Good Friday to Easter
ì[T]here is something so very dreadful, so satanic in tormenting those who never have harmed us, and who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power, who have weapons neither of offense nor defense, that none but very hardened persons can endure the thought of itÖ. Think then, my brethren, of your feelings at cruelty practised upon brute animals, and you will gain one sort of feeling which the history of Christís Cross and Passion ought to excite within you.î
-ñ Cardinal Newman,
(from his Good Friday sermon )
Since I can’t find any prayers in the BCP that pertain to animals, I am always listening for something that could also include them when I’m at church. Here are some things I found in our Good Friday liturgy:
“Good Friday prayer for animals” from The Solemn Collects on page 279 of the BCP:
Let us pray for all who suffer and are afflicted in body or in mind;
For the hungry and the homeless, the destitute
and the oppressed;
For the sick, the wounded, and the crippled
For those in loneliness, fear, and anguish
For those who face… despair
For the sorrowful and bereaved
For prisoners and captives, and those in mortal danger
That God in his mercy will comfort and relieve them, and
grant them the knowledge of his love, and stir up in us the
will and patience to minister to their needs.
Silence
Gracious God, the comfort of all who sorrow, the strength of all who suffer: Let the cry of those in misery and need come to you, that they may find your mercy present with them in all their afflictions; and give us, we pray, the strength to serve them for the sake of him who suffered for us, your Son Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
The following poem was found at http://www.thelink.freeuk.com/priest.htm
The Big Black Dog
I wonder if Christ had a big black dog
All curly and woolly like mine:
With two long silky ears, and a nose round and wet,
And two eyes brown and tender that shine.I’m afraid that He didn’t because I have read
How He prayed in the garden alone,
For all His friends and disciples had fled-
Even Peter-the one called a stone.And I am sure that the big black dog
With heart so tender and warm,
Would never have left Him to suffer alone
But creeping under his arm,Would have licked the dear fingers in agony clasped
And counted all favours but loss,
When they took Him away would have trotted behind
And followed Him right to the Cross.– P.W.
Various articles pertaining to Holy Week:
“Animal Sacrifice and Liberation: Implications of the Atonement”,
by the Rev. R. Deinsen
The Slaughter of the Innocent
The relationship between the sacrifice of animals at the Jerusalem Temple, and the crucifixion of Jesus,
by (the Rev.) J.R. Hyland
“Jesus and the Money Changers”,
by (the Rev.) J.R. Hyland
Easter Time and the Lambs of God
by (the Rev.) J.R. Hyland
(Three sermons for Lent have been moved to the ‘Morgue’ page today — along with other recently posted things.)
- Stop Easter Cruelties: Animals Are Not Toys!
- Why Not To Give Pets As Holiday Gifts
And now the “controversial” Easter message — before you shop this year:
Is your family planning to celebrate Easter with a ham dinner?
I won’t apologize for posting this picture of PETA’s billboard.
Our family Easter traditions amount to war on pigs and lambs. And supporting other people’s cruelty toward animals is a sin (even if unintentional or unconscious), which seems more blatantly noticeable on a religious holiday than on any other day of the year, when celebrations focus on food. How many people would feel there was something missing, if no ham or lamb was served on Easter? And have our celebrations become idols that divert our focus away from Jesus breaking down the gates of Hell, and overcoming death?
“The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage…” Or, more traditionally,
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”
Romans 8:19 (KJV)
When will we finally become the manifestion of the sons and daughters of God in the world, and to the world?
One pig dies every 3 seconds in the U.S.! Most are killed before they’re a year old. Each ham represents one life taken. How important is an “obligatory ham dinner” for a family to celebrate Easter together?
Can we begin to “do a new thing” with our families?
The best way to reduce the number of pigs that will be raised to die next year, (and to put a dent in factory farming practices) is to boycott the flesh of slaughtered pigs that are being sold in the stores this year.
(Click on the picture for info.)
Tags: Lent