The Old Hound Dog, the Old Farmer, and the Risen Jesus
By Robert Fontana
There was once an old farmer talking with a young farmer about the coming harvest when they noticed an old hound dog chasing a rabbit into a thick grove of trees and bushes. The rabbit would run in and out of the thicket with the old hound dog hot on his trail. Soon other dogs, seeing the old hound dog chasing something, joined in the chase. They too went in and out of the thicket of trees and bushes, following the old hound dog who was following the rabbit. But after some time, the other dogs tired of the chase. One after another quit. The old hound dog, still catching glimpses of the rabbit at this turn and that, continued.
The young farmer mused out loud, “I wonder why those other dogs dropped out?”
The old farmer replied, “I guess they never saw the rabbit.”
As true for many mainline churches, the Catholic Church has a membership crisis. People, young and old, who have been raised Catholic, received the Sacraments, attended Catholic schools and/or some form of religious education, have left /are leaving the faith of their childhood. Many are leaving religion all together. They claim to be “spiritual but not religious.” Like the dogs in the story above, they never “saw” the rabbit, never encountered Jesus as truly alive and present, and never had the Holy Spirit stirred up in their hearts.
The reasons for this are many, but one primary reason is this: American culture offers an alluring vision for the good life that is simply contrary to the Gospel and hard to resist – play, pleasure, power, possessions, privilege, and position, all made possible by money. Fr. Richard Rohr calls these the “Poison P’s.”
What makes it very challenging to recognize how I am hooked into the “Poison P’s” is that they easily get embedded in the families, friendships, jobs, politics, entertainment, social media, etc. in which we participate. The Christian faith invites us to a disciplined life that is, in fact, a challenge to the “Poison P’s” rooted in American culture. As Christians, we are challenged…
- To use our privileges (e.g. education, good health, family upbringing, job opportunities, etc.) to reach out to the under-privileged.
- To live simply, minimize our possessions, and care for the earth and its resources.
- To wait until marriage to be sexually intimate (and to remain celibate if one is unmarried).
- To use our power to act justly towards one another and be a power for good in all circumstances.
- To welcome the stranger and the immigrant.
- To care for the elderly, the sick, and those with physical, mental, emotional challenges.
- To love one’s enemies and pray for one’s persecutors.
- To be faithful in marriage and open to welcoming children into the world.
- To forgive all who have hurt us.
- To be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
- And most importantly, to find our fundamental identity as persons not in what we do or possess, but in our relationship to God as God’s precious children.
It is the living relationship with God that enables a person to step into the modern world of the “Poison P’s” and reorganize them so that being a disciple of Jesus and following the lead of the Holy Spirit transforms how we play, seek pleasure, enjoy privilege, obtain possessions, and use power.
When I have “seen the rabbit,” and I’m not just one of the other dogs chasing a dog for the fun of it,” then I will be motivated to “stay in the chase.” When I know God’s love deeply and personally, when I can feel the risen Jesus close to me, and when I am filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, then I am ready to begin the spiritual journey as God’s beloved daughter or son by:
1. Inviting Jesus to shape my character.
2. Asking Jesus to show me God’s will for my life.
3. Asking Jesus to show me the specific gifts of the Holy Spirit given to me to be a power for good in the world.
Besides the allurement of the world’s “Poison P’s,” there are other reasons why people young and old are leaving the Catholic Church. For some the Church is too liberal, with too much focus on social justice issues. For others, it’s too conservative, with too much rigidity around the sacraments or sexual issues. And for others, it’s the criminal and sinful behavior of Catholic leaders involved in clergy sex abuse and cover-up. These issues need to be addressed. However, in my opinion, the greatest need we have is to find effective ways to help one another, especially our youth and children, encounter God and embrace a life-giving relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Having just celebrated the great Church feast of Pentecost, let’s remember to pray to the Holy Spirit for strength, guidance, and wisdom to help us move forward together as a faith community.
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