Biblical Beasts: Jackal

For millennia the jackal has played a less than wholesome part in the mythology and literature of the east, near east and Africa. Varying species and subspecies of jackal make this a hard animal to portray accurately, and indeed, this is just the case we face in biblical descriptions. There is, to date, much confusion over when exactly a jackal is being referred to in the bible, particularly given that European translations often substituted instead that much more familiar animal, the fox. It would seem there are three possibilities in Hebrew for the jackal, none exclusive; shû'ãl, 'the digger'; 'íyyîm, 'the howlers'; and tãn, 'the stretcher'. Endearing titles are they not?

So why does the jackal get such a bad press? Well, the wily and cunning nature of the fox is equally applicable to the jackal, indeed the chief difference seems to be that the jackal is a more social animal. It conceals itself by day and issues forth at night, in pairs or larger packs, to prey upon the weak or defenceless creatures it encounters, or to scavenge among the refuse or crops of mankind. The jackal will eat just about anything, but only fight that which it can easily overpower. In the ancient world it was renowned for devouring the dead and dying that lay strewn on the battlefield after dark. “They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals” (Psalm 63:10).

Spiritually speaking, the jackal represents one whose worldly cunning and indifference to the plight of others, is salient. The jackal waits, and watches, and when the time is opportune and the risk slight, he pounces; his aim is survival – at any cost. Understandable for a beast of the field, but for mankind these are not honourable traits. The jackal therefore arises time and time again in scripture to represent the cunning and duplicity of men; the selfishness of one who prowls unseen by night and hides by day. One whose deeds are hidden, whose motivations remain secret; one who prefers the wastelands that hide ill deeds, and who refuses to live openly in the light.

Well, you can imagine if interviewed a jackal simply saying ‘we have to earn a living somehow’, and quite right. But for us, we should not indulge in cunning or trickery, or band together to prey on the defenceless. We should not strip others of what is rightfully theirs and then seek to hide ourselves away. We should aim that our deeds can be held before others and not seek the cloak of darkness and night. Indeed, remember that; “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5).

Biblical Beasts: Insect

Three of the ten plagues of Egypt involved insects, a plague of gnats (Exodus 8:16ff), a plague of flies (Exodus 8:20ff), and a plague of locusts (Exodus 10:1ff). On the one hand insects represent something weak, fragile, and easily crushed. On the other hand they represent something mighty and strong, capable of appearing in great numbers and of bringing about great destruction. There are references in the Bible to both aspects, e.g. Isaiah 51:6; Hosea 5:12; Job 4:19 and James 5:2.

Many phobias are connected with insects because of their strange appearance and their capacity to insinuate themselves into people's hair, clothing and food. Many insects bite, sting and poison. We know the withering scorn with which a person can sometimes insult somebody else by calling him an 'insect'. It is not exactly a pet name implying as it does that the person insulted is disgusting and to be dismissed.

In ancient Israel most insects were regarded as abominable and not to be eaten except those 'that have legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth' (Leviticus 11:21). So locusts, crickets and grasshoppers could be eaten - not that they would be everybody's first choice from the menu - but no other winged insect with four feet. The Book of Deuteronomy seems to remove the exceptional clause saying simply 'all winged insects are unclean for you' (Deut 14:19). It is not immediately obvious where the criteria to distinguish clean and unclean animals originated: presumably it was at least partly to do with hygiene, health and aesthetic considerations.

The Hebrews felt like insects compared with the inhabitants of Canaan (Numbers 13:33), a feeling that provokes yet another crisis for Moses and the other leaders of the people. It is an effective way of describing the feeling of impotence and insignificance: a single insect is of no great importance and is easily destroyed (Job 25:6). David challenges Saul, saying that he (David) is not 'a flea', in other words not insignificant (1 Samuel 24:14). The prophet Nahum on the other hand uses the imagery to illustrate the cowardice and unreliability of Israel and its leaders (3:17).

Insects make up one of the great classes of creation (Psalm 148:10) and some science fiction prophesies a time when insects will rule the world. In the Bible, however, they figure for the most part in a negative and paradoxical way: one insect alone is of little or no account but where they turn up in numbers they are formidable.

