Sermon2

Sermon for the Animals

"THE STRENGTH OF A NATION IS JUDGED BY THE WAY IT TREATS ITS ANIMALS."

(Mahatma Ghandi)

(A SAMPLE SERMON FOR OCTOBER 4, ST. FRANCIS, THE PATRON SAINT OF ANIMALS)

(or for use on any day, for that matter)

Permission to use any or all of this is granted by the author - Azar "Ace" Attura -- please give me credit

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I am always impressed and awed when I read in the Bible that God created the animals before God created mankind. And not only that, but when God created the first human, all the animals were paraded in front of our first ancestor, in order to see which one would make a suitable companion. This sends forth a very powerful message, that, as the prophet says... "man was created.. a little less than the angels..." If that is so, and it most certainly is, then perhaps it is the animals who are angels in their own right. They have a lot to teach us, to give us, and they resonate on higher planes of existence than we believe they do. Animals are not unthinking unfeeling "dumb" brutes. I am sure that in the days before what is called "Original Sin", our parents were very much able to talk to and understand the animals -- witness the Snake's speech to Eve, and her ability to converse with him, as well as Adam's full acceptance of Eve's narrative of her conversation with the snake. I think their ability to communicate with animals remained with them until after the Flood.

I also am aware that Adam and Eve were NOT thrown out of the Garden of Eden for anything that the animals had done! (Let's ignore the Snake, who was really not what he seemed!)

"Anima" is the Latin word for "soul". Add an "L" to that, and you have "Animal." They are NOT unthinking, unfeeling "brutes", but another form of life and we (all of us human animal and other species of animal, alike) are "all in this (life) together." Animals, for the most part, have retained their innocence and love for us, even today, in this world that has seen much more than its share of brutality and violence and a lot of that violence has also been directed towards the animals -- God must be greatly grieved when one of these innocents is brutalized! We resonate with all the animals, and whatever evil is directed towards them diminishes us in like measure. If nations were to direct care and compassion towards their animals, pets, zoo animals, farm and beasts of burden alike, it would waken many people to true feelings of compassion, care, love, awe, fellowship, and perhaps therein lies the beginning of greater harmony and understanding between peoples and nations.

Too many animals suffer from poor health or living conditions because man"kind" is not always so kind to them! And, then again, there are also many people who love animals, yet do not know how to properly care for them or train them! Children in school should be taught in class (incrementally given more information as these children progress in age and understanding through their school years), educated in the proper care of their animal companions, from the time they are young kittens or puppies to the time when they are elderly animals in the last days of their lives. Children should be taken to animal shelters to learn what happens to many of these beautiful, but unwanted animals. We must all be made to realize that a pet is a lifetime commitment, and not an "animated fuzzy toy" that gets discarded when it gets too big, when it gets sick, or when it has behavioral problems (which probably stem from improper or inadequate training!). These children (and their adult parents!) must learn about pet overpopulation, and how IMPORTANT it is to spay and neuter their pets -- this operation certainly does not alter the pet's loving and protective nature. Instead, it frees the pet (and its caretakers, us humans) from the stress, dangers and distractions that accompany the life of an un-altered animal.

There are at least SEVEN kittens or puppies born for EVERY ONE human being born every minute of the day!! NINETY percent of these innocent and cute little kittens and puppies will probably be killed by shelters, or abused by humans, or sold to suffer and die in laboratories, because there are not enough homes for them all! We humans have a responsibility -- to be kind, to give care and show compassion -- not only to each other, but to ALL of this world's inhabitants. In fact, the knowledge and application of proper pet care will definitely make a child a much better parent once they too have children. As an aside, how many animal mothers do we know who could be called "unfit mothers"??!! We could learn quite a few lessons from them about how to raise our own offspring!

There is no excuse for maltreatment of animals! Animals are not unfeeling, unthinking "brutes".

