AMEN
an occasional publication of the Liturgical Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
liturgy.dioceseny.org ✠ Fall 2004
Many parishes have a tradition of celebrating a liturgy for the blessing of pets and other animals on the Sunday closest to the feast of Saint Francis (October 4). Such a celebration is a good reminder to us that we are not alone in this world, and that all we do touches not only other human lives but the lives of all the creatures with whom we share this “fragile earth.”
However, the liturgical celebration of this awareness need not be limited to the feast Saint Francis. Anglican priest Andrew Linzey has worked extensively in the fusion of theology and animal welfare, and holds the first post to be created in such a field at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford. He has charted a theological understanding that draws the human closer to the depths of God’s mysterious work in creation, by affirming our place among and with the creatures. Among his books is Animal Rites: Liturgies of Animal Care, published in England by SCM Press and North America by The Pilgrim Press. This book not only provides resources for a liturgy for blessing animals, but addresses the full range of incidents in the life we share with God’s creatures: a liturgy for healing, a litany for the protection of animals, a covenant liturgy designed to emphasize the gravity of taking responsibility for the care and welfare of another sentient living creature, a vigil for all suffering creatures, and a burial rite.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord
Some reading this may already be shaking their heads a bit; but consider that when a culture treats other living creatures as commodities rather than gifts, it needs at times to be reminded and returned to consciousness of the seriousness of our actions towards even the lowly sparrows, who are not beneath God’s care and concern. The sources on which Linzey draws for his theological reflections are no lightweights: in addition to the expected Schweitzer and Teilhard de Chardin, citations from Moltmann, Barth, Bonhoeffer and Tillich abound, to say nothing of the deep wisdom of the Eastern Fathers and Mother Julian of Norwich, and a refreshing number of poets and novelists. It is good to be reminded that the root of the word animal means “soul.”
Explore this book, and discover the power of new meaning in phrases such as “he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.” Linzey notes that no less a one than John Henry Newman once wrote, “Think, then, my brethren, of your feelings at cruelty practiced on brute animals, and you will gain one sort of feeling which the history of Christ’s cross and Passion ought to excite within you.” In addition to the liturgies themselves, there is a thoughtful introduction to each section, a compendium of short quotations from a wide variety of sources, and an annotated bibliography.
The liturgies are written with dignity, insight, and sensitivity to language. As a small sample, this is one of the forms for blessing pets, or, as Linzey calls them with greater dignity, “companion animals”:
Blessed be the Lord of the earth and the heavens, who loves each living thing; and may the blessing of the Lord be upon this creature, N.; by whose providence all life in earth and heaven is preserved, and by whose grace all creation shall be redeemed. Amen.
In addition to Linzey’s work, the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals has produced numerous resources, some of which are specifically liturgical, such as leaflets for the observance of an Animal Welfare Sunday (on October 3 in 2004) and for the burial of an animal companion. The ASWA website is http://www.aswa.org.uk. In addition to prayer, this organization provides tools for action, including guides to shopping in ways that minimize animal suffering.
Closer to home, the Episcopal Network for Animal Welfare, founded recently as the U.S. colleague of ASWA, offers additional resources and materials, including practical suggestions on observing a vegetarian Lent (as was once traditional in Christendom, and is still widely observed in Eastern Orthodoxy). The site also draws attention to Resolution D016 of the 2003 General Convention on the subject of animal welfare, and provides links to numerous resources. The website is http://www.enaw.org.
Eternal Father, Source of life and light, whose love extends to all people, all creatures, all things: Grant us that reverence for life which becomes those who believe in you, lest we despise it, degrade it, or callously destroy it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. — a prayer by Archbishop Robert Runcie