All Creatures Great and Small

Although St. Brigid of Kildare (451-525) and St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) lived centuries apart, they were kindred spirits in their compassion for the poor and their friendship with animals. St. Brigid, whose feast is February 1, was born into slavery and, as a child, she herded sheep, pigs, and cattle; she is frequently pictured with a cow and is the patron saint of dairy farmers. As with St. Francis, a story of her friendship with a wolf is part of her legend.

Traditionally, humans have viewed animals in light of what they can do for us: They are sources of food, companionship, transportation, labor, clothing, and inspiration. But according to the Book of Genesis, God created animals, birds, and fish before humans, so God must value them in and of themselves. As the poet Daniel Ladinsky writes in his book Love Poems From God:

Does every creature have a
soul?

Surely they do; for anything God has touched
will have life
forever,

and all creatures He
has held.

Because God has touched all animals with life, we should respect their right to exist (rather than destroying their habitats for our own purposes) and acknowledge them as sources of insight, contemplation, beauty, and diversity. Just as we are happiest when we are in right relationship with God and with other humans, our lives are enriched when we are in right relationship with animals, as Saints Brigid and Francis showed us.