Streams of Mercy

Last Thursday we had our annual “Blessing of the Animals” service at the Hurley Farm, here in Jackson Springs.

I shared the story of a Catholic brother who had a vision during sleep one night. He was in the front row of the cathedral looking at the scene before him during a service of Communion.

He saw the priest passing bread to the first person kneeling at the railing. As he looked, the next figure at the railing was a snake! It was curled at the bottom with its back arching up over the rail and with head straining forward to receive the grace of Christ. The next figure was another person. Next was a raccoon with paws up on the communion rail, leaning forward to receive the grace of Christ. Then he saw a bird perched on the corner of the railing eating bread crumbs.

As he finished surveying the scene in his dream, suddenly the side walls of the cathedral fell away and outside was thick foliage of forest and jungle on each side, with all manner of wild animals roaming about. In this moment, it seemed as if walls of separation had been removed and there was a seamless web of all creation praising God and exalting the grace of Christ.

I read from Job 12: “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky and they will tell you … or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this. In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all humankind.”

I’m grateful for the blessing this service is from year to year. We must always remember that we humans share the earth with millions of different creatures and there’s much we can learn from each other.

Elizabeth