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Family Reflection Video: Leavers and Takers

Family Reflection Video: Leavers and Takers

service  |  inspiration

Do you consider yourself a taker or leaver? I wasn’t familiar with these terms until I read the book Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit. It had an impact on how I think about caring for God’s creation.

Living our faith is not merely observing religious rituals, but caring in every way for God’s beautiful creation and recognizing the image of God in every being. As we heard in today’s first reading in Genesis, we have been entrusted to nurture and protect His crown of creation for all generations to come.

Pope Francis echoes this request and emphasizes the importance of caring for our common home in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Sí. He stresses the importance of looking after all of creation with great tenderness and love.

Talk with your family about the responsibility of being good stewards of the earth. How do you and your family nurture your little piece of the world that God has blessed you with? Share your ideas to inspire other readers in the comments below.

Thank you for joining me today! I leave you with this simple prayer of gratitude for you and your family to pray together.

Blessed are you, O God,
Creator of the universe,
who have made all things good
and given the earth for us to cultivate.
Grant that we may always use created things gratefully
and share your gift with those in need.
Amen.

About Father Pinto Paul, C.S.C.

Father Pinto Paul C.S.C., ordained a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1999, worked with tribal populations in northeast India as a missionary for ten years. In 2010 he came to the US for further studies. While working as a campus minister at Stonehill College, he assisted pastors in local parishes, led seminars and workshops for teachers and students in the US and earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration from Boston College and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Lesley University, Cambridge. He is currently working as the International Director of the Boston-based Holy Cross Family Ministries with missions in 18 countries.