Praying with Pope Francis for Our Common Home

Our Common Home 30 God of Rest and Re-Creation, on the seventh day, you rested from all your work. You commanded Israel to set aside each seventh day as a day of rest, a Sabbath (cf. Gen 2:2-3; Ex 16:23; 20:10) . May we rediscover Sabbath rest in our lives, to ensure balance and fairness in relationships with others and with the land on which we live and work. May we acknowledge that the g ift o f the earth with all its fruits belongs to everyone. Remind us that we are obliged to share earth’s g ifts, especially with the poor, the most vulnerable and foreigners in our midst. Amen. Based on Pope Francis’, “On Care for Our Common Home,” Laudato Si, paragraph 71 God of the Sabbath, our Sunday participation in the Eucharist has special importance: It is a day for healing relationships with you, with ourselves, with others and with the world. It is the day of the Resurrection, “ fir st day” of the new creation, a time for relaxation and festivity, receptivity and thankfulness. Sunday looks forward to our eternal rest in you, O God. May the Sabbath time we experience, ensure that our human actions are not empty activism. May this rest open our eyes to the larger picture and give us renewed sensitivity to the rights of others. May our day of rest, centred on the Eucharist, shed light on the whole week, and motivate us to greater concern for nature and the poor. Amen. Based on Pope Francis’, “On Care for Our Common Home,” Laudato Si, paragraph 237