Found in the Temple

Lk 2:41-52
As I cautioned in the previous entry, this will be one of those "things I have learned from my cat"-type texts. These sorts of things — which generally appear on posters, e-mails, and Powerpoint Presentations, are cute — but often suffer from a preciousness which is sacharine-sweet.

I shall strive to avoid preciousness.

When we invite non-human animals into our homes, we also invite a bit of wildness in to our lives. It's a domesticated wildness which most people can tolerate. The element of wildness which felix and canus domestici offer us is unpredictability.

Granted, dogs can be trained (certainly with more facility than the average cat), but even dogs will sometimes do things which make no sense to a human observer.

Cats are a curious choice for companion. If I had grain stores, like the ancient Egyptians, or was a farmer, a cat would have a very practical use — control of the rodent population. But, as a companion for companionship's sake — counter-intuitive. The average naked ape is diurnal; I certainly am. Cats are nocturnal.

So, the difference between cats and humans is greater than "civilization" and "wildnerness", it's literally the difference between day and night.

Yet, somehow humans and felines have adapted to each others' culture, as it were.

So: what have I learned from Dame Julian?

Live in the now. I've mentioned that DJ and I often play fetch. I know DJ is unique in this, but Brother Dave has witnessed her doing it and can testify. She'll chase the object (there's up to three we use now) several times. Then, about the fourth or fifth time, she'll drop it half-way back to me, stop, and scratch or wash. There you go: if it itches, scratch it. Sleep when you're tired. Eat when you're hungry — and stop eating when you're full.

Sometimes play can be rough (and even hurt) without deeply wounding. One thing that amazed me, from the time I adopted DJ, is the fact that she seems to be able to distinguish bare skin from clothed skin. If I walk through the house bare-legged, and she attacks, her claws are withdrawn. It's been some time since she last scratched my hands or bare arms. If I'm wearing pants or long sleeves though, all bets are off.

Seems like I could apply this to human interactions somehow. For example, flirting. Sometimes men and women flirt just for play or to keep the skills honed (so to speak); it's not always intended to lead to romance. Or conjugal relations. I'm still not sure how I can discern the play from the "real", or how I can tell that play reflects romantic feelings on both sides. Still learning.

Another thing DJ is teaching me is that I can't always get my way. I've moved things (primarily stuffed toys) so she won't destroy them. I keep my study door closed so she won't attack the computer wires or the minor disaster area on the floor. I have chosen not to put up a Christmas tree, for fear that she might hurt herself attacking the ornaments (et al).

As I've said before, there is no negotiation possible here. Either I accept the consequences — some property damage, possible vet bills, potential early feline demise — or I adapt. In this regard, I have to be more adaptable than the cat.

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So far as I know there is no record of what the boy Jesus said to the learned men in the Temple on that day. Even the apocryphal gospels that I've read fail to fill in this detail.

Two apocryphal gospels — afraid I don't have copies to hand — do tell this story, which I believe takes place after the incident in the Temple:

Mary and Joseph sent Jesus to a local rabbi to be tutored. At their first meeting, the rabbi asked Jesus to recite the Hebrew alphabet. Jesus replies that he will recite the alphabet if the rabbi will tell him the meaning of aleph, beth, gimel, and so on. In one version of this story, the rabbi spanks Jesus for his insolence. The hand which had performed the spanking withered, as if in a fire. However, when the rabbi repented the action, the boy restored the hand.

This story is similar to an idea I've had brewing for a few years: that the dialogue between the boy Jesus and the learned men was little more than questions. This is often the case in the canon — frequently, Jesus will say "I'll answer that question if you'll answer this one." It's also part of Talmudic tradition, which would have been germinating around this time (if not slightly earlier). Indeed, the learned men may have been amazed at the perception reflected in Jesus' questions, and how he was able to hold his own. That is, they may have been impressed at how long he was able to continue asking questions without ever making his own position or opinion clear.

You know, Jesus playing with the rabbis in this way reminds me a lot of DJ playing with me. It might smart occasionally, but it's still play. The Psalms say God made Leviathan for the sport of it (I believe that's the KJV phrase). What a concept, that the High Holy One should bless play in this fashion! What a concept that the Holy One honors questions more than definitive answers!