Creation Time 2026: We See It Now, We Confess Our Blindness, We Choose a New Path
Today, September 1, the Church begins the annual celebration of Creation Time, a season of prayer and reflection that continues until October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
This year is particularly significant. The Church has recently enriched her liturgy with the new Mass for the Care of Creation, reminding us that caring for our common home is not an optional concern but an essential dimension of Christian discipleship.
The Scriptures have long proclaimed this truth. The Book of Daniel invites mountains and hills, birds and beasts, seas and rivers to bless the Lord. Psalm 148 summons all creatures, from kings and nations to stars and waters, to join in God's praise. St. Paul teaches that all things were created through Christ and for Christ, and that in Him all things hold together.
Yet, as Pope Francis observed in Laudato Si', we have often failed to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.
During my prayer and reflection for this year's Creation Time, one question remained in my heart:
Why did it take so long for us to recover this biblical vision?
Perhaps the answer lies in what Pope Francis called the "throw-away culture". When usefulness becomes the measure of worth, people and creation alike become disposable. Such a mentality has wounded the earth, harmed the vulnerable, and obscured the dignity that God has bestowed upon every creature.
Creation Time is therefore an invitation to what the Church calls ecological conversion: a transformation of heart that helps us recognize the Creator's presence in all creation and renew our commitment to live in harmony with God's plan.
To mark this season, I would like to share a song I recently composed:
🎶 We Choose a New Path
Its refrain expresses the journey to which the Holy Spirit is calling us:
We see it now.
We confess our blindness.
We choose a new path,
O Lord, lead us on.
This is not merely an environmental slogan. It is a Christian prayer of repentance and hope. It acknowledges our past failures, entrusts us to God's mercy, and commits us to walking a new path of love, gratitude, and responsibility.
From September 1 until October 4, I invite you to join me in praying this song, reflecting on the beauty of God's creation, and asking for the grace of ecological conversion.
May we learn to see every person and every creature as a gift from God.
May we hear the praise of the mountains, rivers, birds, and forests.
May we walk together toward the day when all creation sings the glory of God.
"We see it now. We confess our blindness. We choose a new path."
Laudato Si', mi' Signore! (Praise be to You, my Lord!)
Fr. Hervé Kuafa Lontsi, CICM
Date : September 1, 2026