Biblical Beasts: Horse

In psalm 147:10 there is this striking line:

His [The Lord's] delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man

Elsewhere in the Bible, horses are linked to chariots (as in Zechariah 6), or to the horsemen of the Apocalypse. In every case the horse is a symbol of power, speed, and strength, and even today we still refer to "horsepower" to rate the performance of motorized engines; the greater the horsepower, the more powerful the engine. In the Scriptures, horses are thus depicted as powerful instruments of war and destruction, and in the Apocalypse they are linked to violence, divine judgement, and terror.

However, the psalmist reminds us that the Lord does not delight in any of this. Almighty God does not delight in might, whether coming from beasts or from man. Thus he delights neither in the strength of the horse nor in the legs, i.e., the strength, of a man. As we see in the example of Christ, ours is not a God who uses violence or unleashes cosmic powers to force his will, or accomplish his mission. The Lord does not wish to use might and force to restrain us, and make us do good. For our God is source and ground of our free acts, and he delights in our freedom. So, as it is said, one can bring a horse to the water but one cannot make it drink.

Rather, the Lord uses the gentle and tender persuasiveness of love, helping us by his transforming grace to know and understand his goodness, and to love and desire him, the good, for his own sake. Thus the psalmist also says in psalm 32:9, "Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not keep with you". One who is made to do good, needing bridle and bit, as it were, does not have virtue but obligation. He does not love but lives in servile fear.

But what the Lord does delight in, and what he desires for us so that we may follow him and have eternal life, is to have trust (Psalm 32:9) and hope (psalm 147:11) in his steadfast love. For it is only this reliance on God and on the strength and power of his love that will save mankind. We are not to rely on human power or our trappings of power (horses, cars, money, degrees, prestige etc), but to learn from Jesus, the only Strong One who saves. Depending on Christ is not the servitude of bridle and bit, nor is it to lack understanding. It is coming under the gentle yoke of trust, hope, and love. As Jesus says: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Mt 11:29-30).

Gearing up for WYD

The English Dominican Pilgrimage to World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid will run from 12-22 August 2011, and a group of just under 50 young people, including monks and friars, will be heading from London across France to Spain. En route to Madrid, we will take in Toulouse, where St Thomas Aquinas is buried, the famous Benedictine monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, Caleruega, where St Dominic was born, and Valladolid, where a famous debate involving Bartolomé de Las Casas took place in 1550-51 concerning the rights of the natives of the Americas.

Before setting off on this pilgrimage, a few members of the group met in London for Mass in Westminster Cathedral, followed by lunch, and then a visit to the exhibitions of religious art and relics at both the National Gallery and the British Museum. Please pray for us as we prepare to go on this youth pilgrimage. Godzdogz will be publishing daily posts on the events of WYD as they happen.

Biblical Beasts: Goat

Goats do no not have the best reputation. They have come to be associated with the devil and Satanism. Much of the goat's diabolic symbolism is linked to its behaviour. Isidore of Seville describes the goat as "a lascivious animal; it likes to butt heads and is always ready to mate. Because of its lust its eyes are slanted (square pupils). The nature of goats is so hot that their blood can dissolve diamonds". The goat's reputation is also not really helped by Christ's description of the last judgement, where the goats are put to the left and banished to hellfire.

However, one should not blacklist the grumpy goat. Both scripture and Christian writers have found much that is good. Medieval bestiaries often see the goat as a symbol of Christ in creation:

The goat's love of high mountains represents Christ, who also loves high mountains, that is, the prophets, angels and patriarchs. As the goat feeds in the valleys, so does Christ in the church, where good works are his food. The sharp eyesight of the goat shows the omniscience of God and his perception of the tricks of the devil.

It is no surprise that the goat could be held in such esteem. There are over a hundred references to the animal in the bible and the majority are either positive or neutral: they are fit to eat, they are kosher. Furthermore goats were slaughtered for honoured guests (as they still are) amongst the people of the Middle East. They were very much part of the temple system. The hair of goats was used to make a curtain for the Ark of the Covenant, the dwelling place of the Lord. They were also often offered as sacrificial sin and peace offerings at the altar. Most importantly on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, two goats were brought to the Temple. one to be sacrificed and the other to be cast into the wilderness, symbolically carrying the sin of the community. This, of course, is the origin of the term 'scapegoat'. This special annual event points toward the true Day of Atonement, Good Friday, when Jesus takes all sin upon Himself on the cross. He is not only the Lamb of God, but the Scapegoat of humanity.

