St. Francis of Assisi and The Human-Animal Bond Part III

Silver Sands Veterinary Center

DH DeForge, VMD

St. Francis of Assisi and 

The Human-Animal Bond Part III

Blessing of Animals 
by Kevin E. Mackin, O.F.M.

As autumn arrives, people in various places may notice something odd.

A procession of animals, everything from dogs and cats to hamsters and even horses, is led to churches for a special ceremony called the Blessing of Pets.

This custom is conducted in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures.

Francis, whose feast day is October 4th, loved the larks flying about his hilltop town. He and his early brothers, staying in a small hovel, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey.

Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.” And there was testimony in the cause for St. Clare of Assisi’s canonization that referred to her little cat!

That there are today over 62 million cats in the U.S. attests to the continuing affection we have for our furry, feathered or finned friends. We've even had a cat called Socks in the White House. Other popular presidential pets range from Abraham Lincoln’s Fido to Lyndon Johnson’s beagles, named Him and Her.

For single householders, a pet can be a true companion. Many people arrive home from work to find a furry friend overjoyed at their return. Many a senior has a lap filled with a purring fellow creature.

The bond between person and pet is like no other relationship, because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, a man and his dog, or a woman and her cat, are two creatures of love.

No wonder people enjoy the opportunity to take their animal companions to church for a special blessing. Church is the place where the bond of creation is celebrated.

At Franciscan churches, a friar with brown robe and white cord often welcomes each animal with a special prayer. The Blessing of Pets usually goes like this:

“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. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.”

When preparing this week's blog, I decided to look at St. Francis of Assisi during the time of his feast day celebration.  Many will state the Human-Animal Bond has nothing to do with faith and especially nothing to do with St. Francis of Assisi.  There will be atheists that will disagree with all that I state in this blog.  To those, I respect your thoughts but disagree with you as much as you feel that I am off base in this commentary.  It is best for the atheist to turn the page and not read the rest of this blog.

Look at the two quotes of St. Francis of Assisi below and then let me show you their connection to the Human-Animal Bond.  Francis saw the love of animals and felt it was the perfection of God's love for man.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying [to ourselves] that we are born to eternal life.”
― St. Francis of Assisi

tags: prayer

“Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and an be of service to him. And blessed is he who loves his brother as well when he is afar off as when he is by his side, and who would say nothing behind his back he might not, in love, say before his face.”
― St. Francis of Assisi

The unconditional love of our companions symbolizes hope; light; joy; peace; and love elevated to its highest designation.....................being unconditional. We as humans place restrictions on our love.  I will love you if you do this; or I will always love you if you do what makes me happy; or even better I will love you for eternity if you are faithful and never even look at anyone else even in passing.  

Our companion animals give........... but never ask to receive...............that is what makes their love so special.  The companion animal is the servant that loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and of service to him.  Our companions are companions to us in every stage of our life as they pass quickly through the stages of their lives.

So the key is Francis finding in animals the ultimate love that the God of all faiths has provided to each of us.  Unfortunately with our free will, we reject routinely that love and rarely share it unconditionally.  There are exceptions.  Francis tried to teach us to spend our lives at the service of others.  My mentor, Dr. Leo Buscaglia, mimics Francis when he stated, "only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means."

Why is it when we return from a hard day at school or the work place that we immediately seek the warmth and bond of our companion animal.  It is because they are not going to trick us; they are not going to hurt us; and no matter how we have treated them they continue to love us even more.

The blessing of pets should not be an exercise that is performed because it is cute or just an event to attend.  It is a celebration of unconditional love!  It should be our way of saying thank you for giving to me that which I cannot give to my sibling; my parents;my children; my spouse; my girl or boyfriend; or to those that help me with all of the problems of my life.  It is a moment in time when we can say even though I am imperfect I want to tell you now how much I love you!  

That is the beauty of the Human-Animal Bond.  Children can experience an infinite form of love which becomes a living teaching symbol of values and respect.  When our children experience the love of an animal companion, it is easier for them to understand what love really means.  In today's world, love is confused with physical attraction.  The Human-Animal Bond takes the child deep into the abyss of the true meaning of caring, sharing, helping, and believing.............. that life is more that just making me, myself, and I happy.

So...thank you St. Francis for experiencing and sharing the importance of man and his relationship to animals.  Your words will allow us to continue to celebrate the wonder of the Human-Animal Bond each and every day of our lives.

Dr. Don DeForge

Animal Doc AM Multi-Media

http://animaldocammultimedia.blogspot.com

Silver Sands Veterinary Center

17 Seemans Lane

Milford, CT.

06460

Doctor DeForge welcomes comments about his blogs; please address them to DoctorDeForge@yahoo.com

06October2013