“Animals in Heaven?: A Catholic Pastoral Response to Questions about Animals” by the Reverend Father Terry Martin (vegan), Part 2 of 2

“Those planets about which we know so little, Mars and Jupiter and all the other planets, we believe the death and resurrection of Jesus somehow transforms them, too. Those birds can be affected by the message of the Gospel. I wonder if maybe that’s what Saint Francis had in mind. Saint Bonaventure, himself, had beautiful things to say about animals. Even I look at, in the book (“Animals in Heaven?”), Saints of other traditions, where holy people have invited us to think again about animals.”

Touching on the title of his book, “Animals in Heaven?,” Father Martin addresses the question, “Do animal-people have souls?” “Saint Paul doesn’t confine that to humans. He says the whole of creation is caught up in this sense of needing the resurrection, of embracing the resurrection of Jesus. I would suggest the resurrection of Jesus makes possible the idea that animals could go to Heaven. He loves them. He calls them into being.” “We believe that God has created it in this way, that the more Christ-like we become, the more fully ourselves we become. I would suggest that, therefore, the kind of sport we engage with, the kind of clothing we wear, the type of food we eat, all of these things can be seen through that compassionate lens.” “Very simple. Stop eating them. Stop wearing them. Stop riding them. Stop going to sports that include them. Pray for them. See them as God sees them. I mean, He’s saying that He’s given the planet to us to share with this creature.” “Peace in every respect. So, peace among humans, peace between humans, and peace among humans and animals, peace between humans and animals.”