Look at the cat the dog, and other pets we have known and loved, who give so much love, our companions who are so happy to see us! They teach us about the nobler side of life, and can, by their presence, help endow us with their grace, fearlessness and dignity. To me, it's a joy to be surrounded by animals, to feel their energy, their love and their joy. No, they are not human, and although they sometimes think and reason and have emotions in ways we consider human, they also bring a marvelous and varied perspective of their instincts and their views on life as animals. We humans must realize that animals respond to life in their own unique "Species Specific" ways, and in addition to learning THIER ways, we must also approach the way we train our animals with that in mind. Beating, abusing or yelling at any living creature is off limits. Kindness, tolerance, love, understanding, are the ways in which we must all communicate with one another..

I have seen different Animal Communicators (some are known as "Pet Psychics") working (communicating) with different animals. I have read their books, listened to tapes, read of the marvelous ways in which animals separated from their loved ones have found them a thousand miles away, in unfamiliar parts of the country -- this is part of what we call ESP -- we are all beings of energy, and we radiate this to each other and the animals as well, who are much more adept at picking up our energy field, or our vibrations, as some people may call them.

When I was young, I used to tell people that I spoke "fluent goldfish", because I was able to communicate in a non verbal way with my goldfish, some of whom lived to be 5, even 7 years old, all of whom were able to communicate their love, their personalities, their quirks (prima-donna, bully, mischief-maker, nerd, contemplative) to me. Well, this ability to communicate with another species is common to everyone who cares to develop it -- it works on my cat, on other cats, dogs, horses, any animal or bird. They hear our thoughts (for words ARE nothing but thoughts given speech), our animals and pets know what we are asking, and they want us to know what they are thinking or observing. It is a wonderful feeling and experience (for both sides!) for us to be able to communicate between species, no matter how much or how little is actually communicated and understood . It is an awakening experience for both species (human and animal) to know that the other species is actually concerned enough about their existence to attempt to communicate.

My cat, and other animals, even goldfish (who are quite capable of giving and receiving love as well as communicating their emotions to us), have been very instrumental in helping me become a better person. When I was going through some major emotional turmoil, I would come home after work, sit down, and start crying and grieving about my very real situation. But then I would look up and see my cats, who were so happy to see me come in the door, looking at me with great concern, and I would say to myself -- "I'm upsetting them!" I would mitigate my grief and give my cats alot of love to thank them for being my non-judgmental friends who give me so much unconditional love, and so I was able to be calm myself. I have talked with others - adults and young people - who told me that they were the rebel of the family until they had a dog or a cat to care for, and that pet taught them responsibility, peace and unconditional love.

I adopted all my cats from the animal shelter, or from "free to a good home" ads (Do those people who give away their pets really know what horrible dangers and abuses their cats and dogs could be exposed to once they are taken from their loving homes by people who could abuse them???

"Free to a good home" can sometimes be a death warrant for these innocent pets!). I always wish I could have taken in a few more cats, but my budget can only support me, and the ones I have now. To me it is a sin to condemn an innocent loving creature, young or old, to an unnatural death in an animal shelter (or worse - in a laboratory, or on the streets), just because it was abandoned, sick, injured, unwanted, old, "ugly", shy, or because it was the product of a mother or father cat or dog who was not spayed or neutered. Spaying and neutering will not damage an animal, and will prevent MANY lives from being lost -- will prevent MANY innocent beings from being put to death!!

When I lived in New York, in the Bronx, I rescued a tiny little kitten I found in an empty lot. I raised her with milk and Pablum from a doll's bottle. The kitten was so tiny she could easily sit in the palm of my young hand. As far as she knew, I was her mom, and I taught her everything a cat should know. When PeeWee grew up, I told my mom that it was time to get her spayed, but Mom forbade it. Poor PeeWee! When we had to leave New York and come down here, I was doubly heartbroken. I had to leave all my friends and my cat behind. I don't think I'll ever get over leaving PeeWee behind. My grandmother could not care for her, so my cat was cared for by a woman who let all her cats roam her empty lot and breed at will. PeeWee gave birth to many many litters.

