Father Wintz, a Franciscan friar, explores a question he has pondered for years. His thoughts first appeared in the form of an article in the St. Anthony Messenger magazine. Motivated by a great response from readers and devotional study of Saint Francis, he expanded the source material to book length. The question in the book’s title “sounds like a naive child’s question,” Father Wintz said in an interview with Catholic News Service on June 13, “but I think it fits into this larger context of the question of salvation.” for all creation.”
The question in its simplicity and depth evokes Blake’s Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience. Both the poet and the priest speak of theological ideas with the wisdom of children. The thesis of the book is that God’s plan of salvation includes all of creation. In ten chapters, the author supports his thesis with testimonies from Scripture, the works of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Father Wintz builds his seminal concept chapter by chapter. The Genesis story includes the refrain, “and God saw that it was good.” All creation, including animals, reflects the goodness of God. The Garden of Eden, where all creatures live in harmony, serves as a metaphor for a world reborn. God’s concern for animals and his part in salvation is evident in the stories of Noah and Jonah.
In Psalms 104,148 and Daniel chapter three, all of creation is in full prayer path of praise to the creator. In the Canticle of the Creatures, Saint Francis addresses the animals and the natural world as brother and sister. The language of the saint emphasizes the family relationship of all creation. Father Wintz, a man of faith, concludes with the belief that all of creation will be saved and paradise will be restored.
The book, which does not get bogged down in theology, is readable and appeals to a general audience. However, it is a bit repetitive. One wonders if the original shape was a better fit.
For those of us who have seen our beloved pets cross the Rainbow Bridge, take comfort in Father Wintz’s closing: “Yes, with sincere thanks to God’s saving love for the entire family of creation, I will see my dog in the sky!”
(Wintz, Jack. Will I See My Dog in Heaven? Massachusetts: Paraclete Press. 2009. 153pp.)