FOLKS, in the past week or so ago there was much confusion about what Pope Francis was supposed to have said about dogs going to heaven. I read an article in the Philippine Star copied, it seemed, directly from the New York Times, I hoped that our local paper would also publish the correction made by the NY Times, but I had no way of checking whether they did. There was also a correction made by CNN. The long and the short of it is that pope Francis never said the words they quoted him as saying. There were a lot of satirical comments on the subject which I have no time and inclination to summarize. At any rate what I would like to do is share with you an article which I found enlightening. Catholic New York August 6,1998 - The Question Box Will There Be Animals in the Next Life? By Father John Dietzen Question: Recently our longtime family pet dog passed away. It caused a lot of grief for all of us, especially the children. What is the Churchs teaching on animals in the next life? Its hard to believe that God would have a place here for animals without having a place for them in the hereafter. (Pennsylvania) ***** Answer: During the past 3,000 years or so, a great number of Christian and non-Christian philosophers and theologians, as well as plain ordinary folks, have asked the same question. The answers are varied, but by far the majority answer in the same vein you suggest. Not only humans, but all material creation, will share in the transformed universe of the new creation spoken of in Scripture. And that includes animals. St. Thomas Aquinas is the most well-known Catholic teacher who perhaps thought otherwise. In spite of his respect for the sacredness of all creation, including material beings, he wrote at one point that only human beings, the elements (earth, air, fire and water) and heavenly bodies will continue in the coming age. Animals, plants and other corruptible bodies will not (Compendium, Ch. 170). No one matches St Augustine, however, in the assumption that all the beautiful and enjoyable things of nature, plants, animals, food, the skies, all the delights that image God and lead us to him in this life will do so even more perfectly in the next. He admits that all will be changed and made incorruptible in the new creation, but he counsels that when you question yourself about what will be there, you can take away corruption, and then add whatever you want (Sermon 242). Most Christian thinkers and writers and poets echo those insights. Underlying these convictions most of all are the numerous biblical texts pointing to very earthly, and earthy, realities as foretastes of what God has planned for our future life. Isaiah speaks of the time when death is destroyed forever, when the Lord will provide choice wines and rich foods, and tears are wiped from every face. Other prophets, the Psalms, the Song of Songs, the New Testament, expand on this image of the coming new creation. As the letter of Peter puts it What we await are new heavens and a new earth, which God has promised (2 Pt. 3:13). These questions about what eternal life with the Lord will be like are treated brilliantly and with remarkable scholarship in the book Land of the Living, by Father James T. OConnor (1992 Catholic Book Publishing Co.), pastor of St. Josephs parish in Millbrook. In his foreword, Cardinal OConnor speaks of the harmony Christ will bring to that transformed but enduring universe, explicitly referring to dumb animals. If, indeed, he writes, all things were made through him, and if he is the same, yesterday, today and forever, then should it be out of the question that all things will somehow endure? While the Church has no explicit teaching on your question, that in a nutshell reflects the way most Christians have answered it through the centuries. –CNS Doggone it! Still no top spot for Spot? Posted on December 15, 2014 by Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY — Whether animals go to heaven or not has been an eternal question. boy and dog A boy carrying a dog in a live Nativity scene at the Church of St. Alfonso Maria dei Liguori in Rome Jan. 6, 2014. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) And a supposedly definitive answer was reported to have come from Pope Francis. But it turns out the pope-quote [“One day we will see our pets in the eternity of Christ.”] was something Pope Paul VI reportedly said decades ago, and that the major mix-up in the English press the past week was a classic case of what happens when a whole story is just based on someone else’s headline. This story tracks how the confusion came about. But people still want to know: What does the church teach about paradise for pets? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that animals are destined for the common good of humanity and give glory to God by their mere existence. Pope Benedict XVI, who is considered an animal lover, was clear. He talked about baptism as a form of “new life” that is snuffed out in a “second death” by the uniquely human capacity to sin: Whereas for other creatures who are not called to eternity, death means solely the end of existence on earth, in us sin creates an abyss in which we risk being engulfed forever unless the Father who is in Heaven stretches out his hand to us. The church teaches that unlike human beings, animals lack rational souls and free will. Free will is the capacity human beings have to cooperate with God’s grace and join in the eternal joy of heaven. However, and this was Pope Francis’ larger point Nov. 26, because all of creation is loved by God, the day of resurrection means people will be part of a whole resurrected universe, which suggests there may be animals in heaven. In a column for CNS a few years ago, Father Ken Doyle answered a reader’s question about pets in heaven: The most honest answer is that we do not know. What our faith does tell us, though, is that the joys of heaven are beyond compare, beyond our poor power even to imagine them. So, it’s safe to say that if in heaven you need your pets to be happy, they’ll be right there with you. Father John Dietzen gave a thorough response in a CNS column back in 1998 (hat-tip to an attentive reader with an awesome memory): No one matches St Augustine, however, in the assumption that all the beautiful and enjoyable things of nature, plants, animals, food, the skies, all the delights that image God and lead us to him in this life will do so even more perfectly in the next. Others have pointed to Noah’s ark as a sign that God intends to save all of creation and the Book of Revelation describes four (strange) animals around the throne of God. Share this:
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 04:39:26 +0000
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