Fr. Jaroslaw: A Coyote’s Visit to a Seniors’ Residence

On the second day of Russian’s invasion on Ukraine, my telephone rang early in the morning. An administrator of one of the Seniors Homes in Toronto asked me in a soft and saddened voice if I could come and lead the residents in prayer. They were witnessing on TV the invasion of their homeland. Without hesitation, I agreed to come to have a Moleben’ to the Mother of God – a prayer service asking for Her intercession and protection. In the afternoon, upon entering the main hall, where the Moleben’ was scheduled to be held, I noticed a table with candles and cross already placed and with many of the residents waiting to begin. I understood immediately that this was a moment in search of hope and the need for them to pray together.  The majority of them, born and raised in Ukraine, have seen the reality of separation, pain, suffering and death.  I felt their pain and their need for hope as this war was far too close to the memories of their past.  

After a couple of minutes, we began with the prayer: “Heavenly King”, as this is the first prayer of the Moleben’.  As soon as we finished, an unexpected visitor joined us.  As all of us were facing the main window in the lobby, from the corner of the garden, a coyote appeared in front of us on the other side of the window.  I have seen many coyotes on the streets and parks of Mississauga, but never so close to a fenced building off of a major street and near people.  As all of us continued our prayer, we noticed that there was something different about this coyote.  Instead of running away from the building, he was pacing in front of the window looking at us appearing to want to get into the building. This behavior continued for the entire service. I looked at those present to check if I was not hallucinating.  To my surprise, the amazement was seen on everyone’s faces.  As we continued to pray, the coyote continued to pace back and forth. He would leave for a minute but kept returning.  

This occurrence continued for almost forty minutes until we said the final “Amen”.  To our surprise, the coyote disappeared when the service ended.  We were mesmerized and perplexed by the meaning of this occurrence.  What was the reason and meaning of seeing a coyote pacing in front of a window full of people?  When the time came for my sermonette, I asked the residents if they saw what I saw.  All of them in unison confirmed my question, while one of the residents concluded that: “лукавий хотів ввійти до нашої хати” (The sly one wanted to enter our home). 

After many days, as I tried to understand and reflect upon this event along with some of the comments made by some people, I came to the conclusion that this was something more than a coincidence.  As a priest, it is difficult for me to accept coincidence as our faith precludes us from this concept.  I couldn’t accept an explanation of a sick animal, as this took place exactly during the prayer service.  There was something more, which only after weeks of war, I came to understand.  It is not a coincidence to see an animal joining humanity in prayer.  This leads me to a reflection on the subject of the relationship of humanity and the animal world.  By combining the occurrence at the Senior Residence and a main thesis of reflection, the conclusion could be eye-opening.  

 One of the elements of the creation of the animal world, as we see in the Old Testament, emphasises goodness: “God did not make death, He takes no pleasure in destroying the living. For He created all things to live; the creatures of the world are salutary, there is no fatal poison in them, and hades has no power over the world… for righteousness is immortal…” (Wisdom of Solomon 1, 13-15). The goodness of the animal world comes from the direct involvement of God. As a result, every animal represents the “God-bestowed gift”. Therefore, as every creature is a good gift of God, then every creature is a living masterpiece of God. It was St. Hilary of Poitiers of the fourth century, who said: “…that there is not a single animal or plant in which the Creator has not implanted some form of energy capable of being used to satisfy man’s needs. For He Who knew all things before they were, saw that in the future man would go forward in the strength of his own will, and would be subject to corruption, and, therefore, He created all things for his seasonable use, alike those in the firmament, and those on earth, and those in the waters.” As a consequence, monastic literature emphasises the specific intelligence in creation that allows for the recognition of God. 

The first image of the animal world found in the Book of Genesis describes animals enjoying their original state of life without fear, suffering or pain. This particular state of being is called “the state of blessedness” and could be described as a symphony of life in paradise. The void of fear in its existence characterizes the original relationship with God as a yearning for the presence of the Divine. In addition, the naming of animals by Adam, as this is described in the Book of Genesis, presupposes a unique, intimate, and personal relationship between man and the animal world. In effect, the naming of animals by man presupposes an act of humanizing the animal world. The representatives of the contemporary Orthodox theology do not even hesitate to apply the term “neighbourliness” to the animal world. It is not a merely emotional relationship, but a profoundly spiritual connection “providing a sense of continuity and community as well as an expression of identity over all creation.”.  The evidence of this close “neighbourliness” could be seen in our cities and towns, where the interaction between wild animals and people is quite evident.  The naming of animals by Adam also presupposes love, responsibility, and care - never destruction or exploitation. We are responsible for what we domesticated and placed into our human reality. It is precisely by the domestication and placement of animals into our reality that animals became defenseless, completely relying on human mercy. This image was captured by the prophet Isaiah who profoundly said: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). This sense of a deep longing for the lost world, the original relationship with the animal world, is identical to what is deeply rooted in our hearts and our relationship with our pets. There is a deep longing for the return of the animal world to its original destiny permeated with the presence of the Holy Spirit. The enjoyment and gratitude on the faces of our children spending time with their pets leads us to the sense of a lost world manifested in the innocence of both sides. 

