Season of Creation (Day 18)
September 18, 2024
Day 18 (Ember Day)
(Ps 74)73):17-19
It was you who appointed the light and the sun;
it was you who fixed the bounds of the earth:
you who made both summer and winter.
Remember this, Lord, and see the enemy scoffing;
a senseless people insults your name.
Do not give Israel, your dove, to the hawk
nor forget the life of your poor ones for ever.
Nighthawks Flying (Jessica Powers)
At dusk the nighthawks dip and fly
Between the purple bluffs and me:
Black wings against a tinted sky —
They make a strange uncertainty
of sane things that the daylight said,
as if word I chanced to miss;
A prelude I have never read
were needed to interpret this.
Musical Selection
Fly like a bird to the Lord, my soul
I want to soar like an eagle
Though I may journey far away from home
I know I’ll never be alone
Oh, God, you know who I am
You know my hopes and my dreams
In my pondering and fears
In my joy and in my tears
Oh God, your presence is real.
Where can I run from your love
Where can I hide from my God
From the dawn of morning’s light
To the darkness of the night
Oh, God, your presence is real
When I am down and afraid,
when I am falling away,
you extend a gentle hand,
and I know you understand,
O God, your presence is real.
Meditation
Postmodern culture has generated a new sensitivity towards the more vulnerable and less powerful. This is connected with my insistence in the Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti on the primacy of the human person and the defence of his or her dignity beyond every circumstance. It is another way of encouraging multilateralism for the sake of resolving the real problems of humanity, securing before all else respect for the dignity of persons, in such a way that ethics will prevail over local or contingent interests.
It is not a matter of replacing politics, but of recognizing that the emerging forces are becoming increasingly relevant and are in fact capable of obtaining important results in the resolution of concrete problems, as some of them demonstrated during the pandemic. The very fact that answers to problems can come from any country, however little, ends up presenting multilateralism as an inevitable process.
The old diplomacy, also in crisis, continues to show its importance and necessity. Still, it has not succeeded in generating a model of multilateral diplomacy capable of responding to the new configuration of the world; yet should it be able to reconfigure itself, it must be part of the solution, because the experience of centuries cannot be cast aside either. (LD 39-41)
Prayer
Pour down your blessings on your people, Lord God,
that through your goodness
our land may bear an abundant harvest
to be enjoyed in grateful praise of your holy name.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen. (Roman Missal; ICEL, 1998)