“Does Your Dog Bite, Monsieur”

I guess it’s never too late to learn more about our self…. what makes me tick, what’s important to me, what things “push my button”, am I “really that” competitive”, etc.. 

Today I was getting in line for gas. If you’re familiar with Cosco, there are about 10 lines often with some 5-10 cars in each line. I scanned the situation and selected my line, it looked pretty good…but then the line next to me opened up and a red pickup truck pulled in.  Rats!!!  This is when things started to get exciting. The red truck pulled ahead…but then my line opened up and I edged ahead…I began singing, “NA NA NA NA NA NA…..BOO BE BOO BE BOO BOO.” Judy gave me a funny look. He pulled ahead, I went silent…then I pulled ahead…NA NA NA NA NA NA. My line continued to pull ahead …I left him in the dust. I don’t know how it happened , but I was the clear winner…. the MVP of the Cosco Gas Raceway. I felt pretty good about myself.

Judy didn’t seem to share my exuberance. If I didn’t know better, I think she may have thought I had lost my mind. As I pulled away, I looked back at the red truck and wondered if the driver was frustrated at his slow line…. maybe he was in a hurry. So, I prayed a quick prayer for him because I know I’ve been in “slow lines” before and have sometimes been frustrated.

I know this BLOG is pretty deep. I can see it has drawn you in, and you’re now waiting for the knockout punch, or, the “coup de grâce”. So, the question is “do normal people ever do goofy things…or do holy people ever act a bit odd… or did Padre Pio ever tell a joke.”  I really hope so. I hope that at some point the Cure of Ars, imitating Inspector Clouseau, asked the question, “does your dog bite, monsieur”. I hope Pope John Paul II once told his opponent on the soccer field, “hey your shoe’s untied”, as he ran past him to score a goal. Do you think St. Thomas Aquinas ever did any research on “why the chicken crossed the road” ?

I really do hope so…because if they did, there may be hope for me. There may be hope that some of our zanier moments might bring a smile to the face of Jesus.

Billy Graham once said “a balanced sense of humor can save us from taking ourselves too seriously, and help us see through the pride and pretense of our sinful world. Did Jesus have a sense of humor? I’m sure He did.” 

We live in serious times and eternal consequences are at stake. Yet may the Lord help us to relax and enjoy one another…. may he help us to laugh and not take ourselves too seriously. May the joy of the Lord be our strength…giving us strength for the fight. And may the guy in the red truck have a great day.