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| Mary's Mountain Home | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 |
Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |
Good St. Dominic's Cat
by Ed Noonan Illustrated by Leslie Cobb
CHAPTER THREE  When St. Francis and St. Dominic heard the name of Mary, the two saints were caught by joy. Being caught by joy is part of being in Heaven. You hear or see or taste or feel or smell something wonderful and then whoosh! in an instant, you are caught by joy.When you are caught by joy, anything can happen. This time the saints found their joy pulling them into a colorful whirlpool of memory in the cat's head where an astonishing story was revealed to them.
The cat approaches a rock wall that encloses a garden and a small rock cottage. He jumps onto the wall and looks into the garden. Different colors dance with the sunlight in the garden. Birds fly by making a noise that the cat believes is meant to tease him. The cat's mouth waters. The sight of these birds makes the cat hungry. He jumps off the wall and into the garden. As the cat lands on the ground, a bright voice gently laughs and he hears someone say, "Hello, hungry-looking visitor!" He turns to the left and sees a young woman kneeling near some freshly planted flowers. The cat looks up and beholds the smiling face of Mary. He can see that she is different than other people--eternally youthful, holy, bright, and beautiful. Mary smiles at the cat and asks, "Would you like something to eat?" The cat gratefully cries a plaintive, "Mm-yess." Mary stands up, brushes a few flower leaves and petals from her lap, and goes into the house. The cat hears Mary singing while she prepares his meal. Suddenly, the cat is startled to see the shadows in the garden change. One second they are black and then they are a vivid blue, and then they become an angel of bright blue fire. The angel, dressed in the blue shadows of Mary's garden, pauses briefly and then glides into the house. From inside the house the cat hears a small surprised cry and the clatter of a plate. At this moment, the three awoke from joy to find themselves back in St. Francis's cave. Francis asks, "Why did it stop there? Wasn't that the angel Gabriel?" "Yes, I believe so," said Dominic. "Mm, yess," said the cat.
To be continued . . .
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In his memory the saints wake up one morning with the cat. He has been sleeping under a pile of fallen rocks. He is hungry and lonely, and does not recognize his surroundings. Feeling lost and a little frightened, the cat cries a mournful meow for a minute or two, and then his hunger takes over and he decides to find some food.| Mary's Mountain Home | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 |
Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |
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