Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your church … Book of Common Prayer (Proper 13)
I had the wonderful opportunity to take care of our daughter’s cat while she and her family were away on vacation last week. Sophie (the cat) is about twelve years old and very well behaved. At her age, she has slowed down a bit. I suspect her sleep-time runs about twenty to twenty-two hours a day. I remember when she was younger and never slept more than eighteen hours a day.
Be that as it may, I found myself amazed at just how much dust and loose fur filled the house with her presence. She was a walking, living, breathing debris field, and there was really no staying ahead of her mess-wise. She tracked cat litter throughout the house after doing her business; she left evidence of her wanderings atop the stove and kitchen island, window sills, and every other horizontal surface.
I got to wondering if God doesn’t have that same issue with us. We often think of God as living “up there” in heaven, even though Jesus made it very clear that we live in heaven right here on earth. It isn’t that there isn’t also that heavenly abode upstairs, but it is dangerous for us to ignore this earth, our island home, as being outside of God’s own presence or influence. The earth is not a disposable diaper in which we do our business and, when finished, see it taken off and thrown away by the Great Diaper Changer in the Sky.
The creation story reminds us we live in a garden. We are called to take care of it, and to take care of one another.
I should note that our daughter didn’t “dump” the cat on us, either. She asked if I would take care of Sophie. I know their cat is precious to them, and rather than run over to their house to feed and water the cat (which was their request), I offered to house the cat here so she wouldn’t feel neglected or abandoned.
Despite my allergies to cat dander and the consequent stuffy nose, tight chest, and other unpleasant discomforts, I considered those temporary travails as piffle when compared to the delights of providing hearth and home to a feline companion for such a comparatively short period of time.
The collect (prayer) quoted atop this column acknowledges the truth that someone always needs to watch over us and to clean up after us. Sophie is an indoor cat, which is good; I didn’t want to risk losing it or having her run away or bring home fleas, ticks, or get run over by the neighborhood cars and trucks. But it also meant there was the added responsibility of entertaining her royal highness and meeting her various needs (which actually weren’t many).
God does that for us, too. Just as I cleaned the cat box daily and saw to it there was fresh food (as needed) and fresh water throughout the day (even adding ice cubes so the water would be fresh and cool, and not old and stale), so God provides for us and “continually” rewards us with God’s own good favor.
Although there is much I can (and do) grump and grouse about, the fact is that life is and has been pretty good for me. Still, my attitude often stinks, and for that reason I really identify with the prayer, asking not just for a spot of God’s mercy, but for that “continual mercy” to wash over me like a cat o’ract, because the fact is, I am continually making little messes that, over time, will become big messes, and I don’t see them as easily in their development as God does with his untrammeled vision and overflowing wisdom.
A friend reminded me that cats don’t have owners; they have staff. I worry I sometimes treat God more like staff than as the true lover and companion God considers me to be. That would be cat o’strophic, wouldn’t it? I hope I’m not so cat o’tonic I can’t change; that would be cat o’clysmic!
God, help us become what you’ve always called us to be here in this, your valley. Amen.
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