The Blessing of God's Creation

Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today we hear Paul speaking of the commandment to love our neighbor: “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another.” 

In this passage from the Letter to the Romans, Paul offers us a way of living shaped by grace. Love becomes the lens through which we see the world. When Paul teaches that love fulfills the law, he is showing us that every command, every moral vision, every call to holiness finds its meaning in the way we care for one another.

This Sunday is also the beginning of the Church’s Season of Creation, and Paul’s teaching opens a beautiful doorway into its theme: Living Water. Water sustains life, renews the earth, and flows outward in blessing. Love moves in the same way. When love shapes our hearts, it flows into our actions—into compassion, into justice, and into care for the world God has entrusted to us.

Ezekiel speaks of the prophet as a sentinel, one who watches over the community with care. This is a role of responsibility, a call to help life flourish. In the Season of Creation, we hear this call with fresh ears. We are invited to watch over the earth with the same attentiveness—to protect what is fragile, to nurture what is threatened, and to speak for the well‑being of all creatures who share this home with us.

Psalm 95 invites us to praise God with joy: “Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord.” 

This praise becomes a way of seeing creation as gift. The mountains, the seas, the fields, the rivers—all belong to God. When we praise the Creator, we learn to cherish creation. We learn to see the world as a revelation of God’s care for us. We are blessed by the gift of God’s creation.

In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us how to live in communion. He speaks of reconciliation, of listening, of restoring relationships. This same movement guides our relationship with creation. We are invited to listen to the groaning of the earth, to restore what has been harmed, and to walk gently upon the land God has given us. Jesus’ promise—“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst”—assures us that Christ stands with us as we care for one another and for the world.

The theme of Living Water from Ezekiel 47 deepens this vision. The Sisters have decorated our chapel to remind us that water is part of our birth from our mother’s womb and our spiritual birth through baptism. Ezekiel sees water flowing from God’s temple, bringing life wherever it goes—healing the land, nourishing trees, renewing creation. This water is a sign of God’s grace, a sign of the Spirit’s movement, a sign of the life God desires for all creatures. When Paul calls us to love, he is inviting us to become part of this flow—to let grace move through us, to let our lives become channels of renewal.

So today we stand at the beginning of the Season of Creation with hearts open to God’s call. We ask for the grace to let love shape our choices, to let praise shape our vision, and to let care for creation become part of our discipleship. We ask for the courage to be sentinels of life, the humility to seek reconciliation, and the joy to celebrate the world God has made.

May the Living Water of God’s grace flow through us—renewing our hearts, renewing our relationships, and renewing the earth entrusted to our care.