Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Bad Dog

One of the great things about dogs is that you can make them “feel” bad about wrong things they have done.

There is even a YouTube series of Denver the naughty lab who is always caught. Denver’s “dad” busts her, and Denver squints her eyes and dog smiles to show how sorry she is. It’s hilarious.

Charlie is no different. When he does something wrong, I just ask, “Did you do this?” He immediately reacts with his head down and a low wagging tail. He comes as close to me as possible and tries to put his head on my lap.

It’s so sweet, it’s almost impossible not to laugh. He wants to make things right as soon as possible, so that harmony can return to his simple doggy life.

Of course, pardoning him his easy, too. His sweet dog face and intense desire to be forgiven melt my heart and all is well in no time. I can’t stand to see my dog so sad to see me upset!

We don’t really have that reaction with one another, though, do we?

Without a doubt, forgiving a dog can be much easier than forgiving a person. I mean, whoever heard of a dog who had malicious intent and a manipulative mind? Even when a dog attacks it is either because it was poorly trained, or being threatened.

People, on the other hand think things through. People are intent on hurting us. People manipulate and abuse us so that they can get what they want no matter the cost. Right? Maybe not.

One of the ways confession is supposed to help us is to try and see things from the sinner’s perspective. The sinner being us, of course.

When you get right to it, you have to ask yourself, are people inherently bad or inherently good? From our Christian point of view, we say they are inherently good. How is that, you ask? It is because we are all created in the likeness and image of God. Every. One. Of. Us.

Certainly we all have original sin, and therefore a tendency to make poor choices for our own promotion, but at our core we still have the love of God within us.

What if when someone wronged us, we would think about this? How would the world be different if instead of counting our hurts, we counted our blessings? What if we would think of our own sins before we worried so much about the sins of others?

Perhaps, the world would look a little bit more like the Kingdom of God. And, after all, isn’t that what we are supposed to be striving for?

How could we learn to be more like Charlie and readily seek forgiveness?

It starts with realizing that God is not like people. Jesus came so that we might know the Father. Jesus is the face of the Father’s mercy.

Jesus seeks to heal us, to repair our broken relationships, and to bring peace to our lives. Jesus shows us what forgiveness is. Jesus shows us love.

Trying to live our lives according to God’s will can be hard, but it is also freeing. When we let go of the things that hold us back, we become happier and closer to God’s love.

Our Catholic living is supposed to help us with that. Going to Mass gives us food for the journey, and God’s word to help us on our way. Reconciliation is a time to realize that we have hurt others, and need forgiveness for that. The Sacramental life is supposed to open our lives to God’s grace and help us to do and be better.

I love my dog, but not as much as God loves us. I always forgive Charlie when he is bad, and God always forgives us. Jesus tells us that to show God we love him, we have to love one another. That takes a little forgiveness now and then.

Right, Charlie?

~ Christy Cabaniss

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Under Foot

The last time I went for a medical check-up, the nurse asked me some new questions. They covered the “tripping hazard inventory” that is part of a “senior” medical review these days. They asked if I had area rugs in my home, if there were a bath tub or walk-in shower, and if I had a pet, specifically a cat or a dog. Of course, I said I had a cat. That was a negative point for my overall evaluation.

You see, having Baxter increases my odds of tripping over him. I can understand the reasoning here. Baxter does get under foot sometimes, especially if he wants to eat something I am preparing in the kitchen. He also has this habit of plopping in a prone position wherever he wants to land, and that is usually in the way--in the middle of a hallway, a room, a doorway or my lap. These behaviors make Baxter a tripping hazard for me. He lowered my home safety score. I wonder if he will be the reason for my early admission to a convalescent facility!

Well, I’ll chance it. Because what I may lose in physical safety from living with a pet, I gain ten-fold in soulful security with his companionship. Baxter fills an empty house when I come home at night. He sits and listens when I have had a hard day. He forces me to think of someone other than myself when he needs fed and watered, a clean bathroom and a few comforting strokes. His mysterious looks, strange sounds, and delights in sunshine and fresh air remind me to pay attention to what is going on in others’ lives around me and appreciate that we are on this life journey together. Baxter is my live-in angel.

Angels are divine messengers. They arise in the scriptures whenever God is about to do something important for people. Gabriel announces the conception of Jesus. Michael battles Satan and the forces of evil. Angels were at the tomb to tell Mary and the other women that He is Risen. And angels bid the disciples at the Lord’s ascension to trust that He will return. Angels mark the movements of God among human beings throughout the course of history. Sometimes they reveal dramatic actions changing the human condition completely. Sometimes the angels are hidden within the ordinary affairs of daily life, reminding us that God is with us and calling us to deeper faith and discipleship.

