Good Friday and cats

I woke up this morning with a cat on my back. Janie Cat is strange little thing. If you try and pick her up, she runs from you like you're going to kill her (or take her to the vet), but if you sit still she will sit on your lap and absolutely not move for anything.

Except a sneeze. A sneeze or a loud noise or anything remotely "scary". If you sneeze or or spray air freshener that cat will rocket off your lap (or back) like

the devil is after her.

She's been like this since she was a kitten. I woke up this morning with her perched and purring on my back and I realized, laughing a little bit, what would happen if I sneezed.

She'd shoot out of the room like a rat out of an aqueduct. The readings at church last night came to mind. Peter and his enthusiasm. First, that'd he'd never let his master serve him, and then, when Jesus explained himself, that he, errr... over do it. (For context, click here) His emphatic denial that he would ever himself deny his relationship with Christ, and his subsequent denial of Christ. No, it wasn't a sneeze. It was much, much, scarier. He didn't run either. He stayed there to see what would happen, and when threatened with association, he said he didn't know those people. Peter seems like an emotional man who manages to make calculated choices under pressure.

I think the God-part of Christ's mind understood that about him. The God in Man part seemed to be having a harder time. In the garden, his friends, drunk from Passover dinner, can't stay awake with him even when he asks. He implores them, begs them to stay up with them. He's upset, he knows he's going to die, and there they are, too drunk and tired to stay up with him. (I realize I'm making a big accusation here, to some people, but wine is a customary part of a Seder and given everything that was going on I think it's safe to say they may have been inclined to overindulge a bit) They just don't understand what's going on, or they don't want to, and they can't seem to get it together to help him through this.

I think that's part of the tragedy of the crucifixion. Jesus, who couldn't catch a moment to himself during his ministry, who had to hide from people to pray, was all by himself on the night he didn't want to be. The people he was trying to help, out of fear and jealousy, were going to murder him. His disciples were too frightened, drunk and confused to stay up with him. I'd like to say I would have done things differently, but I know better.

I know better.

I hope you do too. We call this day Good Friday because it's the day we remember that we were redeemed at a great price. The Son of Man suffered, and suffered alone, to rescue us all from ourselves. To show us that we don't have to be afraid, that God is bigger than our weaknesses, stronger than our worst moments, and kinder than we deserve when we scatter like... frightened cats at a scary noise.

Even when we're too drunk, tired, and scared to do stay up and pray with someone we love who's freaking us right out.