Vocation Story - Andrew Brookes OP

Born in Birmingham during the Second Vatican Council, I was brought up in a family of practising Catholics in the years of its initial implementation. From my early years I had a fascination with the person of Jesus and a strong affection for him and commitment to him. This continued into my teenage years though, looking back, I increasingly formulated it in a less than orthodox framework. Aged 16, amidst a personal crisis, I received what I can still only call an experience and also an understanding of the extent of God’s love for me and in response to which I committed my life to God as completely and unconditionally as I could. This changed my life: substantial daily prayer, regular Scripture reading, wider study of theology, and more frequent commitment to and involvement in the life and mission of the church, all quickly followed, and soon, leadership of Christian groups. Along with this I came to an orthodox grasp of Jesus and of the Christian mysteries radiating out from this central mystery of God’s Revelation.

A desire for ecclesial ministry, and a commitment to living my faith radically and as part of this a willingness to be celibate had emerged by the time I left home for university. However, finding the specific vocational setting in which to live out this general Christian and indeed Catholic vocation has proved complex, difficult, and, at times, painful. Indeed, I am inclined to regard this journey itself as part of the calling God has placed on my life.

After consideration of various religious orders during and after my university studies and some time working, nothing seemed clear. I then had a positive response from my local diocese and so spent a number of years as a diocesan seminarian before leaving. Factors in this were vocational disquiet and an awareness of unresolved tension within me. I then taught Religious Education for a number of years in Scotland and then took up a range of work in the areas of faith formation / education, evangelisation, and ecumenism. Alongside this I slowly worked through the tension within me and the painful experience associated with it. At the same time a sense of a more specific vocation persisted, which in due course I identified as including commitment to the evangelical counsels, community, prayer,  apostolic ministry, and priesthood. Given this, and my commitment to the ministry of the Word, the Dominicans seemed like an option I should seriously explore. I did so and they have been generous enough to take me on.

Looking back, it seems that God has led me over many years, without me knowing it clearly, into a way of following Christ containing many of the elements of a Dominican calling. It is now good to be able to bring these together more explicitly and live them out within the wisdom and grace of the Dominican tradition, supported by and in collaboration with others living out a similar calling.

Biblical Beasts: Fox

My Grandfather grew up on a farm but spent the vast majority of his life living in Manchester. He had very definite views on foxes. Ideally they were to be shot. He regretted the difficulty in executing such a policy in a densely populated urban area. He had some sympathy with those who wanted to hunt foxes for sport. He had no time for anyone who thought of foxes as anything other than vermin.

My grandfather would, then, have approved of the words sung by the bride in the Song of Songs: 'Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyard, for the vineyard is in blossom' (Song of Songs 2:15). In the Old Testament, a vineyard is often the symbol of Israel. The people of God are in bloom, the Bridegroom has come. The foxes, the thieves that vandalise this vineyard, must be cleared away so that the vineyard can bear much fruit. The foxes here represent our sins, all we do to resist the Word of God.

In Luke's gospel we again have the behaviour of the fox contrasted with the Kingdom of God. 'Foxes have holes ... but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head' (Luke 9:58). The vulnerable Christ walks in the light, and during his public ministry relies on his creatures for hospitality. The fox, in contrast, comes out to steal what is not his and then hides in the darkness of a hole. Jesus offered his life as a gift, and gave the human beings the great honour of giving him a gift. He accepted and allowed his creatures, those that loved him, to care for him. The fox receives no such gift and is reduced to raiding bin bags for food. Where Jesus built community by giving and receiving, the fox antisocially steals and damages. This is why my Granddad wanted to shoot them.

Biblical Beasts: Eagle

The image of an eagle in flight is one that strikes us with both its power and its gracefulness: there is a certain sense of effortless superiority. The significance of this image has not been lost on the many peoples of the world for whom the eagle was a symbol of power and authority: not only the Romans and their European successors, but also the Persians, Egyptians and Ottomans used it as a symbol of political or military power.

