This week we had the blessing of the animals at Grace Church, a service I always enjoy. This is something that many churches do around the world.
How cool is it that you get to bring your pets to church and have them blessed! But I got to wondering: why do we do this? Turns out, it has to do with Saint Francis of Assisi.
Saint Francis was born in Italy over 800 years ago, and was the son of a wealthy merchant. According to one source, “He used to drink and party with the young princes of the land.” Until one day a beggar asked him for money, and that got him thinking about those less fortunate than himself. So he gave the beggar some money. Not only did his friends make fun of him, Francis’ dad yelled at him for being generous. Soon after, Francis became very seriously ill. When he recovered he decided to devote his life to God. Needless to say, his parents and friends did not support this decision. He gave away whatever he had and went from village to village, preaching and helping people.
He seemed to have a special connection to animals, especially birds. It is said that when he would preach, birds would gather around him. So paintings of him often show him with animals, especially birds.
Tomorrow, October 4th is the “Feast of Saint Francis,” so that is why we had the blessing of the animals. But that gets me wondering. Animals definitely have personalities, but do animals have souls? If they do, are their souls different than ours? Do they know right from wrong? If they are good do they go to heaven?
What do you think? Do you have a good story about your pet? Post it!
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