My grandmother would stop by and feed PeeWee once in a while, and would tell me all the latest news about her. PeeWee still recognized Grandma, and I knew she still remembered me. One night at 2 in the morning, four years after I left New York, I woke up and felt PeeWee jumping on the bed. I looked and saw nothing. I was fully awake. I kept looking, and felt her walking on my legs, on my chest, and then lovingly biting my hand, as she used to many years before. Still, I saw nothing, but I suddenly felt a horrible feeling of terror, fright and the feeling that I was dying. I knew then that PeeWee had died, and came to say goodbye. My mother told me years later that my grandmother never saw PeeWee after that time, even though she would stop by the empty lot to look for her. Years later, I still sometimes dream of PeeWee. I try to pick her up, and my hands go right through her. When that happens, she gives me a puzzled look. I know that when it's time for me to go, PeeWee will be proudly waiting for me, along with the hordes of goldfish and other pets I've loved and who lovingly helped me make it through life.

My beloved cat, Princess (1992-2005) a loving, playful and beloved little tabby cat developed Cancer when she was 12. She endured three operations (which were beyond my budget so I borrowed money and used my savings would YOU have allowed her to suffer???) and I gave her an outpouring of my love, the best of care day and night, and my unending compassion until the day she died. When she died I thought my heart was going to break truly she was an angel who had left this world. Would YOU have done any less for your pet in this situation? Many people abandon their pets at the LEAST sign of sickness. What a TERRIBLE thing to do the true meaning of Man"KIND" is LOST in these situations!!! We ARE responsible for the well-being of our pets AND we also need to consider those animals in sheltersa donation of food or money to the animal shelter is always needed and welcomed!!

We should also learn how to properly lend a compassionate hand to those animals on the streets who are living in misery. There are many responsible, reputable Animal Rescue agencies in your cities and townssee what they dosee if you can help them or contribute money or pet supplies; these rescue people usually care for the animals they have rescued using their own money.

When was the last time you stopped to check to see if that animal lying on the side of the road is really dead? MANY cats and dogs hit by cars are left on the side of the road; they are still alive, but injured -- and left on the side of the road in All kinds of weather for DAYS, to die in agony (how many people pass them by in their cars and do not even STOP to see if these animals are still alive??? Learn how to safely and properly approach an injured animal and how to get proper and Prompt HELP for it, please)

When was the last time you taught a child or young adult how to Responsibly Care for a pet??? Many young people have an natural outpouring of compassion and concern for animals Let them put it to good use NOW so that when they become adults, they will teach more children the same lessons they learned. The animals as well as humans will truly BENEFIT from this.

I know God has a special love for animals -- look at the variety of breeds, colors, shapes, sizes, sounds and personalities of our furred, feathered scaled and finned friends! Even though the first human did not choose an animal as a companion, do you think that God loves the animals any less??? Of course not !- look at how proudly God paraded all those animals in front of our first ancestor!! I believe the animals were put on earth for us, not only for us to enjoy their beauty, their love and their companionship, and their support, but for us to rejoice in life with them, to walk with them through life, to learn from them (they have a beautiful perspective on life -- these innocents of God!), to enjoy their companionship and love, and to share these gifts with the rest of creation. How we all need this!!!

Those of us who would like to do more for the animals should contact their local Humane Society, or animal shelters, as well as the local cat or dog rescue and adoption groups, of which there are many. If you can't give your time, you can always pick up their literature and read about what is being done or what is happening to animals in the neighborhood -- you might be very surprised, and sometimes VERY sad at the sometimes horrific things are done to these innocents by brutal human beings. You could also donate cat or dog food, blankets, litter, or even just make the rounds of the cages and say hello and project your love to the cats, dogs and rabbits, many of whom will be put to sleep, never to know a loving home again. An act of kindness to these little ones is always appreciated by them, and that kindness will always come back to you.