Whoever or whatever calls us out of our too comfortable, narcissistic and selfish worlds to be aware of, empathetic towards and of service to others in their need is an angel for us. Sometimes they may trip us to get our attention. But don’t be afraid, as we hear so often in this Easter season. When we are tripped by a true angel, we break only unnecessary parts, baggage that should be left behind. Then we can get up and be about the business of God’s work inour world. Jesus flunked the tripping test too on the way to Calvary, but He sure did show those who thought themselves hardy and healthy how to rise stronger and whole. When God is under foot, we all walk taller.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

The Picture of Peace

When Baxter is intent upon sleeping soundly, he can get into it. He is lost to this world. He snores and makes strange sounds. He curls in a ball and covers his eyes. He doesn’t respond to his name or any familiar stimulus. He enters into another dimension, free from the mundane concerns of his regular life. I think he dreams in these deep sleeps. That’s the reason for all the uncharacteristic noise he makes. Nothing like a meow is heard at these times. The messages are delivered in another language, and he is lost in the conversation.

This kind of deep involvement in another dimension is what we are called to consider in our prayer. This is a time when we step out of the ordinary activities of our lives, and enter into a conversation with the Holy. This dialogue is unlike any other we may have. It is not about the “stuff” with which we may be dealing. It speaks in a wholly different way. It is an exchange of energy, a union of hearts, a sense of presence, a seeking to understand what is beyond our grasp. In our deepest prayer, we encounter God for Who God is - the Love that moves the stars and the other planets, the Love that died on the cross to save us. Prayer is an experience of our relationship with God when we realize how close God is to us and how wonderful is His Love for us.

Our deepest prayer doesn’t solve any problems for us. It doesn’t teach us any doctrines of our faith or new moral principles. Rather, it shows us who we are as a child of God and how much we matter to our heavenly Father who gave us life. It reveals that God is with us, Emmanuel, and that His unconditional Love never abandons us no matter how severe the suffering or how much rejection we may experience from others. Divorce, betrayal, abandonment or even the separation of death cannot exclude the Love of God from our lives. These experiences may mask His love in the pain of personal hurt and grief, but they cannot conquer this Love. His face remains turned to us, and when we open our pain to His healing power, we can see it again, perhaps even more clearly, for now we better understand the passage from death to new life He marked out for us.

So when we pray, don’t worry about what we are to say or wear. Relax in our Father’s arms. When we pray, enter deeply into the Holy Mystery that envelops our lives every second of the day. Allow God to speak His love for us, and let nothing else disturb us. The first words of the Risen Lord were so often these: “Peace be with you.” We can sleep well knowing we are known and loved by God.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

On Alert

Baxter seems to be always on alert. Even when he is in his deepest sleep, if a strange noise or bright light arises, he is instantly awake, ears erect, eyes wide open, searching the surroundings for what is going on. Sometimes this alertness puts him on edge. He jumps at the slightest sound, or runs and hides at any unusual person or thing invading his familiar territory. He can be a “Nervous Nelly”, unable to relax and feel safe, always thinking that some impending doom looms nearby. There is a careful balance needed to be a watch cat. Too much anxiousness, and no one will pay attention to your warnings. Too little vigilance, and the place will be invaded while everyone sleeps through it.

The same holds true for recognizing the Spirit of the Risen Lord in our midst. We need to be alert to the signs of resurrection that come our way. Looking to the scriptures for direction, we see that these often happen while engaging in the tasks of our daily lives. Mary went to attend the grave and thought she met a gardener. When the Lord spoke to her by name, she recognized Him. Peter went fishing and was frustrated with his lack of success. When the stranger on the shore directed him to cast his net to the right side of the boat and the catch was overflowing, he knew it was the Lord. The group of disciples was huddled in a locked room to avoid being arrested after Jesus’ death. They recognized the Lord when He appeared and said “Peace be with you” and showed them His hands and His side.

Notice the hallmarks in all these scenes. The Lord incorporates Himself into whatever is happening in the first disciples’ lives. He speaks words of reassurance and directs their activity to be fruitful in witnessing to their faith. He gives them a mission, because once they have encountered the Risen Christ they cannot keep it to themselves. He teaches them what to look for as signs of His resurrected presence: a sense that God knows you personally like Mary in the garden; a direction that will feed everyone in body and spirit like Peter on the lake; a calming power that brings peace and offers forgiveness through us.

But sometimes we can be overly anxious about meeting the Lord. We so want to encounter His Risen presence and power that we force the issue. We look for the bazaar and strange to verify His new life. Visions, voices, paranormal phenomena set us on edge to know that the power of God is at work. Often we view such power as threatening, forcing us in line with Church teachings,getting back at God’s enemies. Such is not the picture the scriptures draw for us of the Risen Lord’s Spirit.

This new life is strong, subtle and resilient. It is woven into the issues we face each day, offering a higher viewpoint and a different way. When others may think the situation hopeless, it opens a door to another possibility. When our fears may get out of hand, it brings peace and calming assurance to think clearly and act reasonably. When some people may want to force their ways on others, it invites, encourages and entices all of us to come and see without undue pressure or manipulation. The Spirit of the Risen Lord is not of this world, but works in this world to transform it into God’s Kingdom.

So stay alert, but be at peace. “The strife is o’er, the battle done.” Christ is Risen, never to die again, and we share in His victory.