature, with a particular focus on the nurturing and life-giving aspects of the natural world. Mother Earth symbolises femininity, nurture, growth, new life and groundedness.
Kind Thoughts, Kind Words, Kind Intentions
You can honour Mother Earth by saving a special prayer, blessing or meditation just for her; filling your heart with as much gratitude as you can and send it back down to her, letting her know just how much you appreciate everything she does for the human race.
Isaiah 35:10.
Bubbling up from the red earth, Abel's cries signal not only that Cain had murdered his brother but that he has done lasting, perhaps irreparable, violence to the earth as well. … [Now] wounded and bloodied, Earth strikes back. Earth has its revenge.
Genesis 2:6-8 King James Version (KJV)
But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
The encyclical letter Laudato Si (“Praised Be”) by Pope Francis is the most comprehensive Vatican document to date on environmentalism, ethics, and Christian faith. The document is intended for all people, not Catholics or Christians alone. Its arguments are founded on theological convictions.
The title is taken from the first line of the encyclical, "Laudato si', mi Signore," or "Praise be to you, my Lord." In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.