"GOD BLESS YOU, ROVER!"
Humans often say, "God bless you," to those they care about. I sometimes do and I'm an atheist. Is that allowed?
However, more importantly, in Spain, they've taken the whole 'bless you' thing a little further and, once a year, they hold a blessing of pet animals at San Anton, Madrid (Reuters reports). Now I don't wish to get involved with heavy theological discussions about the rights and wrongs of blessing animals. However I do think this smacks of rampant discrimination.
There are a large number of other animals who are deserving of a blessing but don't qualify because, as pets, they are largely ignored! Yes, cats, dogs and budgies are always in the front of the queue while creatures like crocodiles, elephants, blowflies and snakes are left largely unblessed. Obviously, this seriously affects their chances of an afterlife!
I would propose that the Catholic Church, via an encyclical from the Pope, holds a BLESS ALL CREATURES DAY. Now I realise this would be a tall order, giraffes aside. God, who some say, has extraordinary powers, may find the blessing of so many creatures on one day to be beyond Him. In fact He might think that blessing animals is a bit of a yawn and that being the Good Shepherd to 6.5 billion sinful humans is already beyond the pale. Besides, are animals sinful? The kangaroos devouring my roses during the drought certainly are!
I guess it will depend what His contract says about overtime. He may prefer to do it in stages, you know, 'work to rule' and all that stuff. I don't know if He belongs to a Union or not. There probably is one because there are so many Gods around, each one big-noting Themselves, each one claiming They are THE ONE! Gets confusing really. If He does belong to a union, He'd better watch out when John Howard gets up there because, before He knows it, He'll be on an AWA (Australian Workers Agreement)!
Anyway, I don't know what you think. Should there be a BLESS ALL CREATURES DAY so that this unfair discrimination against most animals ends?
Don't be beastly. Send a letter to the Vatican if you're in favour! Cheers.
6 comments:
The Pope only takes time to bless pets because it would be a little crass to bless other animals one day and eat them the next!
If one looks at the girth of the average middle aged religious around the Vatican, most of them look very plump and well fed. These waistlines are not achieved overnight or easily so a lot of chooks, fish, shellfish, (pet shellfish??) pigs, beef, and lamb have died for the cause....
And Daniel, I would expect the Vatican to be the last institution to concern themselves about discrimination. I thought they invented it when they said Catholicism is the one true faith and to hell with all the other religions!
And there is surely a collection plate going around "the owners" as the pets are blessed, who would pay for the blessing of the "homeless ones"....after all, the Pope is not operating a charity. The magnificence of the Vatican Rooms attests to a fee for service being the priority.
Mary Walsh
www.yourchoiceindying.com
Your astute, accurate observations are always welcome here, Mary! Cheers.
P.S. But comments from insincere opportunists aren't.
Interesting topic, Daniel. Both you and Mary have made excellent points that I agree with completely.
Blessings don't come cheap especially from the Vatican so don't count on Bless All Creatures Day any time soon. Don't forget how they treat woman after all these years.
They are so obvious, Gracie, yet they attract such a large following of non-thinking folk. It's strange really. Cheers!
"Don't forget how they treat woman after all these years."
or little boys ; (
I like what I've read, Thanks!
Sad but true, C.M. Underneath the finery, humans are all the same!
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