You needn’t be a vegan
Friends in Christ, today in the Acts of the Apostles, we see that St. Peter is given this strange vision by God. In the vision, he saw a large sheet coming down from the sky; it contained many four-legged animals of the earth and birds; he then heard a voice say: ‘Peter, kill and eat.’
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He was shocked, because only some animals the Jews were allowed to eat, but here was God telling him to ‘kill and eat’ all kinds of animals. This was a sign to Peter that no longer were there certain unclean foods, and that most importantly, the Gentiles were now to be invited into the Covenant.
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It is evident that no foods are unclean to we Christians. There is nothing sinful about eating plants or animals of all types. Some people today are trying to claim that to be a good Christian, you may not eat meat, but this is not Catholic and it is certainly not Biblical.
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The Catechism tells us that we must respect the integrity of creation. Animals and plants are for the common good of humanity. It is therefore legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. Medical experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives. It is not right to cause animals to suffer needlessly, and it is not right to spend a lot of money on an animal that otherwise could be used to help relieve human misery. While we can love our pet, they should not be given the kind of affection due only to persons.
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The Holy Scriptures tell us that God gives us all creatures for our use and for food. (Genesis 9:3)
Jesus ate fish, he fed 5000 people with fish, he ate the Passover lamb every year, and he told the people that they are worth far more than birds. Although animals have feelings and emotions, they do not have a spiritual soul; unlike angels and human beings, they are not Persons.
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For health reasons, a person may decide not to eat meat, but if they say that it is a sin to kill an animal for food, they are not aligned with the Catholic faith, and they do not grasp the great dignity of the human person in the order of creation.
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Following the Church and the Holy Scriptures, we care for creation and the resources God gives us, and we are perfectly free to eat meat, because what defiles us is not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out.