The Internet is a TERRIFIC resource for finding rescue groups for pets and health or training information for pets. Use it wisely, check valid references first, and help save an animal's life. There are also many animal shelters who post photographs and biographies of the little animals they are sheltering -- why not look thru these web sites and adopt a pet or two - Save a Life; Adopt a Shelter Pet. And a pet IS for life, so remember that -- when you make the commitment of responsibly adopting a pet, you are to feed it, shelter it, love it, train it (responsibly AND lovingly - no beating please!!!) and make sure it sees the veterinarian at least once a year - around $300 or more per year will go into that animal's care for anywhere from 10 to 20 years, and more will need to be spent when that animal becomes older and infirm wouldn't you do that for a human being? Than you must also do that for your pet, who has NO ONE but YOU to depend on. Please be responsible and realize that if this pet were your child you would have even more expenses than that - never put limits on the health or welfare of any living being which is under your care.

And if you need any help or need to know more about animal care, your pet's veterinarian, the Internet, books by Anitra Frazer or Dr Pitcairn (among other good books) and your local humane society will be happy to help.

People sometimes say "But they're only DUMB animals!" These people don't realize that "Dumb" is the old-fashioned way of saying "Cannot speak like a human", and back in the old days was used to indicate people who did not have the gift of speech -- "mutes", as well as to indicate animals, who are incapable of human speech. The word "Dumb" when used as slang, to mean "stupid" has no place in human vocabulary when describing any living being.

People sometimes ask me "Why don't you work for Women's Rights and Children's rights instead of Animal Rights?" Well folks, they ALL walk together hand-in-hand - You CANNOT love one species while you ignore or hate the other. Certainly, I work for Women's Rights and Children's Rights -- And, I myself personally resonate with the animals (nothing at all to be ashamed of!), and I work very hard for their rights the right to be free from harm, the right to live safely in this world the same rights that we human animals also desire and need so much. For, I know very well the feelings of terror and fright that a small individual (who wants nothing but to give and receive love) feels when it sees a huge human being descending upon it to inflict great pain. As a child, my screams were eventually heard -- but, the animals' screams -- are too often NEVER heard; I lie awake at night knowing that this abuse towards animals goes on and on and on -- it grieves me terribly to know that this is happening to them all. Is this man"kind" ??????? No it isn't!! ... we can all do alot better. We ALL have the responsibility to reverse these trends of brutality, and once we do this, then one day the word ManKIND will mean EXACTLY that!

And let me leave you with one question - When God said "Let Us create Mankind in Our image and Likeness" -- Who is the "Us" that God was referring to - was it: God / the Triune God? -- OR... God and ALL of God's creation?? For we humans have attributes like - "Proud as a Peacock", Strong as an Ox", Quiet as a Kitten", "Mild as a Mouse" - ALL of which refer to those beautiful beings that God created BEFORE us humans -- so perhaps we owe a little more than we realize to all of God's creation.......!

The great Albert Schweitzer never went to sleep at night until he recited a beautiful, tender and special prayer for animals which he composed himself. When my final day comes, I would most definitely like to be remembered by God, not only for the good deeds I did for my fellow human, but on an equal plane, for my kindness to the animals.

"THE STRENGTH OF A NATION IS JUDGED BY THE WAY IT TREATS ITS ANIMALS."

Mahatma Ghandi, who worked so hard for peace between peoples of all nations, never forgot

the little ones of God, the animals.

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A PRAYER FOR ANIMALS

By: Albert Schweitzer

Taken from the Humane Religion website

http://www.all-creatures.org/hr/hrm.htm

Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends the animals, especially

for animals who are suffering; for any that are hunted

or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry;

for all that will be put to death.

We entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity,

and for those who deal with them

we ask a heart of compassion

and gentle hands

and kindly words.

Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals

and so

to share the blessings of the merciful.

