A few years ago a Roman Catholic parish in Holland decided hold a special service for the blessing of family pets in order to mark World Animal Day as well as the Feast of Saint Francis, who, of course, was well known as a lover of animals. The service included lots of unscripted participation from the congregation – especially the dogs. But not everyone was happy. Some cat owners complained about the number of dogs present and those with canaries and budgies were a bit worried about the cats. But apart from that it all went off pretty well, and I’m sure Saint Francis would have been delighted. The parish priest described it as a little foretaste of the day to come when, as the Bible says, “the lion will lie down with the lamb and God will make all things new.”
May that day come soon.