All of God’s World Is Connected

“So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.” — Genesis 2:19

Every fall, we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment, with the Blessing of the Animals. It’s always a joy to see the controlled chaos of the special prayer service, as the beautiful nave of our historic church is filled with the cacophony of furry friends, from golden retrievers to chihuahuas, sweet-eyed rabbits, flexible felines, and even gerbils, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Tiny or towering, with paws, scales, or wings, these creatures are beloved by their human families — and by God. God looks upon all creation with delight and considers the welfare of each and every being.

We know this is true from the very beginning of the Bible, where the writer of Genesis reminds us that “out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air.” Each creature in its uniqueness was given a name, bestowed upon it by a human being who was also created by God. In this way, Genesis declares that all of God’s world is connected. We are kin to one another — made from the same earthly matter and blessed by God’s providence.

Genesis declares that all of God’s world is connected. We are kin to one another — made from the same earthly matter and blessed by God’s providence.”

Humans are given a distinct responsibility to care for the animal world, to recognize that we are not the only living beings imbued with dignity. As the biblical book of Proverbs says, “The righteous care for the needs of their animals” (Proverbs 12:10). Such an idea is right in line with the legacy of Francis of Assisi, who famously preached to the birds and believed, as the late Franciscan friar and author Jack Wintz noted, that “all creatures make up one family.”

Our pets nurture us just as much as we nurture them. They fill our lives with their playful antics and the tenderness of their loyalty. They teach us about unconditional love and show us that friendship can come in many forms. When we tend to their needs, we are also reminded of the fragility we share as contingent creatures, dependent upon God’s grace and holding. It is the joy and responsibility of this common dependency we celebrate at the Blessing of the Animals, as each furry creature lifts its eyes to be blessed by one of our priests. Held in the arms of their human kin, they may not understand the complex theologies we have come to construct but, in their own way of knowing, they too are close to God.

Read all of Sunday’s scriptures

Step Into the Story

Here are five ways to think about our connection to all created things:

Music

St. Francis’s famous psalm for all creation, the Canticle of the Sun, is put to music by American composer Amy Beach and performed by the Concert Singers of Cary Symphonic Choir. In this medieval composition, St. Francis expresses solidarity with all creation, including Sister Moon, Brother Wind, and Mother Earth.

Theology

Franciscan friar and author Jack Wintz on the widening, inclusive message of St. Francis: “The more St. Francis grew in wisdom and in his understanding that God’s love goes out to all creatures, the more he began to see that all creatures make up one family.” The theology of incarnation shows us, Wintz writes, that “The Word of God became flesh, entering not only the family of humanity but the whole family of creation . . . ”

Visual Art

This incredible woodcut by M. C. Escher shows the spiritual side of an artist typically known for his mathematics-inspired works. He depicts St. Francis surrounded by birds — notice the owl of wisdom above Francis’s head.

Justice

Did you know there’s an Episcopal Network for Animal Welfare? It’s a grassroots organization of folks who share the common belief that all God’s creatures ought to be within the scope of the church’s embrace.

Poetry

Irish poet Seamus Heaney considers St. Francis’s preaching to the birds:

When Francis preached love to the birds
They listened, fluttered, throttled up
Into the blue like a flock of words

Released for fun from his holy lips.

Summerlee Staten is the executive director for Faith Formation and Education at Trinity Church.

Image: St. Francis preaches to the birds in this late medieval fresco by the Italian painter Giotto.