[Pets in heaven]
Dear Donagh,
…. When we die will we meet our beloved pets in Heaven? That's it in a nutshell! You can probably deduce from my question that I'm a big animal lover! I've had pets since I was a child and have loved and adored every single one of them. I've had dogs, cats, budgies and have always been heartbroken and devastated when it came to their passing. They hold a very special place in my heart which the passing of time does not erase. To be quite frank I don't want their memories to be erased…! I just hope and pray that they and all the pets I've ever loved are there to meet me when I die because the thought of a life without them would be unbearable.
Then there's the pain and anger I feel whenever I see animals being abused. It almost kills me and tears me asunder but I try to be proactive and do whatever I can to help no matter how small it is…. Jane
Dear Jane,
Many thanks for your email. I love animals too. I'm at a loss when people ask me if I prefer dogs or cats. I like them all, and they have every right to be different, being different species. I notice with great satisfaction that the wild animals around our retreat centre here are not really wild. The crows waddle around just a few feet from where I walk in the mornings, and the rabbits hop along in a relaxed manner instead of fleeing in terror, and the blackbirds almost seem to offer me some of their findings under the trees. All of them are such uncomplicated and peaceful creatures compared to us, so much better behaved.
What’s in store for them after death? There, that’s the big question, even in regard to ourselves. What’s in store for us? We are not given any detail about the matter, not even grainy. All we are told is that it will be more than we can imagine. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). All we know is that heaven is the presence of God. That means that it is the same mystery as God – it is not different from God. And to say that “God is greater than our hearts” (1 John 3:20) is to say that heaven is greater than our hearts. It is not just the fulfilment of all our good desires, but the surpassing of them. Heaven is fulfilment, not absence. God’s presence will fulfil you completely. That means that you will be no empty place in your heart. I don’t think heaven would be heaven if you were to spend it lamenting the absence of your animal friends! But how that might work out… only God knows.
I think you would like the following paragraph. It is from Bl. Henry Suso (+1366), a German Dominican, confrère of Meister Eckhart. He used to pray for animals – an unusual thing in those days, or in any day.
“I could not see the suffering of the birds and beasts and God’s other creatures without being pierced to the heart by it, and I used to pray the Lord of all to help them.” Then he flung the net even wider. “I gather around me all the creatures ever made in heaven, on earth, and in the elements, each one with its name: birds of the air, beasts of the forest, fishes of the water, leaves and grass of the earth, and the innumerable grains of sand by the sea; and to these I add all the specks of dust that glance in the sunbeams, with all the drops of water that ever fell or are falling from mist, snow, and rain; and I wish that each of these had a beautiful stringed instrument… on which they might raise a new strain of praise for ever and ever.”
We don’t often read such lyrical passages, especially not today when people hate to appear naïve. But it is not pure fantasy, there is some basis for it. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, St Paul tried to imagine the ultimate, the end of time, the complete restoration and renewal of creation, when Christ will hand back the Kingdom to his Father. “When all things are subjected to God, then the Son himself in turn will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.” (verse 28). He was referring to all creation, not just to human beings. Everything is connected, so it would be impossible to separate us out from the rest of creation (which includes your pets!). It took a universe to produce you, and that universe includes your pets. (I don’t know whether this is theology or not, but it is a pleasing thought!) When Martin Luther was commenting on this passage of Scripture, he looked down at his dog and said, “Cheer up, little dog, in the Resurrection you will have a little golden tail!” I wouldn’t bet that he was putting his full serious mind to this, but at any rate he implied that the ultimate will not involve the destruction of individual creatures, the loss of identity, and everything reduced to one common element. That would be a loss, not a restoration or a fulfilment.
So, to end, what can we say? The assurance of Scripture is that you will not find God disappointing. “God is greater than our hearts” (1 John 3:20), not less. It would be impossible to feel the loss of anything in the full presence of God. “With God,” said Meister Eckhart, “one cannot lose anything.” In God, everything will be present to us – as it is in God. I know it would be very tempting to think of your dog still following you around and jumping into your lap, or wagging his golden tail, but it is perhaps better to dwell on the total fulfilment that is the presence of God. God will not steal your dog from you, nor will your dog steal God. The same goes for all of creation. God will be all in all.
Donagh