A Feline Theology of Hope

Gray Hair

It's hardly worth noting that my gray semi-tabby with orange blotches has gray hairs. That's about as noteworthy as pointing out that blue jays have blue tail feathers. But tonight I noticed for the first time that Puderd has gray hairs; not the kind that make her a gray semi-tabby instead of a Chocolate Point Siamese or a Russian Blue, rather the ones that make her a reminder that life here on earth is really short, especially for cats and middle-aged humans. As if suddenly seeing her for the first time, I noticed Puderd is looking a little tired, slightly ragged around the cheeks, and a bit gray. Suddenly, the passage of her eight years became self-evident. With a measure of disquiet, I realized those same years have passed me by as well. We are both eight years closer to the eternal unknown.

Puderd has the grand luxury of ignorance. Cat's don't know they have an appointment with death. Sure, they have a powerful urge to survive, but they don't wonder about things like extinction, Heaven, afterlife, eternal judgment, Hell, and dying alone. On the other hand, we cat keepers think about these things, especially during middle age and beyond. This year funerals seem to have become a monthly affair for me and next year does not promise to be any better. We cat lovers are told that it's appointed unto men once to die and then we get a chance at experiencing judgment. I sometimes wish I was as ignorant about these things as my aging feline.

What has been written about Heaven, Paradise, Nirvana, and Eternal Bliss doesn't seem to say anything about cats. It would appear that when Puderd goes, that's it. Nothing else in store for my furry friend. There is a sadness when I think that one day my warm-hearted companion is going to be nothing but cold lifeless organic matter in the ground out back. I can only take consolation in the fact that Puderd got to spend her earthly tenure under warm blankets and enjoy my protection from those semi-feral monster cats that snoop around our house looking for hapless small tabbies.

Inspired writings of St. Paul tell us that there are feral monsters of a different sort out there wanting to pilfer our cat-keeping souls; with a mission to steal; destroy, and plunder. These aren't furry critters out for a neighborhood romp, rather they are principalities, world forces of darkness, spiritual forces of wickedness seeking to cause us eternal desolation. They would like us to know the definitive coldness of eternal separation from God. The ultimate sadness arises if they succeed.

I know my physical being is going to eventually join my dear cat in the harsh coldness of physical death. The warmth we both enjoy now will dissipate, adding minutely to the entropy of this region of the universe. But the end result for me will be rather different than that of my cat. In the Book of Life I am told that I can have an infusion of new warmth, life eternal; that I will receive a new body, one forever without gray hairs. Because I do know about death, unlike my cat, and about the Promise of eternal life on the other side, His Hope will propel my soul through the legions of unseen beings that would keep me from entering into His grand promises.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first."


Offering

Have you ever been at a point in your life where you feel like you are caught in the jaws of a giant monster and about to move down on the food chain? I recall times when I was absolutely certain there was no way out and I was doomed to some horrible fate. One time I thought it was multiple sclerosis, another time cancer, yet another blindness. A couple of times I have been let go (outsourced) from my job. Many of us have faced a severe challenge when we were given a grim pronouncement by a physician, plunged into economic free fall when we were told our services were no longer needed, or found a note on the kitchen table telling us our spouse had packed up and left without a forwarding address. Economic and relational uncertainty seem to have become epidemic. Yet, today I don't have multiple sclerosis, cancer, or blindness and am gainfully employed. I would not have thought that possible at different times, no possibility of it whatever.

Last night about 11 PM I went to the front door to look for the cat and heard a horrible cry from a creature in distress. It certainly didn't sound like any cat I had ever heard. Seconds later my docile gentle feline ran up on the porch, past me into the house, carrying in her mouth the very obvious source of the plaintive tormented call I had just heard. I quickly turned on the light to find a bird in the jaws of a rather unpleasant scenario. I very quickly removed the cat with bird to the porch and liberated the feathered victim from certain oblivion. Happily, the bird fluttered away, without delay, no doubt with adrenalin maxed out. I never went to vet school. I assume birds have adrenalin for emergency get aways. I quickly tossed the cat into the interior of the house to sulk at her loss. The cat stayed in all night and is under house arrest today. That little sparrow needs a break today.

At one point that bird would have seen no possibility for liberation from her captor. I 'happened' to open the door at exactly the right moment just before going to bed and was able to intervene. We humans often face things from which we think there is no possibility of liberation. Yet, prisoners of war in the Hanoi Hilton experienced the magic of release after eight years. Jews experienced the enchantment of emancipation by the Allies. I experienced the magic of not having multiple sclerosis. I get a pay check every other Thursday. There were times when I didn't.

The good part is there is no limit to the possibilities for you. You may be facing cancer or some other horrific circumstance in life. I can't tell you liberation is for certain today. But I can tell you for certain, it is possible for today. If as the Christian scriptures say, "He who counts the sparrows and the hairs on your head will not let you falter" is true and he can move me to liberate a sparrow from the clutches of my house pet, then you can be hopeful that He will liberate you. If not today, then tomorrow, for certain.

Tomorrow you may be flying again.