A Priest’s Dog

Obeying rules for our health and happiness

03/16/2023

Mt 5:17-19 Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

Did you know that last December I got a dog? His name is Apollo and he is the most handsome dog in the whole world, and that’s my unbiased opinion. He is only 7 months old, so he is still very much a puppy. But if dogs could have souls, then he would have what people say is “an old soul.” Have you ever heard that expression: “He has an old soul”? It means that a child is very mature for their age, and probably enjoys being with adults more than other children.

Do you know any kids like that? Even though they are very young in their body, they have a very mature or old soul. Well, Apollo has an old soul because even though he has the body of a puppy, he has the personality of a mature dog. He is calm and obedient and takes tons of naps during the day, like I do!

Well, because Apollo has an old soul, he has been super easy to train, and I am a pretty tough trainer. For example, I have some very strict rules he has to obey. One rule is that he does not eat people food, but only dog food. Now, most people feed their dog leftovers from dinner or the dogs get to lick the plates in the dishwasher. But not Apollo.

A second rule is he does not get to jump on the furniture or sit on the furniture. Now, other people often let their dogs get on the furniture, sit on their laps, or even sleep in their beds at night. Do you do that with your dog? Well, that’s okay, but Apollo does not get to do that. Don’t worry, he has some very nice beds but they are on the floor, and he does not get on the furniture.

A third rule is we don’t jump up on people when we meet them. Apollo is a pit bull, German shepherd, pointer, lab, supermut mix, so he’s pretty confused about who he is. But that also means he’s going to be a very big dog. It may seem fun or cute if he jumps on people as a puppy, but he will scare the heck out of people if he jumps up on them as a full grown dog. So a third rule is not jumping up on people.

And a fourth and final rule we have is he always sleeps in his crate at night. Now, that’s a very important rule because he never messes up his crate because it is his bed. So that means he can sleep all night and does not bark or wake me up. Oh, and yesterday I took him to be neutered. And so now he is really a priest’s dog! Can you see why I say Apollo has an old soul? He has some strict rules but he is also mature for his age, and learns quickly, and enjoys hanging out with old people, like me.

In the gospel today, Jesus is also talking about the rules he has for us, his commandments. And he tells us to obey his commandments and rules, even the smallest ones. And just like I am proud of Apollo when he obeys my four rules of no people, not getting on furniture, no jumping up on people, and staying in his crate, so Jesus has 10 rules for us called his Ten Commandments. You know them well because you are blessed to go to a Catholic school, where they teach Jesus’ rules of behavior. You know what those rules are: honor your mother and father, keep holy the Lord’s Day by going to Mass, do not tell lies, do not steal, do not kill, and so forth.

Now, some schools do not have all the rules a Catholic school has, and so students can do things there that you cannot do here at Trinity. Just like other dogs get away with things that Apollo cannot do in our home. But I think my rules help Apollo to be a happier and healthier dog, a real Supermut, inside and outside. And that’s what Jesus’ rules and Trinity’s rules do for you: they help you to be happier, healthier, and holier, inside and outside. You, too, can be a Supermut.

To be honest, Apollo is not perfect, and he does try to get away with breaking the rules. Sometimes he will eat things he should not eat, besides his dog food. In December I noticed some of the green Christmas wrapping paper was missing. That evening I took Apollo for a walk so he could poop. Guess what color his poop was? It was green! Whenever Apollo poops, I call that true confessions because I know what he did earlier that day. And Jesus sees what we do all the time when we break his rules, even if we think (like Apollo) that we are getting away with it, and no one sees us.

Boys and girls, rules are hard to follow in the beginning, just ask Apollo. But slowly, as time goes by, and we learn to live by the rules, our life will be far more fun and enjoyable.

Praised be Jesus Christ!