Reflection for August 18

Vicars

Most of us church people know the word “vicar”; some even know it’s derived from a Latin word meaning “substitute.” No need to go into the ecclesiastical technicalities here. It’s just that the word came to mind as I read a recent piece in the newspaper on the enjoyment of other peoples’ dogs, one of my own guilty pleasures….

While I no longer share my life and home with a dog, I recall the many times the inconvenience of walking a canine companion began in begrudging resentment but culminated in laughter, conversation and joy shared among old friends or taken up with new acquaintances along the way.

I’ve come to appreciate the mediating ministry of these four-legged vicars who work the neighborhood like we priests once ministered to anyone and everyone within the village parish bounds. These parsons with paws have frequently fulfilled the role of the host whose gracious introduction of strangers helps us over that awkward threshold into personal relationship, or of the pastor whose brief encounter in a day’s rounds could heal a hurting heart, or change a life. Except in the rare instance of malice or menace, an encounter with a dog, even in passing, can evoke a smile in me and, in turn, shift my mood into the gears of joy and gratitude.

That’s efficacious spiritual direction. And it’s free. Just go for a walk.

(Sam Portaro, “Vicars,” Credo Resources, August 11, 2013)