Blessed Pets are Good for us.
Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2024 Blog #20
May 19, 2025
Blessed Pets are Good for us.
Yesterday afternoon, following worship, I engaged in a service of Animal Blessing which I have done in years past, but have not been a part of in recent years. Even though, most churches have such services in October, to coordinate with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we at the Community Church of Glen Rock chose to do this service now as a means of showing the community that we are back from COVID. It was a small but wonderful service. Most of the animal participants were dogs, but we did have one cat, and even a beautiful turtle.
Perhaps it is ironic that we held this animal blessing during May which has been designated as “Mental Health Awareness Month.” I don’t know who makes these declarations, but the declaration has been made by someone, somewhere and the designation gets a great deal of publicity. According to my search on Google, there are over two dozen designations of what the month of May is but I’m focusing on Mental Health Month for now. I simply know too many people who are having emotional troubles to ignore this.
So, what does a blessing of the animals have to do with Mental Health Awareness Month? I think that there are several connections. I have read media reports that people who live alone, suffer fewer mental health symptoms when they live with pets. There is something about the companionship of a pet that can be grounding for some individuals. I recall a scene in the Ken Burns series on the Vietnam War in which a depressed Veteran was considering suicide. He had a loaded sidearm in his hand. As he prepared to end his life, he heard his dog whimpering, and he realized how much his dog depended on him. He put the weapon down and did not follow through on his plan to end his life. Pets can be grounding.
I grew up with a dog and I learned a work ethic in caring for him. It was my job to feed, brush and walk him. Often, I didn’t feel like doing that, but I did it anyway. It taught me a lot about showing up for work every day.
Years later, my daughters grew up with dogs and cats. They also learned the value of work in caring for pets and they developed the skills of nurturing beings with less power than themselves. They were protective of these lesser creatures. It is no wonder that they have become adult nurturers.
Pets are good for us as companions and to give us a sense of responsibility. I realize that this is a phenomenon of those of us who live in First World Countries. People who live in the Third or Fourth World, who are struggling to find sufficient food on a daily basis, must view our pets are frivolous luxuries. Perhaps they are, but they are part of our social fabric, and they do become significant parts of our lives. The Church of Christ must always meet people within the context of their lives and show that God is indeed joining with them no matter where on the road of life that they are. We can only begin to help transform if we join first and begin working with people from their own starting point.
I thank God for the gift of animals. Our scripture in the first book, Genesis, when God had the earth create animals. They were not to be companions to humans, but they were to be cared for by the first man and woman. The man was even given the honor of naming each animal. Animals are good for us. Let us bless them and care for them well.
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