Celebrating Earth Day and Arbor Day: Protecting the vulnerable
April 26, 2024 08:48 AM - This week, we celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day at SSM Health. This is the final MyNews article in a week-long series of prayers, reflections and ideas dedicated to preserving God’s creation and our common home.
Today’s prayer was penned by Walter Rauschenbusch, a Baptist minister and American theologian who worked to ameliorate poverty in the New York City and advocated for a more just society. We recall that environmental damage often impacts those who are most vulnerable, including the poor, sick and those at the margins of society.
O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;
For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of the summer fields,
And taste of the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of the snow,
And smell the breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
And save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thorn bush
Is aflame with your glory,
O God our creator,
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Did you know?
In 2023, SSM Health volunteers planted trees in North St. Louis that will more than double the canopy in the area to 1,032,722 square feet, improving the environment and enhancing community well-being. The team planted a variety of different trees, and most will grow to be over 60 feet tall.
Today’s prayer was penned by Walter Rauschenbusch, a Baptist minister and American theologian who worked to ameliorate poverty in the New York City and advocated for a more just society. We recall that environmental damage often impacts those who are most vulnerable, including the poor, sick and those at the margins of society.
O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;
For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of the summer fields,
And taste of the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of the snow,
And smell the breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
And save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thorn bush
Is aflame with your glory,
O God our creator,
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Did you know?
In 2023, SSM Health volunteers planted trees in North St. Louis that will more than double the canopy in the area to 1,032,722 square feet, improving the environment and enhancing community well-being. The team planted a variety of different trees, and most will grow to be over 60 feet tall.