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HUMANE RELIGION

A bi-monthly magazine

Humane Living - Bible - Love - Compassion - Peace - Justice - Sensitivity - Church - Synagogue - Temple - God - Christ - Christian - Human Rights - Animal Rights - Cruelty Free Living - People - Animals - Life Style - Nurture - Support

THE POPE & THE HOMELESS CATS:

John Paul II had a dream

By: J.R. Hyland

The first time I read the account of Pope John Paul II's dream, the thing that surprised me most was the fact that it was included in the book GOD'S BROKER. Published in 1984, the book was the result of two hundred hours of conversation with the Pope. These interviews began soon after the author, Anton Gronowicz, was introduced to the Pope in 1979, and continued for two years, in the Pontiff's apartment at the Vatican

An American citizen of Polish descent, Gronowicz was the longtime friend of many highly-place churchmen. And in the prologue to his book, he explains how he was able to circumvent Vatican bureaucracy. "Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski, Primate of Poland, introduced me to the Pope, acquainted me with Vatican circles and convinced the Holy Father that he should bypass the Vatican department of State and grant me private interviews."

Subtitled "The Life of John Paul II as told in His Own Words" the subject matter of the book ranges from reminiscences of the time when the Pope was known as Karol Wojtyla, a young man living under the Nazi occupation of Poland, to his reflections on social justice issues, theology and church doctrine. And in the midst of these human-centered concerns, the author devotes four pages to a dream the Pope related to him, about a homeless cat.

This surprising interpolation might lead to the conclusion that the author understood the significance of the dream: that he was sensitive to the plight of God's other creatures and the way they are abused. But the comments he makes as the Pontiff relates his dream, indicate he had little understanding of the implications of what he was being told. But from the way in which this dream preserved its vigor and immediacy, so many years later, it is obvious that it was very important to John Paul; and he fully understood its implications.

In his dream, John Paul follows a homeless mother cat who was trying to find food and shelter for herself and her kittens. She is turned away by those who lack nothing, themselves, and by men who represent the various faces of established Christianity.

The dream took place in 1969 the night before the Pope, known then as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, was to visit New York City for the first time. It was late summer and he had been touring Canada. He spoke of the beauty of its fields and forests and how he had wished for more time to walk in woods vibrant with color and with his "ears filled with the songs and voices of animals."

In the midst of this discussion of Canada, the Pope abruptly changed the subject and said: "The night before my departure from Canada to New York, which I had never seen, I had a strange dream." But his dream was not of beautiful forests, warm with the summer sun. It was of a crowded city, frigid with the cold of a northern winter. And although he had never been there, his dream captured the way Manhattan looks and feels, after a major snow storm.

"It was a terribly severe winter in New York, the city was completely covered with snow. Inhabitants were well-off and warmly dressed, and walking slowly along roads because cars, due to mountains of snow, could not be operated. I was happy that I could walk on top of the snow on avenues of white.

"All my physical effort was spent on walking. To this day, pictures of huge apartment houses on both sides of the avenue are instilled in my mind, and the doormen quickly closing and opening entrance doors as though trying to prevent humanity and warmth from escaping.

"On top of the snow, I noticed a brown cat emerge from a side street and walk on the snow. I looked closer, and to my surprise, saw that this big cat was being followed by six small brown-and- white kittens, all of them following the big brown cat in a perfect line. The mother cat looked back from time to time to see if her babies were there, but her main concern was to reach the entrance door. I presumed she was trying to find warmth for herself and her children, but as soon as she reached the door, a man in a well-pressed uniform, jumped at her with a broom and chased them away. I followed this procession and prepared to deliver a speech to the doorman. I opened my mouth and tried to complain, 'Where is your proverbial American generosity? Where is your American good heart and fair play? Let them in. Let them in!!

"I tried to speak, but the words would not come out. Maybe I was afraid of the doorman with the broom. I started searching my cassock pockets for a piece of bread, found some crumbs and put them on my palms, calling: 'Kitty, kitty, kitty.' But the words would not come from my supposedly intelligent mouth. Instead, the wind blew the crumbs from my palm and I said, 'what can I do? I can't speak to the cats. I can't speak to the doorman. But there are many hungry birds. They might pick up the crumbs.'