In the Old Testament, too, we frequently find the eagle used as an image. It symbolises speed and suddenness (e.g Lam 4: 1; Job 9: 26; Deut 28: 49), but also safety and freedom from persecution: the eagle is seen as being free from predators because it can fly higher than anything that might attack it or its young. This is the image we find in the well-known passage in Deuteronomy, where we hear of the Lord’s care for his people Israel: ‘Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions the Lord alone did lead him’ (Deut 32: 11-12).

Thus, for the people of Israel, too, as for the Romans and others, the eagle is a symbol of power; however, it does not represent any kind of human power, to which there will always be limits. Rather, the seemingly limitless height of the eagle’s flight, its grace combined with its great strength, pointed them to the Lord their God.

The image of an eagle is also found in the apocalyptic prophecies of Ezekiel (e.g. 1: 10), Daniel (e.g. 7: 4) and the Apocalypse (e.g. 4: 7), as one of the four faces of the living creatures shown to them: these visions have been applied in Christian tradition to the four evangelists who mediate the Word of God, and it is striking that in this context too it is the unbounded flight of the eagle which is significant. For the eagle is associated with St John, whose Gospel, like the soaring flight of the eagle, points our minds heavenward, to the mystery of God himself.

Biblical Beasts: Dove

In the last decade it has become rather popular to release doves at funerals. Whilst I personally find this a rather vulgar novelty, it does have some grounding in the funeral practices of early Christians. There are many examples in the Roman Catacombs of sepulchres marked with a dove and the Greek inscription "ΕΙΡΗΝΗ"(peace). This is of course a prayer for the peace of the deceased's soul but throughout the centuries the dove became associated with civil peace. This association with peace is never mentioned explicitly but many references point towards this connotation.

Doves were offered as sacrifice by the Jews pointing towards the peace between God and his people in the temple system. A dove was also the bird that brought the first news to Noah of the ending of the flood. The abating of the waters was the first step towards a return to peace between God and his creation. The olive branch carried back to the ark by the dove is also a foreshadowing of the the full realisation of this peace: the Christ, the anointed one.

We see this most clearly during the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. All four evangelists describe the descending Holy Spirit as being like a dove. True peace is found in the person of Jesus Christ and being open to the Holy Spirit. If we live in Christ we not only have peace within ourselves but with each other.

Vocation Story

We easily take the word ‘vocation’ for granted, seeing it as something given, an ‘offer’ given from God to which we answer yes or no. Especially when we are young, we may ask ourselves: “What’s my vocation? Where does God want me to be, to serve, to live?” Being a Norwegian, raised within the Lutheran tradition of the Church of the State, the way seems long to the Dominican order in the Catholic Church. As a child, I went rarely to Church, and it wasn’t until the age of 21 that I, through years of inner prayer, finally was confronted with my faith and started to go to Mass in the Lutheran Church. God has a tendency of not leaving us in peace ... Five years later, I converted to the Catholic Church, and seven years after that, I asked to join the Dominican order, in the French province. I have spent five years in France, and have now finished the first of two years here in Oxford. Were these turns in my life written in the book of life? Was it God’s one and only plan for me to bring me to exactly this point? Have I found 'The Vocation' of my life?

Over the years I have come to understand the word vocation quite differently from how I saw it in my twenties. It seems to me forced to see vocation as something given, the one solution waiting for me in a near or far future. The nature of experiencing a vocation is not a question of me accepting an offer or not, as if God brought before me an option, labelled ‘Take it or leave it’. It is rather a constant offer posed to us, asking ‘Do you take it?’ In this way, the question of vocation does not wait in front of us as a far away leading star. It’s here and now. It’s in the constant dialogue that we more or less successfully have with God. The reason for this is that God (sometime in sharp contrast to ourselves) is so much more alive, so much more dynamic. God constantly sees new possibilities! He does not get caught up in nostalgia or stew over choices of the past. He sees the situation here and now, and invites us, yes, urges us to do the same. What God does, is to clarify our situation, and then ask us what to do out of it. For each response we manage to give, a new situation occurs. Whether we grasp it or avoid it, God follows us, stands by us, and he never lets us go. Saint Paul knew this as he said: "If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself" (2 Timothy 2, 11-13).

