Thoughts in advance of the blessing of the animals

Like so many other parishes, we're doing a blessing of the animals today.

What with one thing and another, I'm not really up to date on my Gay Agenda these days, but I'm fairly sure I'm supposed to wax indignant about how I'm allowed to bless cats and dogs but not same-sex couples. Unfortunately, I don't have it in me, and I don't feel indignation -- more like a mild and passive case of the WTFs -- and ginning up indignation for purposes of ecclesiastical politics is hardly good for the soul. So I'm off to do animal blessings.

The thing is, I still really don't care for the blessing of animals, not when done en masse and in celebration of Saint Francis of Assisi. I can't really say why that is. I quite like animals (dogs, anyway), and it's not as though I care deeply about the reduction of the Franciscan charism to going all woo-woo-woo about animals. Mind you, I do object intellectually to the reduction of the Franciscan charism, and I would be much happier if we got some serious stories about radical discipleship, or at least sat around and recounted our favorite arguments from Scotus or shared a giggle over the most outlandish Trinitarian analogies from Bonaventure, but it's not as though I have any deep Franciscan commitment that is outraged by the Sunday Kitty Parade in Francis's honor.

It's probably that I'm just too uptight to appreciate all the non-human visitors to the Choral Eucharist -- who don't even sing the responses properly -- or the simpler music that is invariably thought appropriate for the day. (Who's to say dogs don't enjoy polyphony as much as anybody else?) Last year I just avoided the service and went elsewhere, but then last year I hadn't been ordained and so had more freedom about where I spent my Sunday mornings. This year I'm actually needed for blessing purposes, especially since the Curate is away. So off I go.

I shall think of it in much the same way as I think of singing "On Eagles' Wings": it's not something I'd ever choose to do myself, and I don't really get what people see in it, but I know it's meaningful to many, many people, and I will rejoice in that, as well as I know how.

And I shall think, also, of the fact that if I had a dog, I could bring him to church with me for a blessing, whereas I can bring my partner to church with me to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus. So it's kinda hard to think M. comes out the loser in that deal.