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Home Page
The Rector's Welcome
Worship
Sermons
Music & the Organ
Newsletter
Schedule & Events
History
Programs & Ministries
Tour the Building
Links
Map & Directions
Monthly Calendar
Home Page
The Rector's Welcome
Worship
Sermons
Music & the Organ
Newsletter
Schedule & Events
History
Programs & Ministries
Tour the Building
Links
Map & Directions
Monthly Calendar
Fr. J. D. Ousley
October 5, 2003"Not Good to Be Alone"
In the Name of God: Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Amen.
On our annual observance of St. Francis Day, we naturally think about pets.
And, sharing your life with a dog or a cat or bird or a fish or a hamster or a lizard -- that's a choice. It's a free choice. It's a choice you don't have to make.
I remember one occasion when I was in the second grade and I was talking with my teacher about pets. I think we had just gotten a new dog in my house; in any case, I asked my teacher if he had any pets.
He replied that he didn't. The reason he didn't was that he felt people got too attached to their pets. If his animal got sick or died, my teacher would be caused a lot of pain. He could avoid that pain simply by not having a pet in the first place!
This reasoning struck me at the time as being rather sad. In fact, it still seems sad to me.
Surely, as the old motto say, "it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Few things are worse than witnessing a favorite animal's suffering; those of us who have lost beloved pets know it is like losing a member of the family.
But very few of us would agree that we would have been better off never to have known our pets in the first place. The time we had with them was precious -- worth every minute of the pain of eventually losing them.
And this truth about sharing life with an animal can be extended to all the precious and painful relationships God calls us to in his Creation. As we heard in the Old Testament Lesson, "It is not good that man should be alone."
According to Genesis, to solve this problem of human loneliness, God went on to form "every animal of the field and every bird of the air."
The story also says that the first man still needed a partner; to satisfy that need, according to this part of Genesis, woman was created. This is, one might say, a whole other story which we won't go into today!
Now we will focus on the first part of this version of creation: the animals. According to Genesis, "... whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name." By giving creatures their names, the man asserted "dominion" or mastery over other creatures.
Regrettably, human beings have sometimes interpreted this text in a way that emphasizes the powers rather than the responsibilities. Human beings have held themselves superior to the rest of the animal kingdom; "dominion" then led to exploitation.
Humans have considered themselves masters of the universe, rulers of creation who could treat the environment as they pleased. They put a barrier between themselves and other creatures, so that they could be cruel to animals if that cruelty was convenient.
Today, fortunately, we see things differently. We see that the dominion God gives to human beings brings not just authority but duty. Some people may still speak, for example, of a dog's love for its "master" -- where "master" refers to its owner. But our society now recognizes that owners aren't "masters" in the sense that they can mistreat their pets; now hurting animals is against the law.
Caring for our pets, then, reveals to us how we are related to the creation God has given us. Whether we, as individuals, have pets or not, we can see that the way human beings treat the animal kingdom reveals how we choose to exercise dominion in God's creation.
So in our human relationships, do we look for companions, or for someone to push around? We can appreciate the subtleties of power relationships among humans by noting how easy it is to exploit animals without even realizing it.
If I may again refer to my childhood, when I was growing up, I read about the buffalo hunters in the Wild West. These hunters would compete with each other in trying to kill as many animals as they could. They slaughtered far more than they needed for food or clothing, so that decaying carcasses of the poor buffalo covered the prairies, as far as the eye could see.
At the time, this mass slaughter was seen as sport; the buffalo hunters were popular heros. These days we know better. We have game preserves and national parks and hunting regulations to protect animals.
In our own time, in fact, the ethical problems may lie in the opposite direction. Some modern people seek out the companionship of wild animals in a way that seems caring but actually is harmful to these creatures.
In the part of western Massachusetts where I spend my vacations, a few of the summer residents recently have taken to feeding brown bears that wander out of the woods. The residents then brag about their kindness to their new bear "friends."
The problem with such feeding is that it entices the bears to leave their natural domains, and they become used to being around humans. For however cute the bears appear to us, they remain wild; some bears who have threatened children have had to be killed by Massachusetts police.
Thus, even attempts to be nice to animals can be corrupted by selfishness. Dominion over God's creation can turn into domination.
Notice, too, that the bear-lovers and the buffalo hunters made the same mistake. Both groups put selfishness ahead of responsibility.
The hunters wanted to show off their hunting skills; the bear-feeders wanted to show off their love of bears. Both examples of selfishness led to poor stewardship and needless animal deaths.
There is a lesson here, too, for all of us, whether or not we feel a special attachment to animals. Life with others is a very tricky business.
When we seek out companionship with people, we have to beware of trying to mold them to fit them precisely into our lives -- like pet owners who try to make their pets always go to sleep when they do. Pets don't always play according to human schedules. Companionship recognizes the freedom of one's companions -- even if it's inconvenient! That's true for human companions as well.
So we all have reason to remember and give thanks today for the kindness and generosity of St. Francis.
Beloved Francis-who did things -- who was a founder of a great religious order -- who made rules for his order -- and got the authority of the Pope behind him -- and yet who was also a person who liked nothing better than to contemplate the wonders of creation: Brother Sun and Sister Moon, and all of God's creatures, great and small.
"It is not good that man should be alone." Thanks be to God!
And now unto that same God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be ascribed as is most justly due all might, majesty, power, dominion and praise, now and forever, Amen.