Re: Non Stop Prayers to Saint Francis Of Assisi for all of the animals caught in the wildfires in Australia

[Eucharisted]

I have two problems here:

1. We don’t pray to saints. We ask for their intercession.
2. Animals don’t have rational, immortal souls. So they don’t need our prayers in the way people do.

That is my opinion.

 

[jeanne71350]

I have two problems here:

1. We don’t pray to saints. We ask for their intercession.
2. Animals don’t have rational, immortal souls. So they don’t need our prayers in the way people do.

That is my opinion.

True, but these little creatures are part of God’s creation, and we should love and take care of them.

-Jeanne

 

[AveSantaMaria]

Animals need our love as well.

“If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” St. Francis of Assisi :clapping:

 

[Joyful_1]

True, but these little creatures are part of God’s creation, and we should love and take care of them.

-Jeanne

Animals need our love as well.

“If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.” St. Francis of Assisi :clapping:

Yet, God did clothe Adam and Eve in skins that had to come from poor innocent animals. I’m not saying we don’t need to respect creation and with it the animals. I’m just saying that we don’t need to treat them as human beings. We are special because we are made in the image and likeness of God and we have souls. Animals do not have souls.

I just think there are more important things to pray for like people who are starving and babies who are being murdered. Our time praying for animals would probably be better served in that occupation.

 

[vashsunglasses]

I respectfully disagree. Animals may not have human souls, but they are sentient (they have feelings and sensory experiences) and somewhat sapient (the ability to think). As stewards of God’s creation I think it is our duty for pray for and take care of Animals.

My little kitty named Cuddles has been a gift from God to our household. We have learned so much about compassion, unconditional love, and God’s merciful heart for humanity from this little kitty. I have a St. Francis medal on her collar, and I frequently pray to (As in “ask”, because we DO in fact pray to [ask] the Saints. Prayer does not mean “worship”. The Mass is worship.) St. Francis to bless her and protect her from harm.

I feel no shame in it, and I am fully capable of praying for other concerns as well as for animals. There isn’t a hierarchy of prayer where one should only pray for the really important stuff. If that were the case then the only prayers we would be allowed to pray would be those for the end of Abortion.

 

[Joyful_1]

I have several cats and I really like cats. I would be very upset if anyone were to mistreat them. I would pray for them if they were sick, but not for their own sake. If I pray for my cat, it’s because I’m attached to it and would be very upset if he/she died.

 

[vashsunglasses]

Why wouldn’t you pray for “their own sake”? I don’t get it. It’s as if some people are afraid to love animals too much because they think they will then love humans less. It reminds me of the Protestant objection to the veneration of Saints. As beings created in the image of God we are capable of loving God, other humans, angels… and even animals, all at once.

My cat may not be a human being, but she’s not an object or a piece of furniture either. There is a big difference between being upset that my old computer just died and being upset if Cuddles died. Each animal is a unique and special creation. No two are alike, and you can’t exchange one for another. My cat is a living being with feelings and thoughts, and I definitely believe she is worthy of prayers for her own sake.

 

[Joyful_1]

Why wouldn’t you pray for “their own sake”? I don’t get it. It’s as if some people are afraid to love animals too much because they think they will then love humans less. It reminds me of the Protestant objection to the veneration of Saints. As beings created in the image of God we are capable of loving God, other humans, angels… and even animals, all at once.

My cat may not be a human being, but she’s not an object or a piece of furniture either. There is a big difference between being upset that my old computer just died and being upset if Cuddles died. Each animal is a unique and special creation. No two are alike, and you can’t exchange one for another. My cat is a living being with feelings and thoughts, and I definitely believe she is worthy of prayers for her own sake.

I wouldn’t say I’m afraid to love animals for their own sake. I just don’t.

 

[TMarieVeronica]

1. Animals don’t have rational, immortal souls. So they don’t need our prayers in the way people do.

This is a true statement. Animals have no need of our prayers, because they are in God’s care.

But I think it’s ok to ask God to bless His wild creatures; to provide for their safety and well-being; and to ask God to relieve the suffering of a beloved pet. If for no other reason, to increase OUR faith.

This past December… just a couple weeks before Christmas, actually… our little cat, Spooky… was so sick, I thought for sure he would die. He was lethargic. He didn’t eat or drink water for about 3 days. He lost half his body weight. He was so weak, he couldn’t even lift his head. I did everything I knew how to do… to help him. But he kept getting worse and worse.

Then, a thought occurred to me. So, I asked the Child Jesus for Spooky’s recovery. I know that most children love animals… and I felt sure that if I appealed to the Divine Child… that this love of animals would be shared… in His Sacred Childhood.

The very next day… Spooky started to eat again. He recovered and 2 months later… is back to his same old, loveable self!

This experience has certainly increased my faith in God.

 

[vashsunglasses]

I wouldn’t say I’m afraid to love animals for their own sake. I just don’t.

Would you be insulted if I said that I feel sad for you because of that?

I love animals so deeply that I just can’t imagine life otherwise. It’s like trying to imagine what it would be like if I was born blind and had no comprehension of the beauty of a sunset. I don’t think I could stop doing it if I tried. There are times when we are laying together on my bed, and she looks into my eyes and touches my face with one of her little paws and I feel like I could burst into flame with how much I love her.

For instance, I’ve recently become interested in devotion to the Infant Jesus, and I really believe that my love for Cuddles has brought me to the point where I am ready to begin to try to love the Infant Jesus. Just as my cat adopts cute behaviors to draw my attention, so Jesus presents himself as an Infant to draw our hearts to Him. And in reverse, just as I feel drawn to sooth and cuddle with Cuddles, Jesus wishes to do the same with me.

In another way, when people say that the majesty of mountains or the vastness of the ocean show the handiwork of God in the universe, I say it’s my cat. I look at her delicate paws, or the sparkle in her eyes, or the softness of her fur, and there is no doubt in my mind that she was created by God. I can’t comprehend that such a darling little creature could have come about by random happenstance.

Sometimes I struggle with Scrupulosity, but my relationship with my cat has taught me things to combat it. I know that if she accidentally scratches me or knocks something over, I don’t reject her or stop loving her. In that same way, God will never reject me because of my forgetfulness or my clumsiness.

It may seem strange, but the more I mediate upon my cat the closer I am drawn to Christ.

 

[TMarieVeronica]

I look at her delicate paws, or the sparkle in her eyes, or the softness of her fur, and there is no doubt in my mind that she was created by God. I can’t comprehend that such a darling little creature could have come about by random happenstance.

Sometimes I struggle with Scrupulosity, but my relationship with my cat has taught me things to combat it. I know that if she accidentally scratches me or knocks something over, I don’t reject her or stop loving her. In that same way, God will never reject me because of my forgetfulness or my clumsiness.

It may seem strange, but the more I mediate upon my cat the closer I am drawn to Christ.

Wow! Excellent! You know, I think it was a recent “cat” thread <in the Family Life Forum?>… and someone said something similar.

I’d have to do a search… to find the exact thread… but the jist of it was that the “human-cat” relationship is a little mini illustration of the “God-human” relationship. Kind of like… God uses our cats, to teach us about unconditional love. <Ok, I know that we can learn the same lesson with KIDS. ).

But, just as you pointed out… no matter WHAT our cats DO to us… <scratching, rejection, demanding, narcissitic behavior… etc.> we STILL love them. Sounds awfully familiar… does it not?

Don’t ever tell me… that God doesn’t have a sense of humor!