Lent is a season of return. For forty days, we are invited to come back to God with our whole hearts — through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. But in this time of ecological crisis, Lent is also an invitation to return to a right relationship with God’s creation.
In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminds us that the Earth is “our common home,” a gift entrusted to our care, not a possession to exploit. Lent calls us to examine our consciences. How do our daily choices affect the air, water, land, and the most vulnerable communities who depend on them? Where have we grown indifferent to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor?
Fasting during Lent can take on new depth when we consider creation care. We might fast from excess consumption, single-use plastics, or unnecessary energy use. We might choose simpler meals that tread more lightly on the planet. These practices are not trendy add-ons to our faith; they are concrete expressions of love. When we fast from overconsumption, we make space — space for gratitude, solidarity, and justice.
Almsgiving, too, expands in meaning. Supporting local creation care initiatives, advocating for policies that protect vulnerable communities, and contributing to Catholic organizations dedicated to climate action are ways of living out mercy. Creation care is not separate from works of mercy; it is woven into them. When pollution harms a child’s health or climate disasters displace families, responding is an act of compassion.
Prayer anchors it all. Spending time outdoors, contemplating the beauty of a sunrise or the quiet dignity of a tree, can become a form of Lenten prayer. In creation, we encounter the Creator. We remember that we are creatures — dependent, beloved, and called to stewardship.
Lent ultimately leads us to Easter. The promise of the Resurrection is not only about individual salvation but about the renewal of all creation. As Saint Paul writes, creation itself groans in hope. Our small sacrifices and faithful actions participate in God’s work of restoration.
This Lent, may we allow our hearts to be transformed — not only in our personal habits but in our relationship with the Earth and with one another. Caring for creation is not a political statement; it is a Gospel response. It is a way of walking more gently with God, with our neighbors, and with the world that sustains us all.
