How to Pray with Creation?

During the Season of Creation, celebrated in the Church from September 1 to October 4, we are encouraged not only to pray for creation but also to pray with creation.

But what exactly does it mean to pray with creation? And how do we do it?

Praying with Creation

“Praying with Creation” is an invitation to reimagine our relationship with the Earth. Instead of being passive observers or exploiters, we are called to be respectful participants in a cosmic liturgy.

It is about immersing ourselves in the sacred connection that flows through all living things, experiencing a profound communion with the divine presence that surrounds us. It reminds us that we are all woven into the fabric of life.

The natural world offers deep spiritual insights. The Psalms proclaim: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1). In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis echoes this: “Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.”

Praying with creation transforms prayer from a private act into a cosmic dialogue. The rustling of leaves, the rhythm of tides, and the migration of birds all become part of a divine symphony in which we are invited to participate.

The Cry of the Earth

To pray with creation also means to hear its groaning. St. Paul writes: “The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22).

Today, this groaning is evident in deforestation, rising temperatures, polluted waters, and displaced communities. Pope Francis laments: “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.”

Prayer becomes prophetic when it embraces suffering. Kneeling in prayer by a polluted river or beneath a hazy sky expresses sorrow, compassion, and commitment to healing. It declares that everything holds value and deserves redemption.

Worship Rooted in the Earth

The Church’s liturgy, celebrated with ecological awareness, is itself a way of praying with creation.

The Eucharist is deeply ecological: bread and wine, fruits of the earth and human labor, become the Body and Blood of Christ. Pope Benedict XVI once said, “The Eucharist is inherently cosmic. It embraces and transforms all creation.”

In this light, every Eucharist is a celebration of creation’s participation in divine grace. The altar becomes a table where heaven and earth meet. The liturgical seasons, mirroring rhythms of nature, invite us to live in harmony with time, space, and spirit.

Contemplative Practices in Nature

Praying with creation is not limited to liturgy. It can be lived through:

• contemplative walks,

• meditative gardening,

• silent reflection under the stars.

St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology, lived this lifestyle. He called animals brothers and sisters, and addressed the sun and moon as kin. His Canticle of the Creatures celebrates this interconnectedness of life.

Thomas Merton once wrote: “The whole world is charged with the glory of God, and I feel fire and music under my feet.” Such words remind us that every encounter with nature can be sacred when we approach it with humility, presence, and wonder.

From Prayer to Practice

Pope Francis insists that ecological spirituality must include action. To pray with creation is to let prayer shape how we live:

• Daily Nature Prayer: Spend time in silence outdoors, under a tree, by a river, or on a balcony.

• Eco-Examen: Reflect on your lifestyle choices and how they honor or harm creation.

• Green Worship Spaces: Promote solar energy, rainwater harvesting, and native landscaping.

• Creation-Themed Liturgies: Celebrate Mass outdoors, bless animals, or mark seasonal rituals.

• Nature Retreats: Organize retreats in natural settings.

• Eco-Catechesis: Integrate ecology into religious education.

• Season of Creation: Join this annual ecumenical observance.

• Interfaith Collaboration: Unite with other faiths in ecological advocacy.

Each action becomes a form of prayer, a sacrament of stewardship.

A Universal Call to Care

The call to pray with creation transcends faith traditions. Indigenous wisdom, Eastern philosophies, and Abrahamic faiths all affirm the sacredness of nature. As the Abu Dhabi Declaration affirms: “The protection of the world and of creation is a responsibility that belongs to everyone.” When believers of all faiths pray with creation, they form a global chorus of hope and healing.

A New Way of Being

Praying with creation is not a passing trend; it is a return to reverence. It calls us to relationship, responsibility, and love. As Pope Francis reminds us: “Everything is interconnected.”

The Earth is not only our home, it is our sanctuary. In its beauty, suffering, and resilience, we hear the voice of God calling us to pray, to act, and to love.

(Fr. Ashok Sandil, an Indian Jesuit from Ranchi Province in Jharkhand, holds a doctorate in Computer Science. He writes on a wide range of topics, including computer science, spirituality, leadership, ecology, and more.)