I Always Wanted to be a Dog!

In the history of the Jewish people, after they had settled in the Promised Land, there were still threats from their sworn enemies, the Philistines on one side, and the Moabites and Ammonites on the other.  (Actually, the name "Palestine" comes from the Philistines, so we can see the battles are not yet over.)  Anyway, whenever the Israelites forgot God and lost His protection, their enemies would attack.  In those times, God always raised up a powerful leader to restore the peace of His people -- we read about those leaders in the Book of Judges. 

That pattern continued right down through Christian history.  During the Middle Ages, when the church's struggle to maintain itself among the kingdoms of this world caused it to lose focus on spiritual values in favor of power and control, God raised up people like Francis, Clare, and Dominic to restore the kingdom of Christ, a kingdom "not of this world."  Today is the feastday of St. Dominic (1170-1221). 

While traveling through southern France, Dominic discovered how ignorant the people were of Catholic teaching and Christian faith.  Heresies were rampant among them, just because anyone could teach anything in the name of Christian belief.  From his experience, Dominic got the idea of founding a mendicant order, friars like the Franciscans, their contemporaries, who did not reside in a monastery, but who traveled on foot, as beggars (mendicants), taking the Light of Christ throughout the land.

At St. Dominic's church on Harrison Avenue in New Orleans, the central feature is a 50-foot-mosaic of St. Dominic.  At his feet is a dog carrying a flaming torch.  St. Dominic had a vision of this dog carrying a torch, and he knew the dog represented himself.  At first, he could not understand the vision, until the Lord revealed to him the faithfulness of a dog.  This dog was carrying the light of the Gospel throughout the land.

I was always inspired by that dog.  I wanted to carry the Gospel too, with whatever strength the Lord would grant me.  This morning, I read a reflection on today's gospel by Kathy McGovern, who writes a weekly blog that connects Scripture with life (www.thestoryandyou.com).   Reading her commentary made me realize all of a sudden that with changing times come different ways of carrying the Good News throughout the land.  Even the Franciscans and the Dominicans today live in houses; they no longer walk from village to village preaching the Gospel to a small group of people gathered under the trees or in the village square.  Just so, we no longer have "judges" in the land of Israel, gathering up the tribes for battle against the Philistines.  (Well, maybe we do).  But in the age of the internet, of newspapers, and of magazines, the Lord still has many "dogs" who carry the light of the Gospel throughout the land.  The Jehovah's Witnesses once asked me to go with them door to door, but I am so happy the Lord had another plan to grant my prayer.  He put a small torch in my mouth, and allowed me to carry it to a few readers.  I am so happy to be a dog in His household!