What is then the deeper meaning of my life? What is my vocation? It is to strengthen the love between God and me, and between me and those I meet, myself included! In the end, to follow a vocation is a question of love. God knows that we need much love in order to develop. Love is the soil in which the human being grows. As I lay outstretched in front of my provincial during my solemn profession, he asked me: ‘What do you seek?’ I answered according to the liturgical rite: ‘Yours and the Order's mercy’. If the dialogue between the candidate and the Order is expressed in this way, it is because the Order is capable of offering this mercy. Through my fellow brothers, God provides me with merciful love, and in this setting he also challenges me, always bringing up new options to which I can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Biblical Beasts: Cow

The cow is the female of many animals but we usually take the term to refer to the most domesticated of farm animals, the one pictured on the left. She grazes in fields all over the world and supplies most of our milk and meat. When God created the land animals, the 'cattle' get special mention (Genesis 1:24). Again, it need not necessarily refer to what we now understand by that term: many kinds of bison, buffalo, and wildebeeste might be included.

There is one significant mention of a cow in the New Testament. Hebrews 9 speaks of the infinitely superior value of the blood of Christ in contrast with the blood-offerings of the old law. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer served to sanctify defiled persons as regards 'the purification of the flesh', it says. How much more then will the blood of Christ, the perfect sacrifice, purify consciences from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews is referring to the 'ceremony of the red heifer' about which we read in the Book of Numbers, chapter 19. This was a kind of scape-cow ceremony in which the young animal was killed outside the camp, its blood used to sanctify the tent of meeting, its remains burned, and its ashes mixed with water for rites of purification. It seems like a primitive ritual for removing impurity and sin, but Hebrews is suggesting that it be seen as a type of the sacrifice that was to come, the self-offering of Christ, who in truth takes away the sins of the world.

Already in Genesis 15:9 a young cow or heifer is included among the animals sacrificed by Abram as he seals the covenant God has made with him. The Book of Deuteronomy explains how a heifer is to be sacrificed in atonement for innocent blood whenever a human being is found lying dead in the countryside and nobody knows how they have died (21:1-9). The First Book of Samuel testifies that the heifer remained susceptible to being sacrificed (16:2). There is an echo of this in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), which I once heard called the parable of the unsuspecting calf. Here once again it is the young cow that gives its life as part of a celebration of reconciliation and restoration.

Biblical Beasts: Behemoth

The behemoth is an animal that only appears in the book of Job, and there is a lot of speculation as to what kind of animal the behemoth actually is. The word itself just means great beast and the description is hard to identify with any known animal – he eats grass like an ox, his tail is stiff like a cedar, and his limbs are like bars of iron. Some believe the behemoth is something like a hippopotamus, an elephant or a crocodile whereas others think it is some kind of mythical chaos monster. So it’s a bit of a puzzle. But perhaps the bigger puzzle is why this animal features in the book of Job at all.

Job is the story of the righteous man who suffers through no fault of his own, and whilst he is cursing the day of his birth, his friends tell him that he is suffering for some evil he has done. Job demands an answer from God, and when God finally does answer, He asks Job lots of questions about His creation, one of which is about the behemoth: Can one take him with hooks, or pierce his nose with a snare? (Job 40) The impression is given that God is all powerful, that God’s ways are above man’s ways, that God takes delight in the savagery and prowess of the behemoth, but that He can also tame this beast.

But what kind of comfort is this for Job? Is this even a lesson that Job needs to learn? After all, earlier on when Job is answering back to his friends he says:

But how can a man be just before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength ... who does great things beyond understanding and marvellous things without number. (Job 9)

However, at the end of the book after God has spoken, one of the last things Job says is

I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee. (Job 42)

It is not enough for Job to know God second hand. By revealing Himself directly to Job, God places Job's life in context - Job is not God’s only concern, but neither is he insignificant. Rather, Job is one of countless animals, like the behemoth, who participates in the amazing wonder of God’s creation.

