I spent the evening blessing animals on this, the Feast of St. Francis. There were a number of cats, for which I have an affinity, being a cat owner. But most were dogs. And dogs are magnificent animals, full of zest and loyal to a fault.
I figured I had to blog on dogs this eve of the St. Francis feast. Fridays are usually also when I blog on a video or commercial of some sort. And thus tonight’s offering.
Somehow I thought of being a priest when I saw the commercial below.
In this commercial there is a little dog named “Wego” who, when his name is called, runs and fetches a spirited drink (aka Bud Light) for those who call his name. Yes, you might see Wego as a kind of “Domini canis” (a dog of the Lord), who fetches something of the “spirit” for those who ask. While some say this Latin expression is where Dominicans get their name, that is not so, they are named after St. Dominic. Yet many priests, Dominican and other, proudly wear the title Domini canis as well!
Yes, I’d just like to say that “Wego” represents every priest who is called to be a Domini canis (a dog of the Lord).
Now Wego is also called a “rescue dog” which is another good title for a priest. For, rescuing souls from darkness and drawing them to the life of the Spirit, by God’s grace, is surely a central role of the priest. And we should be willing to work like dogs to do it.
In fact, I have it on the best of authority (my own imagination) that the dog’s name WEGO is short for Willing Energetic God Offerer. Which is also what every priest should be.
Now Wego the Dog brings a “spiritual” beverage to to each person in need. I pray you will allow for the humor of considering beer a symbol of thing spiritual. I beg your patience on two counts.
- First Scripture also plays on “spirited” drinks and the Holy Spirit. For when the Holy Spirit descended on them in the upper room and the crowds marveled at their joy we read: Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine” (Acts 2:13). Yes, some in the crowd confused the effects of the Holy Spirit with an ordinary spirited drink! But joy is hard to hide. They are indeed filled with the Holy Spirit.
- In second defense I offer the oft disputed quote of Ben Franklin who (may have) said, Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Whoever said it, I largely believe it’s true, if the beer is consumed in moderation. 🙂
With these two witnesses in my favor please allow the spirited beverage (aka the Beer) to represent the Holy Spirit and things spiritual.
And one final thing to note about Wego the “dog of the Lord” is that he adapts himself to the needs of each person or group. As St. Paul says,
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Cor 9:19-23)
Thus note how Wego the dog assesses each situation differently and responds. But note too, he always brings the same spirited beverage. Thus, though his approach is different, the “truth” of what he offers remains unchanged. Many priests have to do this as well, adapting themselves to many different situations while never compromising the Gospel, the Word of God or the teachings of the Church.
In this short video you’ll see a number of aspects of priestly ministry that Wego exhibits analogously:
- There is Men’s Ministry
- There is Women’s Ministry
- There are pre-Cana instructions
- There is a baptism
- There is Theology on Tap
See if you can find them all in the video. At the end is a call to prayer, for rescue dogs. But perhaps you might also see Wego asking you to pray for priests, the rescue dogs in your own life.
Wego, Dog of the Lord!
As per usual your logs are fantastic.
We live in South Africa we belong to Our Lady of Light Parish in Hermanus, Western Cape.
A small parish.
You encourage and delight us all the time and thank you for your spiritual direction in and through it all.
For some time now the reference, which you have given in “1.First Scripture,” “Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine” (Acts 2:13).” is linked; in my frame of reference; to 2 Peter 2:12 “But these people speak evil of what they do not understand; they are like brute beasts, born only to be caught and killed, and like beasts they will be destroyed, being injured in return for the injuries they have inflicted.”
This reminds me of a, likely anologous and rhetorical, question of the 1980’s and 1990’s, “what kind of drugs are you on” which seemed to be used to dismiss value in something which was not (yet?) understood – sometimes even when the questioner knew that the one being addressed was not on drugs.
The comparison to “brute beasts” has evolved from a resentment (on my part) toward a compassion for those who have felt so oppressed by the fallen world, in which we live, to have given in to a perceived need to have given up on some aspect(s) of their humanity. Thanks to the Grace of God for that compassion Who led me to see that Saint Peter said that they were only like brute beasts who were born to be caught and killed and that they also deserve Salvation if they become willing.
These two seem to be a fulfillment of what is said in John 14:16 & 17; “I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth whom the world can never accept since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you.”
The upper room recipients of The Spirit had years of preparation, through participation in the Son’s mission, in order to receive The Spirit. We have had two thousand years since the beginning of the mission – are we ready?
I think the term dog also has a negative metaphorial attachment to it. For example Revelation 22:14-15 on the Douay-Rheims Bible says “Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb: that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and unchaste, and murderers, and servers of idols, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie.”