As September arrives, it marks the milestone of students returning to school and the start of the Season of Creation. This season, observed from 1 September to 4 October, encourages Christians worldwide to safeguard the Earth through prayer and action, recognising it as our common home. Communities across the world host events, reflections, and initiatives that highlight the urgent need for environmental stewardship and climate action.
This is a timely opportunity to renew our commitment to caring for our common home. By embracing our responsibility as guardians, we can manage the land wisely and work together to fulfil our shared calling. Every individual and community can make a tangible difference by adopting more sustainable habits, supporting conservation efforts, and advocating for policies that protect the environment.
On August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Leo XIV issued his message for the 11th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation with the theme, “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks” [Isaiah 2:4].
Today, war devastates the beautiful Earth God created for humankind. Ambitious leaders covet the natural resources of other nations and resort to military force to seize what they want. The Russia-Ukraine war has continued for over four years, despite numerous mediation efforts and repeated calls for a ceasefire from the international community and faith leaders alike.
According to the United Nations, on August 21 Russian armed forces attacked a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, leaving at least 16 dead and over 140 injured, including 23 children. On the same day, an attack in Mykolaiv claimed three children’s lives. Since the escalation of the war in 2022, 3,946 Ukrainian children have been killed or injured.
War claims lives, tears countless families apart, and forces millions to flee their homes, deepening poverty and injustice. The arrival of refugees can spark tensions with local populations. Armed conflict also causes environmental damage—polluting air, land and water—which threatens food security.
As the pope observed in his message: “War creates wounds that damage the whole fabric of life” and “reveals a deeper failure to live in God’s image and likeness, to respect life and to care for the earth entrusted to us.”
Pope Leo urges that, in times of violence, injustice and ecological harm, we must do more than reform institutions. Above all, we are called to a conversion of heart—turning back to God, healing wounds, and building a peaceful society.
Such renewal brings ecological conversion: “beating swords into ploughshares” means transforming destructive forces into ones that nurture life. We are called to respect all people and creation, love one another, and be faithful stewards of the earth. SE
