Creation Care Team

First Commandment: I am the Lord you God; You shall not have strange gods before me.

What does this mean? Have faith, hope, love, and worship of God; reverence for holy things; prayer. Avoid: idolatry, superstition, spiritism, tempting God, sacrilege.

Reflection: Read Matthew 5:45. Jesus makes a promise of sun and rain. How does this promise of the basic needs of life help you love and trust God? What leads you to put your trust in other things besides God?

Action: Give thans for all the things you encounter in creation today as a way to remember that God is the source of everything, blessing us with all that we need to live. How many can you recognize today?

Second Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in Vain.

What does this mean? Speak reverently about God and holy things, keep oaths and vows. Avoid: blasphemy, ireeverent use of God's name, breaking vows and false oaths.

Reflection: Our Prayers can make a huge difference. How is our reverence for God reflected in our treatment of his creation?

Action: Say a prayer that God's presence be with you today.

Third Commandment: Remember to Keep Holy the Lord's Day

What does this mean? Going to church on Sundays and holy days of obligation. Gladly hear, learn, and keep God's word holy. Avoid: missing Mass throught one's own fault, unnecessary work on Sundays and holy days of obligation.

Reflection: Read Leviticus 25:1-12. Even creation needs rest. Why does God want souls to reast and "all inhabitants" of a place to have the chance to return? How do you keep the Lord's day holy?

Action: Learn about or visit a place that has been used and given a chance to reast. Ideas include a  vacant lot, a Superfund site https://www.epa.gov/superfund, or Conservation Reserve Program farmland http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/crp.

 

Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother.

What does this mean? love; respect; obedience on the part of children; care on the part of parents for the spiritual and temporal welfare of their children; obedience to civil and religious superiors. Avoid: hatred of parents and superiors; disrespect; disobedience.

Reflection: More than both parents or even a village, our lives are nurtured and shaped by our interaction with the whole world. Reflecting on the Earth as a mother, how can we treat her with more honor?

Action: Water a plant, turn the soil and plant some seeds, delight in the weather forecast for today. Love and respect the plant in some way.

Fifth Commandment:  You shall not kill
 
What does this mean? The safeguarding of one's own life and bodily welfare as well as that of others.  Avoid: unjust killing; suicide; abortion; sterilization; endangering the life and limb of self or others.
 
Reflection: Climate change is affecting our planet and all its inhabitants. Why might our destruction of biodiversity-from polar bears to coral reefs to dwarf crocodiles be a concern?
 
Action: Research how communities around the world are mitigating and adapting with the changing weather patterns.