Godzdogz editor gets new appointment

Fr Vivian Boland OP has been appointed by the Master of the Order as his assistant (or 'socius') for North West Europe and Canada, and as socius for Initial Formation. The assistants help the Master of the Order in the exercise of his office over the whole Order. See the Order's website for further information about this and other recent appointments. As the master of students at Oxford, fr Vivian has been editor of Godzdogz since its inauguration in November 2006. This post cannot very well say 'we'll miss him' because it is being written by him, but please keep him and his new responsibilities in your prayers, and ... (that's enough, Ed.).

Biblical Beasts: Ass

Narnia and its cast of talking animals may have some Scriptural basis, it seems, for in 22nd chapter of the Book of Numbers there is the unusual story of the Gentile prophet Balaam. At the time the people of Israel are nearing the end of their 40-year sojourn in the desert, they have crossed the Jordan, and under the leadership of Joshua they are conquering the nations. A nervous Balak, king of Moab thus summons the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites.

Balaam, induced by the promise of riches and honour, goes to king Balak, and this angers the Lord God, whose prophet Balaam is, and who is securing victory for Israel. What follows from Numbers 22:22-31 is worth recounting in full, and it has a certain comic quality:

"But God's anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the ass, and his two servants were with him.
And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the ass, to turn her into the road.
Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side.
And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall, and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck her again.
Then the angel of the LORD went ahead, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left.
When the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the ass with his staff.
Then the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
And Balaam said to the ass, "Because you have made sport of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you."
And the ass said to Balaam, "Am I not your ass, upon which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Was I ever accustomed to do so to you?" And he said, "No."
Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face".

The ass is often characterized as an animal of ridicule, a stupid beast, even. To call someone an 'ass' is an insult to his intelligence. And yet, this humble beast of burden not only perceives the reality of things – that Balaam's way is offensive to God – and so, she sees the angel of the Lord blocking the way forward, but she is able to prophesy to the prophet, and effectively save his life.

As the story goes on to say in verses 32-34:

"And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your ass these three times? Behold, I have come forth to withstand you, because your way is perverse before me;
and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have slain you and let her live."
Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know that thou didst stand in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in thy sight, I will go back again.""

In many Nativity scenes, the ass is shown adoring the infant Christ at the manger. Inspired by Isaiah 1:3, this is a symbol that even dumb beasts know the Lord, and acknowledge him to be God. So, even the ass knows when something is sinful and offensive to God. But we rational animals, Man, are often found wanting: we sin, and we go against the Lord's ways, and effectively, we don't acknowledge him as God. So man acts like an ass in rejecting Him. But perhaps we should imitate the ass's virtues. For the ass is not stupid but humble and obedient. So much so, that it is on an ass that the Lord Jesus Christ rides in triumph into Jerusalem. By grace we too can be that ass, humbly and obediently being led by the Lord, and journeying into the heavenly Jerusalem, into eternal glory.

Biblical Beasts - Introduction

During the 'long vacation' Godzdogz will be offering a series of reflections on animals mentioned in the Bible. Sometimes they appear just as themselves, and why not? 'God saw all he had made and behold it was very good' (Genesis 1:31). All God  made includes the swarms of living creatures that live in the waters, the birds that fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens, and the cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth (Genesis 1:20, 24).

Sometimes the animals appear as the instruments of God's dealings with His people: one thinks immediately of Balaam's ass and Jonah's great fish (Numbers 22; Jonah 1:17-2:10). Sometimes their involvement in the relationship of God and the people is not so straightforward: certain animals come to represent forms of idolatry and immorality.

A common way of using animals in later Christian thought was to see them as representing various virtues and vices, the clean animals of Leviticus 11 and Numbers 14:1-21 representing virtues and the unclean ones representing vices. This is how Thomas Aquinas speaks about them in what seems to be the only place in his writings where he gives a kind of bestiary - Summa theologiae I.II 102, 6 ad 1.

Members of the Godzdogz team will no doubt take different approaches in their reflections on Biblical Beasts. We will also bring you full and live coverage of the English Dominican pilgrimage to Madrid for World Youth Day. That will be between August 12th and August 22nd. There are some vocation stories to tell, by students who joined the Blackfriars community in recent years, as well as a friar's passion or two and a shorter series, towards the end of the summer, on the fruits of our study.

