Blessing our Companion Animals

 

                                      Cathedral of St. John the Divine Pet Blessing 

I'm not sure why I feel that I'm cheating to keep bringing up Creation/environmental stories now that the Season of Creation has come to an end. Yet every day is Creation Time because humans live in a complex and marvellous interrelationship with all God's creatures of every species. 

So, I'm going to note that on Saturday, the Feast of St. Francis, patron saint of animals, many Christian congregations held Pet Blessing ceremonies, sometimes called aCompanion Animal Blessing. Congregants and others were invited to bring their beloved creatures for blessings, both formal and informal, collective and individual. Some people brought the ashes of their dearly departed critters. 

 I held an annual Pet Blessing for many years, mostly outdoors. One year a person out for a walk with her pooch joined us for a stroll-by blessing. It was revelatory to see how tender folk could be with their companion animals. 

I have to admit that it seems that the pendulum of pet adoration seems to have swung to an extreme, to the extent that some people go intemperately into debt for veterinarian bills, not to mention the fashion parade. As a Baby Boomer I grew up in a time when winters were often bitterly cold and I never saw a dog coat or boots the way I do now. I'm unsettled that so many humans are dealing with food insecurity and even starvation while the pet food industry is a multi-billion dollar business. 

                                                                  Washington National Cathedral 

This said, I think it's healthy and fun that we are sanctifying these relationships within our Judeo/Christian tradtion. Mercifully the days of animal sacrifice are long in the rearview mirror. A few days ago Jane Goodall, the celebrated chimpanzee reseacher, died and we've been reminded that she revolutionized the way we perceive creatures. We can say now what we've long known experientially that creatures other than human have personalities and emotions and attachments. 

We affirm that humans are made in God's image, which doesn't mean that we physically look like the Creator. There is a profound relationship, just the same. I won't climb out on a heretical limb in suggesting that there is a imago dei for Fido and Boots yet surely an aspect of "to live with respect in Creation" (New Creed) is appreciating creaturehood -- although perhaps not for mosquitoes and ticks! As I returned to my seat after receiving communion during worship yesterday I bent down to pet the timid, sweet chihuaha of a member who comes in a wheelchair. I'm glad that both are welcome in our sanctuary. 

Once again I see that some of the whopping big churches in the United States, such as St. John the Divine in New York City and the Washington National Cathedreal in D.C., held their annual Pet Blessings. While I wonder if I'll ever cross the border again I would have enjoyed attending one of those celebrations just to see how how they dealt with oversize messes!