I Will See You in Heaven
By: Friar Jack Wintz O.F.M. / Narrated by: Friar Jim Van Vurst O.F.M.
Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
Cuz if they ain’t gonna be there, I don’t wanna go!
I was raised Catholic, and I don’t have that many happy memories of the religion. Sure, there was the odd kindly priest, but there were plenty more who were all Fire & Brimstone and to them? Animals do NOT have souls. Certainly they were far too lowly to be allowed into Heaven and all that.
Now as you would imagine, that was devastating to li’l ol’ me. Still is.
So Friar Jack Wintz O.F.M. takes the concept of animals, whether they be our companions or they be creatures of the earth, and he ponders their lives, their deaths in I Will See You in Heaven. My brother just lost his beloved Willow after they had many wonderful years together, my sister lost her Midnight and Chata, I lost my Wootie and Serena—It was quite simply time to dip into this little audiobook again.
Because Friar Wintz turns the question over and reframes it: Only humans need to be saved; animals? They’re already wonderful and blessed and sinless creatures so they’ve got Early Boarding Passes to Heaven. He too was once a little boy grieving mightily for a beloved dog, and when he asked if that dog would be in Heaven, he was told: If it’ll make you happy, it will be so. God loves us that much, period.
This is not a book for atheists (“Heaven” in the title is kinda a tipoff…), so be prepared for Scripture galore. Wintz delves deeply and finds an especial comfort in the Psalms. Which I’ve gotta look up one of these days because there are some nice quotes. Plus, even Sea Monsters enjoy the grace of God which makes me wonder about translations, but I’m kinda digressing.
There are also some lovely stories about St. Francis of Assisi, and one can NEVER get too much of that gentle man. Although apparently he told rabbits and fish he released back into the wild that they were careless for having been caught in the first place. Rather harsh. But his background and history are gotten into, and Wintz dissects his prayers.
This comforting little book is narrated in kindly and friar-like tones (Friar Jim Van Vurst O.F.M.), and it covers prayers and thoughts for impending loss as well as for the already-bereaved. If you’re inclined to believing you’ll see your loved ones again, give this little book a shot—Stories of St. Francis, stories of Noah and the dove and the Rainbow, personal anecdotes, all very soothing.
Still, I sit and type this with photos all over my desk of past and current furry loves, and I gotta tell ya: There’s no book in the world that will ever come close to healing a broken heart. Only Love will, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta go squeeze the bellies of RoRo and The Miss…!
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