Question: St. Francis of Assisi Day

[beckyann2597]

I love the Blessing of the Animals during Saint Francis of Assisi’s Feast day. I recognize it as a thing that we do to honor how animals add perspective and value to our lives, and I have never thought that the animals receive any grace from it. But I recently heard another Catholic say how it makes her feel good to know that her animals will be with her in heaven. Am I wrong, but I thought it was a blessing, not a baptism! Please someone set the record straight.

Here was my understanding about animals’ souls. Animals don’t have free will, so they can’t know and CHOOSE Christ, so they cannot be saved. Heaven is perfect, and because God loves us and wants us to be happy, we can very likely have animals in Heaven if it is what makes us happy. (At least this is what I tell my kids, I think that Heaven will be so great we won’t need our earthly pets to make us happy, but there you go).

So, what exactly are we expecting from blessing our animals?

 

[choy]

the animals are blessed, not baptized

you have your car blessed, your house blessed, that doesn’t mean your car and your house will be in heaven

sorry, but they probably won’t be in heaven. but don’t let that make you or anyone sad. if God is not enough for someone in heaven, then there’s something wrong there.

the reason we have animals blessed is the same reason we have everything else we own that gets blessed, blessed.

 

[beckyann2597]

the animals are blessed, not baptized

you have your car blessed, your house blessed, that doesn’t mean your car and your house will be in heaven

sorry, but they probably won’t be in heaven. but don’t let that make you or anyone sad. if God is not enough for someone in heaven, then there’s something wrong there.

the reason we have animals blessed is the same reason we have everything else we own that gets blessed, blessed.

Don’t worry, It doesn’t make me feel sad. I understand that we don’t need animals in heaven. But how do I explain to someone why we bless soulless things? Please explain that to me!

 

[Mattapoisett64]

I love the Blessing of the Animals during Saint Francis of Assisi’s Feast day. I recognize it as a thing that we do to honor how animals add perspective and value to our lives, and I have never thought that the animals receive any grace from it. But I recently heard another Catholic say how it makes her feel good to know that her animals will be with her in heaven. Am I wrong, but I thought it was a blessing, not a baptism! Please someone set the record straight.

Here was my understanding about animals’ souls. Animals don’t have free will, so they can’t know and CHOOSE Christ, so they cannot be saved. Heaven is perfect, and because God loves us and wants us to be happy, we can very likely have animals in Heaven if it is what makes us happy. (At least this is what I tell my kids, I think that Heaven will be so great we won’t need our earthly pets to make us happy, but there you go).

So, what exactly are we expecting from blessing our animals?

You might want to check out a recent book, *Will I See My Dog in Heaven?, *by Fr. Jack Wintz OFM. (Paraclete Press 2009) A very positive and hopeful treatment of this subject.

 

[Dorothy]

Don’t worry, It doesn’t make me feel sad. I understand that we don’t need animals in heaven. But how do I explain to someone why we bless soulless things? Please explain that to me!

Our pets were created by God and serve the purpose of protection and companionship for us. It seems to me that having them blessed honors God, their Creator, and his blessing helps us appreciate the pleasure they give us.

 

[roveau]

A blessing also has physical benefits for the animal as well as the owner.

Just a few observations…

The Church teaches that animals don’t get to go to Heaven. Animals can become close friends and companions and many of us would miss them once they died. I don’t think we get brain washed in Heaven so that we can’t miss our friends. But you know, how many of us are still constantly heart broken about a pet who died many years ago?

The argument that animals don’t get to Heaven because they don’t have free will doesn’t hold water because some humans don’t have free will either (brain damaged at birth, through stroke or an accident) but that won’t bar them from Heaven.

 

[Timothysis]

I’ve often wondered, if some animals make it to heaven does that mean that some animals go to hell?

Which animals would be in hell?

 

[choy]

A blessing also has physical benefits for the animal as well as the owner.

Just a few observations…

The Church teaches that animals don’t get to go to Heaven. Animals can become close friends and companions and many of us would miss them once they died. I don’t think we get brain washed in Heaven so that we can’t miss our friends. But you know, how many of us are still constantly heart broken about a pet who died many years ago?

The argument that animals don’t get to Heaven because they don’t have free will doesn’t hold water because some humans don’t have free will either (brain damaged at birth, through stroke or an accident) but that won’t bar them from Heaven.

its not just about free will but the nature of our souls. God made us in His image and likeness, he didn’t do the same for animals

we also mourn the loss of other people, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be in heaven is we end up there
people also mourn losses of their material things, doesn’t mean that their car or burned down house will be in heaven

 

[benedictgal]

I rescue dachshunds and usually keep the ones no one wants (disabled, elderly). Evidently, some time before he was elected pope, the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger had this to say:

"[W]e can see that [animals] are given into our care, that we cannot just do whatever we want with them.

“Animals too are God’s creatures and even if they do not have the same direct relationship to God that man has, they are still creatures of His will, creatures we must respect as companions in creation, and as important elements in the creation.

“Degrading of human creatures to a commodity seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible.”

When my dachshund Baui died, I cried for about four days. It was hard. I adopted him on the seventh anniversary of my mother’s death. He was mischievous, but, he was a good little man. I took him to be blessed on St. Francis’ feast day shortly before he died.

My parochial vicar, a few years later, went on St. Francis’ feast day, to bless our local animal shelter and the shelter employees. For the staff, it was comforting, especially because they have to euthanize so many homeless dogs that it takes a toll on their collective psyche. Yes, my friend also blessed the pets going to each pen.