Today, the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, the Cathedral is celebrating Harvest Festival and keeping the Feast of St Francis. The reading from Luke’s Gospel invites us to consider how God feeds the ravens and therefore not to worry about what we will eat; to consider how God adorns the lilies and therefore not to worry about what we will wear.

For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of St Francis of Assisi. In today’s picture from his book, The Song, Teddy Horsley is lifting up his voice to join St Francis in the Canticle of Creation. Gazing into the night sky, he sings, ‘Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon, and for the stars.’

Lord Jesus Christ,

you called St Francis to care for all creation,

for the birds of the air and for the lilies of the fields.

Inspire us by his example to hear your call

to strive tirelessly for a sustainable future,

and for a just sharing of the world’s rich resources;

to your praise and glory,

now and always.

Amen.

Next week, is the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. In the reading from Luke’s Gospel, as Jesus draws still closer to Jerusalem he is met by ten lepers. All ten are healed, but just one returns to thank Jesus. The image to help us to prepare for next week’s theme is thank you. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.

Preparation Resources

Family Resources