Good St. Dominic's Cat
by Ed Noonan
Illustrated by Leslie Cobb


Chapter 11

 

What an Important Cat

 

          As Joseph and the cat hugged and kissed each other the watering can said, “What is that?”

          Joseph laughed and said, “This is an earth cat and not just any cat. It’s Mary’s cat. He lived with us in Nazareth. But I lost him when Jesus got lost and...” He stopped and laughed because he noticed the shovel and watering can looked confused. “Maybe I should take a little more time to explain. Would you like to hear the story?”

          Not only did the watering can and shovel say yes, but so did a dozen little angels who had overheard Joseph as they flew by. Also, Francis and Dominic yelled, “Wait for us!” as they ran down the hill from the workshop. Soon everyone was settled comfortably beneath the leafy boughs of the color trees. The cat snuggled on Joseph’s lap as the saint told the cat’s story.

          “This cat wandered into Mary’s house just before we were married,” Joseph began. “Cats were special pets imported from Egypt and occasionally they would stray away from their owners This cat lived with us until Jesus was twelve.”

          St. Francis suddenly floated above the ground. “You mean,” he said, “this cat was Jesus’ pet throughout his childhood?’

          “Yes,” said Joseph. The saints knew this was an  important clue to why the cat was in Heaven. God the Father had not allowed anyone in Heaven to watch Jesus in his childhood. Only a few stories were known about that time, so Joseph’s answer set off a heavenly celebration amongst the small group gathered next to Joseph and the cat.

          Francis almost floated away in happiness, but some of the little angels pulled him back. St. Dominic and the water can and the shovel broke into a dance around the tree Joseph and the cat were sitting under. The rainbows in the color trees became brighter and brighter. One of the angels picked a rainbow and made it into a crown which it placed on the cat’s head. Some of the little angels gathered sweet singing sunflowers from nearby. When Francis was back on the ground, he joined in the dancing.

          Anyone passing would have wondered at this celebration. In fact, St. Anne, Jesus’ grandmother, was out waking and heard the commotion at the color trees. She came over and she, too, joined the fun. As the dancing slowed down, she asked Dominic what was happening. He laughed and as they moved around the tree, he told her, “We just discovered that the cat..”

          “Cat, what cat?” asked Anne and then she saw the cat underneath the tree with St. Joseph. “ A cat in Heaven, my goodness, and isn’t that Mary’s cat?”

          “Yes, yes,” said Dominic doing a backward somersault, “and he was Jesus childhood pet.”

          “Of course,” said Joseph, “but please settle down so that I can tell my story.”

          “Quickly all the saints and angels quieted down and sat around St. Joseph. Before he could begin, the cat’s eyes started to whirl and St. Francis said, “Look, Dominic, it’s happening again. The cat’s been caught by joy.”

          “Meow,” said the cat as his joy spread out and caught everyone listening. 

To be continued . . .

 


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Ed Noonan
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