Wednesday, May 25, 2016

For the Love of Baxter

I do all sorts of things for Baxter. Besides the basics of food, water, shelter, I also make sure his favorite places to sleep are clean and in order. I brush him daily. I greet him when I come home. I wait for him to drink from the spigot in the tub when he cries for it, and after his drink, I dry his wet head with a towel. I talk to him about the creatures in the yard outside the window. When I am away, I worry that he might be lonely. Regularly, I tell him he’s a good cat and my buddy. In all these ways, Baxter comes to know that he is loved and has a place in my life.

It’s easy to send this message to a pet. They ask for simple things as favors. They don’t take advantage of our kindness to deceive or manipulate us. They show affection without any strings attached, without expecting a future favor from the relationship. Pets are quite straightforward in their dealings with us and their expectations from us.

Maybe that’s why their affection seems so unconditional. It is clear, focused and unambiguous. They tell us what they like, and we try to provide it. In turn, we get a lot of satisfaction from this way of dealing with each other. No games, no guessing, no doubts, no intrigue, just simple, direct and genuine ways of connecting and caring for each other. No wonder we value them so much, and miss them when they are gone.

God calls us to deal with each other this way, but on a more profound level, the level of faith. Our adult relationships are partnerships of equals. We are all God’s children, and as such, we share a bond with each other based upon a common identity and purpose. Our relationships then are supposed to reflect a respect and value for each other, an honesty and integrity in how we deal with each other, and a generosity in our sharing God’s gifts with each other. There is no place for prejudice, for deception or fraud, for greed, envy or jealousy. When such vices enter into our connections, they poison them with mistrust and distance. We can’t live in a communion of saints because our self-serving and self-protective attitudes prevent any genuine bonding with each other. This is a sinful condition, and we can’t be satisfied in living with it.

For the love of our pets, we spend money, inconvenience ourselves, and go out of our way for their comfort and pleasure. But for the love of each other, we often are begrudging and narrow minded. Unless another measures up to our expectations, we eliminate them from our world. Unless another benefits my aspirations and ambition, I have no time for them. Jesus says, “Unless your holiness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of God.” (Mt. 5:20).

Our love for each other must be rooted in God’s love for each and every one of us. Pets may be easier to love, but people hold the secret to God’s love in our world. Learn from our pets, but don’t give up on people.

-Monsignor Statnick