My favorite is Dill Harris, my daughter Suzanne’s eight year-old pug. Dill is friendly, faithful, easy to care for and a great companion for Suzanne who lives alone.
Suzanne and Dill are visiting us in Louisville for several days. This gives me a chance to be with my favorite pet. We take walks when there’s a break in our gloomy February weather. He cuddles next to me on the couch (but only when Suzanne is away). Most of all, Dill reminds me that I am blessed to have him around because his presence is pure gift, a joy to be treasured.
There are three kinds of animals: 1) pets like Dill, 2) domestic animals like horses, cows and sheep, and 3) wild animals like coyotes, deer and all the rest. St. Francis of Assisi reminds us that all these animals are our sisters and brothers, creatures made by a good and loving God. To abuse an animal is to spit in the face of God because, like us, but differently, animals are made in God’s image. They are precious to him—as they should be to us.
Why did God create animals? For the same reason he created all things visible and invisible: To express his love. Creation is filled with wonderful diversity—from the immensity of the universe to the particularity of the smallest things unseen by human eyes. Love is the source and substance of all things. Diverse, complex and yet utterly simple, the world that only God could make compels us to give praise (laudato, si) , to give thanks and to accept responsibility for the stewardship of all God’s gifts.
But little Dill isn’t a philosopher. He’s just a buddy, a faithful companion and a gentle reminder that things are never as bad as they seem.
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