In continuation of our discussion about animals, we refer to a “living soul” or “developed instinct” that allows them to survive in the world, or even to perceive certain realities. We even acknowledge levels of sensory perception.  In addition: “Many animals have a memory, recalling the past with fear or joy: a horse, separated from its human owners for weeks or years, on meeting them again will show alarm or happiness, depending on the treatment it once received. Some animals form lifelong monogamous unions, and show grief – or something very similar to it – when they lose their partner; and so on.” It is even documented by the scientific community that sheep have the ability to learn to recognize human faces, and pigs to be able to play computer games. According to St. Basil the Great, one of the greatest Fathers of the Eastern Church of the fourth century, some animals have the ability to express their internal feelings of sadness and joy.  The presence of a coyote by the windows of a senior residence could be also understood in this parameter.  Is it possible to accept that a wild animal such as a coyote could feel the sadness and the internal pain of the residents at this particular moment? According to some contemporary Christian scholars, there exists in the animal world some sort of emotional intelligence that still needs to be researched and evaluated. There also exists the ability to feel pain as humans do and to live in complex social structures.  The fact that we don’t have the ability to understand the animal world and it’s perception of pain and suffering, presumes the possibility of the understanding and empathy of wild animals.  Our present day world contains real life examples of this emotional animal world. In a story published on the internet a mother dog was found mourning her puppies: “A mother dog was found abandoned at the side of the road with ‘tears in her eyes’ as she sat next to a carrier bag stuffed with her dead puppies. The heartbreaking sight was witnessed by Paul Skinner, who was cycling in the village of Midville, Lincolnshire, when he saw what he first thought was a dead bird. But when it started to move he realised that it was a Cocker Spaniel that had been cruelly dumped next to the bodies of her pups. The loyal mother also appeared to be crying. Tory Councillor Mr. Skinner explained: “The dog was on its own, sitting licking the contents of a fish and chips carrier bag. The bag contained four dead pups. It was heartbreaking. She had tears in her eyes. I could not believe how anybody could be so devoid of humanity to do something like this.” This story portrays the broken animal world with all its tragedies, unequally preserving its original uncondemned innocence. The tears of the mother dog are the emotional expression of the true nature of animals. There is a motherly instinct that characterizes our entire world. It is here, at this point, that the concept of the soul in animals is the connector between the animal and human worlds.  

The other element that unites the human world with animals is pain, suffering and death. Although the animal world is not responsible for the fall of Adam, it is fully and unconditionally immersed in the consequences of the separation of man from the Divine. The fall of man shatters the existing harmony of the life of the world. According to St. Paul: “The whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now” (Rom. 8, 22). The contemporary ecological crisis could be the most expressive example of the groaning suffering of the world. The animal world shares unwillingly the consequences of the fall, but it does not participate in the conscious rejection of God by man. The innocence of the animal world participates unwillingly in the cosmic transgression. The story of a mother dog mentioned earlier is one example of this tragic consequence. The scientific world is not able to provide any definitive answer on the subject of consciousness beyond the human world. We have to accept the fact that in the created world, there are other forms of life that we know about, but can’t fully comprehend. Our knowledge of animal perception is based strictly on observation that is limited in itself. 

The glimpse of the new order that was lost by Adam is captured in the lives of the saints who reached the pre-taste of the kingdom to come. In some contemporary writings, the relationship between the saints and the animal world demonstrates a return to the spiritual and transfigured world intended by God. In the state of the spiritual and transformed world, saints see God in everything. A saint understands creation as a living reality praying and “singing glory to God.” The glorification of God by nature, particularly by the animal world, recalls the Song of the Three Holy Children, where there is a universal call for worship of the Lord: “O all ye fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord, Praise and exalt Him above all forever” (Song of the Three Holy Children, 58; Psalm 50:10-11). In mystical theology, this particular stage is also known as “knowledge or contemplation of nature”. The Saints of the Orthodox Church never cease to pray for the irrational animals, as even in the smallest creature there is the infinite intelligence of God. For some contemporary theologians, the ability to recognize God in everything means the capacity to see the beauty and goodness of the created world. The state of sainthood is also characterized by the total love of man towards God and the entire creation. The saints co-suffer with the animal world, which is described in the mystical literature of the Orthodox Church as attributes of Love. 

There is a participation by man in the mystery of the cross of the world; saints are crucified for the glory of God. According to the latest scientific community, the cross is almost “programmed” in the very nature of matter. The cross is also immersed in every living creature of the animal world. In essence, the paradisiacal experience of saints requires a totality of man’s love towards the animal world. In the saints, there is reconciliation or a return to the experience originally intended by God. According to St. John Chrysostom, this kind of created world becomes a source of imitation for man in order to reach beyond human life. In the return to the paradisiacal experience, the saints fall in love with God and their hearts are opened to the entire creation of God in its original state. It is a state that doesn’t know any limitations of time or societal changes, as it is characteristic of the “angelic state of monks” of all the times. In effect, saints return to this original pristine state of grace of God. In this condition, saints not only continually participate in the presence of God, but also co-save and reassemble the world to the grace of God. The saints as mediators bring the world into an original and perfect relationship with God. There is no need for food or extra physical stimuli as the surrounding world, including the animal world, becomes the transformed reality. The experience of Theosis goes beyond the three-dimensional world, but it is still a part of the created cosmos of God. It is at this stage that the saints, in their love for creation, bring the world to a Divine transformation. Each transformed individual embraces the created world as a unified singularity of the creation. 

