The first funerals I conducted took place in the back yard of our seminary rental housing. There, underneath the clustering oak trees, we laid to rest a series of beloved hampsters and our cat, Smitty. I felt that our sons, who were then about 7 and 9, needed to know that their beloved creatures came from God and returned to God.
The death of an animal friend can be very painful for a family that has loved and cared for that creature for many years. Our pets become part of our family, and, in some cases, they become our family. Many people bring their animal companions to be photographed with them for their family portrait.
There's been a shift in our language: we no longer call them "pets", but "animal friends", and we're no longer "pet owners" -- now we're "guardians." This reflects a shift in our understanding that humans aren't the only creatures on the planet of worth and value. Our animal companions are just as important as we are.
I wonder if this change in relationship to our animal companions might help us change our relationship with our environment. If our dogs and cats have value in themselves, then don't the air and soil and water carry the same value? If we aren't the "owners" of our pets, but rather guardians, then aren't we also guardians, not owners, of the earth?
This Sunday we will have the blessing of the animals at St. Antony's. It's a way of recognizing how valuable our animal companions are to us, and how they change our relationship to the earth.
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