Today the Queenship (Coronation) of Mary is celebrated; one of the readings in the LOTH are excerpts from chapters 7-11 in Isaiah, including the most relevant prophesy for today: “…behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel…” (Isa 7:10-17). But it is Chapter 11, describing the peaceful kingdom to come, that struck me most profoundly today:
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid…and a little child shall lead them….the cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox….they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain…” (Isa 11:6-9)
Was reading this in the light of a passage from Genesis 1 that I came across last night wherein the nature of man and his relation to creation is espoused. While familiar, what I kept rereading was the implication in the below verse that plants were the solely intended source of food for man, and all creation:
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth…everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” (Gen 1:26)
As a mostly vegetarian, the common interpretation of “dominion over animals”, going well beyond stewardship to a carnivoric license from beef to leather, always ” felt wrong to me. I’ve been lamenting for years outloud, “everything just eats everything else“, struggling to make sense of it all. A few weeks ago, the daily reading from The Rule of St Benedict was concerning Diet: monks were limited to two cooked meals, and prohibited from eating the meat of four footed animals except for the sick or weak (Ch 39). This felt right, but why was Scripture supposedly incongruous with “that Holy man of God” Benedict’s teachings I pondered at the time. It would be my study and reflection of Genesis in light of Isaiah that would reveal the true nature of creation and its proper ordering.
My Ignatius Catholic Study Bible had some enlightening commentary on the carnivore dilemma
1:29 every plant: Man and animals are supplied with a diet of natural produce (1:30). Neither is a carnivore in the beginning, since the shedding of lifeblood…is inconsistent with the harmony of creatures that reigns in the primeval state. Not until the disharmony of sin invades the world are animals given as food…(p. 60, RSV2E)
And while later in Genesis Chapter 9 the Lord’s covenant with Noah seems to overturn the above injunctions for sacredness of life, originally entailing a herbivore diet, it seems to be more a concession in light of sin though Noah be a just man. After the flood and again blessing Noah and his kin to be fruitful and multiply, we are again reminded of the nature of the created order.
The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth…every living things that moves shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything…(Gen 9:1-7)
Admittedly, my rational mind is not 100% onboard with the concession; afterall, the world is being repopulated post-flood and Noah was the only just man so its tempting to think sin has yet no place to take hold. Though as with any mystery, there is infinite depth and this is the beauty of it — that we can prayerfully meditate on Scripture, to draw ever-deepening nourishment for our Journey. Hopefully you may be persuaded to adjust your diet accordingly so that one day the wolf shall lie down with the lamb when creation is restored. Pax.
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