Ever since the opening of St. Gregory the Great Seminary on the south end of Seward, there have always been cats.
The cats are a helpful addition, keeping mice, rats and other pests at bay within the confines of the seminary grounds. I usually see them when I go there to teach since their cat house is near the entrance where I park my car.
As one might expect, each year one of the female cats gives birth to a batch of cute kitties. They are fast learners. One of their most important lessons is to stay away from moving cars.
Last fall was no exception. After the birth of a fine-looking bunch of furry little felines, one of the slower learners was injured by someone’s car. After the tragic accident, the little kitty was left paralyzed from the waist down. As much as the little guy tried and tried to walk, it managed only to claw its way forward with its front paws while dragging the rest of its limp body forward. Because of this and the associated pain, the consensus was to put it down. It seemed like the right thing to do and everyone agreed except for Sister Fetzer (an alias).
As soon as Sister Fetzer became aware of the plan, the nameless kitty disappeared from sight. No one knew of his whereabouts. She cleverly hid the little guy in the only place she figured no one would dare to look – her bathtub. Soon, after considerable prayer, love and care, little Gimpy was back running with the rest of the pack, albeit with a gimp.
"He runs pretty good," said Father James Divis, the seminary’s spiritual director who pointed out that since Sister Fetzer is still among us, it would be premature to begin her cause for canonization. I was cautioned by Father Rafael Rodriguez after he learned of my desire to write about this, "Be careful! This place might turn into a cat infirmary!"
Consider what God has done for fallen, sinful, paralyzed humanity destined to be put down eternally. Not willing to write us off, God Himself became a little baby born in utter poverty, lived in utter poverty and died in utter poverty on the altar of the cross, stripped of the very clothes on His back.
As you ponder the mystery of Christmas, remember it was God who reached down from heaven and placed us in the arc of the Church at our baptisms, continues to sustain us with the grace of the sacraments, most especially with the food that leads to eternal life - the Eucharist. He has done this in order to save our lives so we can all run, dance and leap with joy eternally without any ‘gimps’ where we will see God face to face.
Let us spend our every waking moment concerning ourselves with those around us paralyzed in sin. Let us hide them in our hearts as we help nurse them back to health by our prayers and penances.
It is our prayer at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska that you have a blessed and merry Christmas and Christmas season. Please remember that the Christmas season extends all the way to January 9, where the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist. Infant Jesus, have mercy on us, Ss. Mary and Joseph, pray for us!
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