~by Susi Pittman

There is never a week that goes by that I don’t receive an email from someone who is either losing or lost a pet. They come from all around the globe. Each one of these people becomes very special to me by giving me the opportunity to share Jesus’ friendship and consolation.

I just came across your contact details tonight on the internet and I know that this is no coincidence. I am a Christian and need to believe that when it is time to take my dog to be put to sleep that he will go straight to heaven to be with Jesus. He is my pride and joy and I’m so upset. Hope to hear from you soon.

I am a devout Catholic. I just lost my precious cat whom and am devastated over this loss. I believe in pets going to Heaven, but was looking for comfort and found your interview on the Harvest Show. I wanted to let you know that it was a special comfort to me to see the interview. Say a prayer for me that I get through this grief with the Grace of God.

My dog of 12 years, my treasure, my joy, my cutest creature God ever created, had to be euthanized because he could hardly breathe anymore from contracting lung cancer. I would love to think that I did every last thing right for my baby dog. I have only had 11 dogs, and he was my special connection.

The grief over my cat dying is killing me. I’m having nightmares. Its difficult waking up without her here, even though I have another cat. My brain keeps playing the situation over and over in my head without me trying… What’s difficult is coping with this totally on my own.

You answered my question perfectly. I have read your book on Animals in Heaven; it is very much in line with Catholic doctrine and should be awarded the ‘Nihil Obstat.’ Apart from anything else, what you said in your email was of great comfort. Many thanks for what you said. If you feel like coming to Romania, please come and stay with us. There are many fine churches and monasteries here and we live very close to the main airport.

There are many emails like these. There is such anguish and pain in dealing with the loss of a beloved pet. It is very real and nothing to be ashamed of. Chapter 26 in my book is devoted to Handling Your Grief. I will share an excerpt from it, for its message is also what I share with those who write to me.

***********************

To be able to reconcile yourself to the devastating loss of a much-loved animal family member, you must first face and withstand the pain of grief. Grief takes you to a “no-man’s land” of emotional chaos that encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Anger, denial, guilt, and depression can reel about you like banshees. Call upon the strength and love of the Holy Spirit.; Jesus pours out the Spirit to heal those who need healing. The book of Romans counsels:

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” ( Rom. 8:26)

…You are not alone in your pain of loss. Everything you are experiencing has also been experienced by Jesus. We are reminded of how Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus who had died. Jesus had a fully human heart and could feel the pain of separation. He grieved with Martha and Mary in the loss of Lazarus:

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled; and he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord come and see. “Jesus wept. (John 11:33-34)

There is great comfort in knowing that the Lord truly feels your pain and your loss. It is a time when you should run to His arms and allow Him to embrace you in your grief. He has the capacity to love you and comfort as though you were the only person in the world.

Yet the sting of death, the emptiness you feel, is the start of what is called the grieving process. Grief is over, and yet at the same time, it continues on; grief must be lived. Each of us must grieve in our own unique way.

…Healing will only begin when you are able to acknowledge your true feelings. Acknowledging your pain helps to loosen the hold that the pain has on you. Jesus knew that, so He allowed himself to weep for His friend. Open your channel of communication with Jesus, who understands and has planned and provided for your sorrow. Even if you are angry, let Him know it. He can handle your anger, and will love you all the more. There is no timeframe for the conclusion of a grieving period. You must be patient with yourself and move to accept that it takes as long as it takes.

“Behold, I make all things new!” (Rev. 21:5) That is the promise of Jesus. Take a stand in the peaceful inheritance that is promised to you and all of creation by a God who wills only that you choose to share eternity with Him—an eternity where not even our earthly attachments can be lost! God’s divine providence continues to preserve all that is and has been created from nothing.

When we ourselves pass from this life and stand before Jesus, who is all truth and all justice; when all is revealed to us, who among us would dare utter. “You are wrong, Lord!”? The joy we experienced on earth will be brought to an eternal fullness. All that was important to us on earth, all that we loved, all that brought us great joy—you can bet that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit know it intimately. God promises a renewal for all of creation, whose very existence echoes the essence of love Himself!

The greatness of God’s love is the power that will see “all that was created good” to its ultimate reward!

Finis

Therefore from the beginning I have been convinced, and have thought this out and left it in writing: The words of the Lord are all good, and he will supply every need in its hour. And no one can say, “This is worse than that,” for all things will prove good in their season. So now sing praise with all your heart and voice, and bless the name of the Lord. (Sirach 39:32-35)

Susi Pittman is founder of CatholicStewardsofCreation.com and Owner-President of Twin Oaks Publishing; she is author of Animals in Heaven? Catholics Want to Know!; an advocate for the Florida Catholic Conference; a member of the St. Joseph’s Catholic Council of Women in Jacksonville, Florida; an Associate of the Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Augustine;a member of the Florida Publishers Association, Independent Book Publishers Association, the National Association of Professional Women, the ASPCA, the Humane Society of the United States and the National Audubon society.