Chapter
Seven
The Cat Keeps His
Secret
As the three awoke from their dream, the living waterdrops
in the waterfall outside the door of Francis’ cave started to make a great
deal of noise. The waters’ voices splashed out, “My goodness, look who is
here! St. Francis, St. Francis, come
quick!”
The cat pranced to the door with the saints right behind him. The
water parted and the three crossed outside of the cave to the ledge that
overlooks most of St. Joseph’s garden. The three of them were now standing
in front of the Angel Gabriel who appeared like a
thunderbolt.
“I come from God the Father,” said Gabriel. St. Francis and St.
Dominic became concerned because they remembered the thoughtful mood of
God the Father when Francis asked him to let earth animals into Heaven.
The cat, however, did not seem the least bit disturbed. He just meowed and
curled up at the angel’s feet.
Gabriel’s eyes flashed blue and red and gold, and then he said,
“Dominic, God the Father has sent me to ask you a question.” At this
Dominic sat down on a rock and composed himself. He knew that whatever God
the Father said demanded serious thought and when God the Father addressed
a personal question to you, it demanded a very thoughtful
answer.
The angel pointed his electric finger at the cat whose fur sparkled
with a blue luster. “God the Father’s question concerns this cat.” The cat
rolled on the ground and curled up into a small furry ball while staring
at the angel. The angel turned to Dominic. “Do you know how this cat got
into Heaven?”
St. Dominic shook his head and said to Francis, “I was afraid of
this. What do I answer?”
St. Francis became thoughtful and sat down beside Dominic. They
both knew that God the Father never wasted a word; he made no action that
did not have great meaning. They knew He was not trying to find out for
Himself how the cat got into Heaven. He was God and so He already knew. He
had some other reason for asking the question. As these thoughts circled
through their heads, Dominic said to Francis, “I think he wants me to find
the answer.” St. Francis nodded his head, “And I think he wants me to find
out the answer also or he would never have sent Gabriel to meet you at my
cave.”
Gabriel, who was using some small lightning bolts to tease a flock
of rainbow hawks, became impatient. Francis tried to draw Gabriel into the
conversation. “Gabriel, you know this cat don’t you?” Gabriel’s eyes shot
little sparks of annoyance and he only answered, “I know this cat.” St.
Francis knew better than to try to get an archangel to say more than he
wanted to say, so he spent more time thinking with
Dominic.
Dominic finally said, “Francis, we forgot that the cat could tell
us. We’ll ask the cat.” The two saints went to the cat, and St. Francis
knelt down nose to nose with him and said, “How did you get into Heaven?”
The cat responded by licking Francis’ nose. Then the cat stood up and
stretched. He purred and cuddled around Dominic’s leg. He meowed and sat
down and licked his tail, which he then played with for a time. He bounced
up and ran to the waterfall. He tried to catch some of the living
waterdrops. He did many things that earthly cats do, but not one of them
suggested he could talk.
Gabriel was looking now like a lighting storm ready to pour down
upon the saints. So Dominic stood in front of the angel and told him,
“Greet God the Father with my love for Him and tell Him I’ll let Him know
the answer as soon as I discover what it is.” At this Gabriel crackled as
he shot like a bolt to the top of Heaven. His absence from the ledge left
everything very silent except for the cat who said, “Moodby, mangel.”
To be continued . . .
