June 24, 2018
Holy Wisdom Church
This spring
we have been blessed with several new litters of puppies. And it is always a
great joy to see the smiling faces of the families when they come to pick up
their puppy. During the meeting with the families we go through a number of
documents that they have to sign to satisfy NY State requirements. And usually
at the end of that process, but before they see their puppy, we go through a
long list of cautions and recommendations about how to handle the early stages
of bringing the puppy home and guiding its growth and development. Then the
puppy comes in and everything else recedes into the background as they delight
in the wonder of the new being that is entering their life. They are in for a
big change in their life style, but at that moment, if this is their first
puppy, they cannot possibly know what that change will entail.
But before
that puppy is even born, a lot of other work is going on to bring that puppy
into the world. For us, managing the entire breeding program is the foundation
supporting each puppy. We have to select and then mate the sire and dam. A
process with many possibilities for complications. Once bred, then mother is
monitored to ensure she stays healthy and the pups can develop in her. A few
days before her delivery date we x-ray her to learn if she has puppies, and if
she does, how many. From that day forward, we watch for signs that she may be
about to give birth. Is she nesting, still eating, temperature dropping,
becoming anxious, eyes dilated and finally has she broken her water? At that
point we go to the kennel, maybe with a puppy in hand if she has already had a
puppy in the house first. Now we stand by waiting for the puppies. If there are
no complications, we assist her in the whelping, as needed, including weighing
and identifying each puppy with a colored ric rac. We are always prepared to go
to the vets if complications arise. The puppies are with mother for 4 weeks. Between weeks 3 and 4 we begin the weaning
process. The hungry puppies begin to eat food, no longer relying exclusively on
mother’s nursing. All the while they are being socialized as they learn about
the world they have been born into. At week 8 they go to their new homes.
We have
lived with this puppy process for decades. But there are many examples of
events both special or quite ordinary that we all encounter in life where the
preparation is often not noticed, such as eating a meal at a fine restaurant,
attending a concert or play, or enjoying an outing at a state park. The meal
doesn’t just appear out of thin air, concerts and plays are preceded by many
hours of rehearsals and study and parks do not create or groom themselves!
So when the
crowd gathered to congratulate Zachariah and Elizabeth on the birth of their
son, the visitors were taken up in the moment and concerned only about the
boy’s name! This elderly couple had experienced an emotionally jarring period
leading up to the birth of their son that others could not ever fully
appreciate. Zachariah received startling news in the temple. His elderly wife
then went through a pregnancy and birth. Even the naming of John, was something
far from ordinary. But through it all they remained faithful.
For us the
birth of John the Baptist is a lesson about faith. But faith that doesn’t just
emerge fully developed. Much goes into the blossoming of faith. Part of the
process is learning by doing, for example, coming to church and participating
in the prayer of the community. Taking the lessons of that experience and
applying them to daily life, whether at work or throughout one’s daily
activities. Then deepening the faith by private personal prayer and meditation.
All of this is working on us to prepare us for something even greater.
After all,
the birth of John the Baptist is not just about the birth of a baby boy but the
beginning of that child’s vocation as the forerunner, the one preparing the way
for the messiah. We too are called to take up that same task. To prepare the way
for Christ to enter into our hearts. John the Baptist preached repentance so
that those who changed would then be prepared for the coming of the Messiah.
Likewise, we are called to repentance, self-examination that opens us up to
receive the message of Christ which is the central key to the process of
allowing Christ to accomplish his work in this world. We are his agents, his
forerunners if you will.
John the
Baptist was a forerunner not only for Christ but also for us. His call to
repentance is for all generations. And it is not intended to be a one-time act
followed by coasting through life. It is the opening of the door to a journey
that continues throughout our lives. It is something we must remind ourselves
about afresh with each new challenge life presents to us. As forerunners we are
carrying a valuable and precious message to all we meet. And like Elizabeth and
Zachariah, no matter how difficult the burden may seem to be, the key is to
keep the faith, to remember the connection, or covenant, we have with God. To
trust in that relationship and promise. And to know that we always have help.
Christ is
in our midst.
