Since he is a cat, Baxter takes catnaps. He sits or lies still with his eyes half open, quiet and peaceful. He tries not to drift off, but sometimes he can’t help himself. His head tilts. He raises it. It tilts again. He tries to keep it up, but then, he gives in and lets it fall. He goes to sleep, but he has one eye opened and his ears cocked. If a loud noise is made or a bright light comes on, Baxter is again upright and awake.
These catnaps are in contrast to Baxter’s full out, heavy duty sleep. Now he is into serious shut eye. He usually curls himself into a ball with his paws over his eyes. He snores, or makes funny breathing sounds. Almost nothing arouses him from these altered states of consciousness. Noises, lights, calling his name, or even announcing treats, all are lost on his deep and total sleep. Even when he finally comes back to wakefulness, it takes a few minutes for him to get oriented again. He yawns, blinks and stretches before he realizes this isn’t part of his cat dream. This is the real world. Welcome back to life, Baxter.
In our faith, we sometimes take catnaps. A brief prayer for help or in thanksgiving, a quick note to say we care, a phone call or a small kindness are all ways that we keep in mind that God is with us throughout the day. These “little things” can mean a lot, as the old song says, because they make our faith very concrete, pointed to a particular moment, situation and person. We see in the here and now the ever-present God of all eternity. Like a catnap, these brief reminders keep our faith going through the day while we continue our normal routines.
Sometimes though, we need a full time-out. A brief pause, a few words aren’t sufficient to nourish and refresh our faith. We need to enter more deeply into the silence of God’s mystery and get lost in its depths. We need to raise more penetrating questions about the nature of God and who we are as His children. We need to confront in heart and mind what is not of God in our world—evil, death, deceit, destruction—and ponder who is God in the face of such darkness. We need long periods of quiet prayer, a retreat time, a long walk in nature or substantial time alone before the Blessed Sacrament. Like deep sleep, these periods rejuvenate our spirits to carry on the work of living the faith.
So learn from Baxter. Take a moment when you have it. Take a long break when you need it. Then we will live our faith more fully each day.
