Lent 'Great Outdoors' and 'Thru the Window' challenges wk5

 WEEK 5/ ANIMALS AND INSECTS

So God made every kind of animal. He made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small crawling things.
And God saw that this was good.

                                              Genesis 1:25 

Active Meditation/
1/ If you have a pet, give it a hug (if it is that sort of animal) and think about what your pet adds to your life.
2/ Go for a walk and see how many animals you can spot.
3/ Hang a banana skin on a bush and watch in the early evening – it may attract moths.
4/ Go for a slow walk and see how many "small crawling things" you can find.
5/ Find one "small crawling thing” and watch it for a while to see what it does.
6/ Go outside at night and see if you can hear or even see any of the nighttime creatures. 

Go to a place where you can see animals or insects of some sort.
Be quiet for a moment or two (as long as works for you) to reflect on the importance of the many different sorts of living creatures that are in our world.

A prayer/

Creator God,
thank you for the variety of your creatures.
Thank you for the enjoyment that they give us, and for the part that they play in keeping your world healthy.
Silence

We are sorry for those times when we have been thoughtless
in the way we have treated animals and insects.
Silence

Help us to value every living creature as part of your creation;
to realise that everything has a part to play in this beautiful world,
and that we are responsible for caring for them
and treating them with respect.
Silence 

Take a moment to look and listen to the animals and insects around you...

and let them point your thoughts towards God.

Spend a few moments thinking of people and situations that are on your heart...

place them into God's hands...
Amen.

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Thru the window - connecting with creation through Lent, even when you can't get outside...

So God made every kind of animal.
He made the wild animals, the tame animals,
and all the small crawling things.
And God saw that this was good.

                                              Genesis 1:25 

If you have a pet, sit somewhere where you can see it or even have it on your lap if it is that sort of a pet. If you can see animals outside your window, sit where you can see them. If neither of those is possible find a picture of a favourite animal in a book or on the internet, or feel free to use the pictures above...

Meditation

Animals are many and varied, and sometimes we forget that we are an animal too. In more than one creation story the creator puts the human animal in charge, with the expectation that they will take care of the other animals; wanting what is best for them and being kind to them. Sometimes the human animal forgets this. Sometimes we forget to be kind to other animals, and sometimes we even forget to be kind to ourselves even though we are made in the image of a creator who shows unfailing and never ending compassion.

Something to think about

If you have a favourite animals, think about why you like them.

How do you show kindness to yourself?

When have others shown compassion to you? 

A prayer/

Blessed are you, Lord God,

maker of all living creatures.

You called forth fish in the sea,

birds in the air

and animals on the land.

You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters.

May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation.

Blessed are you,

Lord our God,

in all your creatures!  Amen