During the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 crisis, streets were emptied, churches closed, and a relationship with nature developed in which questions to be asked again in light of the crisis arose: Is God present in nature? Is communion with God in nature possible? Is there a relationship between the God of creation, the God of history, and the God we worship in Sunday liturgies?   In Nature Praising God , Dermot Lane explores these questions by returning to the Bible. The Christian tradition shows that nature is understood as a living community, is graced by God, and has a sacramental character. He suggests that readers change their perception of how nature is traditionally regarded as a resource for human needs—and embrace a new way of praising God through an appreciation of and care for the myriad life forms on earth. The result of these explorations is the outline of a new theology of nature praising God, with lessons for the way we worship God in our churches today. “Dermot Lane is a prophetic leader inspiring the church’s growing ecological consciousness. In Nature Praising God , Lane develops a new theology of nature in which earth-care is integral to Christian faith. He argues for the retrieval of the forgotten biblical insight that nature praises God. To achieve this, he thinks outside the anthropocentric box to work out a fresh and theologically rich understanding of the natural world.” Margaret Daly-Denton, author of Psalm-Shaped Prayerfulness   “In this clear and readable book, Fr. Lane sketches how ecological awareness can, and should, help us to reshape Catholic theology and worship for living together on a planet in crisis. Highly recommended.” Terrence W. Tilley, Professor Emeritus of Theology, Fordham University "A book which sparkles with delightful thoughts inspired both by nature and by humanity." The Irish Catholic "A good book, written with verve, challenge, coherence, clarity, and zeal." Catholic South West "Dermot Lane offers us an intriguing, stimulating theological contribution centered around a question that has been hiding in plain sight: When the Bible speaks of nature praising God, what does that mean?" Catholic Books Review Published On: 2023-11-03 "Lane urges us humans to move away from an anthropocentric and instrumentalist view of nature to regarding it as grace-filled and charged with God's grandeur in a way that transforms our liturgy and our work in the world." Catholic Books Review Published On: 2024-02-01 Margaret Daly-Denton's early career was as an organist and composer with an academic and practical involvement in liturgy. Her Alleluia, Amen: Music for the Liturgy, (1978) was a seminal resource, and her music for the Liturgy of the Hours is sung in monasteries worldwide. She served extensively on ICEL (International Committee on English in the Liturgy). More recently, her doctoral research at Trinity College Dublin on the early Christian reception of the psalms, was published as David in the Fourth Gospel (2 ). She has taught Bible and liturgy at various institutions in Ireland.