At this point, it is appropriate to mention that according to some Orthodox theologians, the animal world contains in itself the “shape and image of the invisible world.” As such, the animal world is the world of beauty and incredible joy of a unique nature. It is the reality of the beauty of God Himself: “By the greatness and beauty of the creatures, proportionately the Maker of them is seen” (Wisdom of Solomon 13:5). The image of the transformed world of the saints has a tremendous implication on the relationship of man with the rest of the world. In such a transformed state, the human soul is united in love with the entire creation, wild birds and beasts, plants, rocks, mountains. It is an image of unidentified unity with the creation of God that is penetrated with extreme joy and the experience of grace. The feeling of transformed life is one of utter happiness and heavenly bliss. Everything around the saints, including the air, rocks, forest, animals, is filled with the fragrance of the life of paradise. In effect, the original relationship between humans and the rest of nature prior to the fall is re-established. The saints, who experience this stage of spiritual development, are fearless. They are “at home” with the entire creation, knowing fully creation’s life to the very point of taming creation. Because of their spiritual ability to experience the paradisiacal life before the Fall of Adam, animals sense in the saints the odour of Adam who could calm even the most fearful beasts. The ability to recognize Adam’s presence in the saints confirms also the specific relationship that exists between God and the animal world. At this point, through their internal instinct, animals saw the presence of God in man. In the fallen world of pain, suffering, and continual anguish, the animal world searches for God, Who has been found in the face of humanity created in the image and the likeness of God. As an effect, wild beasts were tamed to the point of licking the hands and feet of the saints, approaching them as their owners. The image of a coyote approaching a seniors residence in prayer could be an image of the shuddered separation between humanity and the animal world.  It is only appropriate to recall the words of St. Isaac of Syria, who wrote: “The humble man approaches wild animals, and the moment they catch sight of him their ferocity is tamed. They come up and cling to him as their Master, wagging their tails and licking his hands and feet. The scent coming from him is the same fragrance that came from Adam before the transgression, the time when they were gathered together before him and he gave them names in Paradise. This scent was taken away from us, but Christ has renewed it and given it back to us at his coming. It is this which has sweetened the fragrance of humanity.” They are the called ones who have the ability to decipher between the reality of the collapsed world and the world of the paradisiacal destiny.  If the war in Ukraine is a sign of evil and the ultimate degradation of human dignity, a coyote trying to enter a place of worship could be an indication of the unity of paradise between us and the world.  At a time when parts of humanity fail to live to its calling, a coyote reminds us that there is another reality beyond evil. Many of the saints lived among wild animals without ever being harmed by them. Saint Gerasimos in Palestine had a lion as a pet, while Elder Paisios befriended snakes. The link that unites those images is the link of life: God’s ultimate gift for creation. This is an image that will be fulfilled in the future and aspired to by all of humanity. In the Book of Revelation of St. John 21:4, there is a discussion of a New Jerusalem that presupposes a restoration and the fulfilment of the original intent of God for creation. At the very end, creation will appear in its “perfect and eternal form.” In Isaiah 11:6-9, the restored world is without violence or fear. Even more remarkably, God will form a “new covenant” with the animal world that presupposes a new unknown relationship (Hosea 2:18). Without doubt, there has to be a wider interpretation of a “covenant” as it is known to humanity. 

After many weeks of witnessing the images of the heinous invasion and genocide in Ukraine, a coyote trying to enter the senior home, could be an image of a blessing and a restoration of the true calling of the world to become like paradise.  This image could be also an indication of the residents’ power of prayer, who became the image of Adam in paradise praying to God in the presence of timid wild animals. A real praying community can exist even in the twenty first century, where God is faithful to the calling of His people.  The presence of a coyote is an indication of hope restored by God. I will always take this event in the spiritual framework, as any other logical explanation fails. A praying community of seniors and a coyote trying to enter a residence is also indicative of God listening to the cry of His people where even a coyote becomes part of the praying world. This event along with many events such as the weeping icons in the Churches of Chernihiv, soldiers feeling as if they are shielded from incoming bullets and the images of angels entering a church are the evidence of hope for us Ukrainians. These occurrences can also be understood as a sign of God listening to the prayers of wounded soldiers, crying parents of children that have perished, terrified children shaken up from exploding bombs, or the millions of Ukrainian refugees walking miles to get to the nearest border for safety. These signs are not a coincidence, as they happen in the context of a faithful and praying nation, which wants to experience the freedom of praying to God within their cultural and spiritual identity.  Maybe we need more moments in time where we witness and ponder unexplainable events such as a visit from a coyote that can bring us closer to God and for Him to give us the strength and faith to endure. 

Very Rev. Archpriest Dr. Jaroslaw S. Buciora, Dean - March 2022