"Again, I walked after the cats, now with a pain in my chest, feeling tremendous cold. On the left I saw a church building and thought, 'There we will find help.' I heard singing and again, the idea occurred to me that it must be a XXXX church. The music grew louder, as though trying to convince God that they were praying to Him.

The mother cat jumped in front of me and climbed the stairs, followed by her kittens. I raised my head and saw a tall XXXX priest chasing the cats off the steps. But as I was about to shout at the priest 'I am a cardinal!' and give an order to accept the cats, the mother cat and her offspring ran behind the church, because from there came the appetizing aroma of food. Probably there was a kitchen there. But a second priest appeared at the kitchen door and scared the cats away. They returned to the avenue and started walking north.

"They walked on the same side of the avenue as the XXXXX church and I followed. Then they reached an imposing red brick church. An XXXXX bishop appeared and said to the cats, 'My dear animal children, please go immediately to the animal shelter. There is food for you there. We XXXXX clergy donate lots of money to the animal shelter, every year, at Christmas time.'

"The mother cat and her kittens didn't even meow. They knew the authoritative voice of the XXXXX bishop. They walked uptown and gradually the luxurious buildings disappeared, together with the doormen, and we saw drab dilapidated apartments.

"As they walked and the buildings grew shabbier and dirty, a door was opened, not by a doorman but by an old wrinkled woman in a cotton dress. [She saw the cats] and shouted 'Oh, little mother,' and when she opened her mouth I saw she had few teeth. She gently ushered the mother cat and kittens inside, who jumped happily about because the warmth of the house embraced them."

The narrative ended as the cats found a safe haven with the woman who had little enough, herself. When the Pope concluded his dream the author to whom he related it did not make any comment on what had been said. But he did write that "I had never seen such a sad expression on the face of this man." Considering that this was the same man who had related the horrors of his young manhood, under Nazi occupation, the author's remark shows the deep impact this dream had on the Pope.

If the Pontiff offered a commentary on his dream, Anton Gronowicz does not share it with the reader. But we are told that John Paul began to recite the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. "Lord make me an instrument of thy peace; where there is hatred let me sow love...where there is darkness, light and where there is sadness, joy".

Many years after Cardinal Wojtyla had his dream, and had become Pope John Paul II, he made a pilgrimage to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis. In the Message of Reconciliation he delivered there, the Pontiff spoke of the Saint's love for animal, as well as human, beings. And he likened that inclusive love to an anticipation of the Peaceable Kingdom, envisioned by the Prophet Isaiah; a world in which all God's creatures will live in peace with each other.

The Pope also said that the "solicitous care, not only towards men, but also towards animals and nature in general" which St. Francis demonstrated, is "a faithful echo of the love with which God in the beginning pronounced his 'fiat' which brought them into existence." And, the Pope added, "we, too, are called to a similar attitude."

Some who read these remarks are surprised to find in them such strong support of God's other creatures. They are surprised to hear the Pope refer to the lives of animals as a manifestation of God's love: lives that deserve our "solicitous care." But I was not surprised. By the time I came across a copy of the message he gave at Assisi, I had read "God's Broker" and the lengthy account of the Pope's dream. And I knew that if John Paul II had not wanted this very revealing dream to be published, it would never have appeared in print.

So in spite of the policies and pronouncements of churchmen of the same, or other persuasions, who try to denigrate the value and the importance of the lives of God's other creatures, we know that John Paul II had a dream. And although men of lesser vision and lesser spiritual development have closed their hearts and their minds to the needs of other creatures, John Paul has given witness to a need for the "solicitous care, not only of men, but of animals."

In this witness, the Pope is being true to the Gospel message in which Jesus also gave witness to the need for the solicitous care of all beings: "I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of these "least important" ones, you refused to help me."(Matthew 25:45 TEV)

Richardson & Snyder NY, 1984, used by permission.

The Spanish translation of "The Pope and the Homeless Cats" is on the Animal People's website. Go to

www.animalpeoplenews.org Click on the flag that says "en Espanol."

They should also have it translated in French.