Animals' Meditation on Psalm 83 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! Even now your enemies are in tumult; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against those you protect. They say, "Come, let us enslave them, bring them to nought, let the spirits of free animals be remembered no more." They conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant-- the tents of Con Agra and Cargill, ADM and Swift Foods, Monsanto with the shareholders of Hormel, DuPont also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of the apes. How long will you be silent, O God, while your people weep? In vast stinking pens we pray to you, in dark dreams, in rows upon rows. We are born and ripped from our mothers, we give birth, but our children are taken away. Happy are they who are born upon the free earth; in living and in dying they sing your praises. Who will glorify your name, O God, when all your children are broken and silent? As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue your enemies with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane. Fill their faces with shame, so that they may seek your name, O Lord. Let them know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.
As a Christian who struggles with the (lack of) attention Christianity has granted the suffering of animals I truly welcome this gripping meditation! God bless, and thank you.
Thanks, friend. Glad to know this reached you.
I agree that we haven’t paid enough attention to the suffering of animals. That awareness has a long history in Christianity, but it seems to me that it has often been marginalized.