So 'stay tuned' to Godzdogz and check in with us regularly. We wish you a happy summer and ask you to pray that will bless our pastoral placements, our courses and conferences, our holidays, and of course our pilgrimage to Madrid.

Saints this Month - Blesseds Pier Giorgio Frassati and Adrian Fortescue

The Dominican family includes friars and nuns but also sisters, members of secular institutes, and fraternities of priests and laity (Fundamental Constitution §9). Our form of life is lived in many different ways, then. The first Rule for Dominican Laity was promulgated in 1285 and the most recent rule for the Lay Fraternities of St Dominic, promulgated in 1987, explains the life of the Dominican Laity in this way:

§8 They do their best to live in true community in the spirit of the beatitudes, and they give expression to this in regard to other members of the fraternity, particularly the poor and the sick, and as circumstances require, by doing works of mercy and sharing with them what resources they may have, and by offering prayers for the dead; so that all may be united in heart and soul in God (Acts 4:32).

§9 Together with the Brothers and Sisters of the Order the members of the fraternities take part in the apostolate; they are to share actively in the life of the Church, and be ever ready to work with other apostolic groups.

This week we celebrate the feast days of two lay Dominicans. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (July 4th, centre right in the photograph) was born in Turin in 1901 and died from polio in 1925. He was a young man of deep faith who at university gathered round him a group of friends who shared the same Catholic convictions. He was an enthusiastic member of the St Vincent de Paul Society and became a Lay Dominican in 1922. He combined a devout spiritual life with energetic involvement in Catholic Action. He worked in a club for young mountaineers and 'preached' not by talking about his faith but simply by the way he responded to what life brought his way. He wrote that charity alone was not enough, social action also was needed if the poor were to be properly cared for. He took the name 'Girolamo' when he became a Dominican after his hero Girolamo Savonarola. Pier Giorgio's plans were to work as a lay missionary once he was a qualified engineer and then to get married. It was not God's will for him, however, as he fell gravely ill with polio and died. His family were astonished at the thousands of people who lined the streets for his funeral, not realising how many people in the city had experienced his kindness. Devotion to him continued to grow as his friends gathered for a day of recollection each year on the anniversary of his death. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1990 and his tomb is in the Cathedral of Turin, the Church that houses the Shroud.

Blessed Adrian Fortescue (July 8th, left, in a painting from Malta) was born in Devon in 1476. He was a husband and father, justice of the peace for Oxfordshire, and a Lay Dominican. Like his great contemporary Saint Thomas More, Adrian led an ascetic life, daily seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and seeking to do God's will in all things. They also shared an interest in the hearty, coarse, and even bawdy, wit of the time and Adrian edited some collections of proverbs, witticisms and guidelines for good living. When Henry VIII broke with the Church Adrian remained faithful and was first arrested in 1534. He was released but re-arrested in 1539. He was sentenced to death without having been charged with any specific crime and was beheaded. There has been devotion to him since the 17th century, promoted by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, an order of which he was also a member. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1895.

There are chapters of Lay Dominicans in Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leicester, London, Manchester, New Forest, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Oxford, St Marychurch & Brixham, Walsingham, and Weymouth. New Lay Dominican groups are growing in Bristol, Cornwall and York, and there is an association of Dominican Laity in Glasgow.

If you wish to find out more about the vocation of the Lay Dominican click here.

Master of the Order visits England

The Master of the Order, fr Bruno Cadoré OP, visited England recently. As already reported, he met with the students at Blackfriars, Oxford and took part in the celebrations for the patronal feast on Pentecost Sunday. He also visited Cambridge which is the novitiate house of the province, and London where he met members of the community as well as meeting with the provincial council.

His visit was part of a whirlwind tour he is undertaking of parts of the Order less well known to him. In recent weeks he has been in the USA and Canada, in Ireland and England, in Belgium and the Netherlands, and in Spain.

One of fr Bruno's predecessors, Blessed Jordan of Saxony, wrote as follows to the friars of the Order, calling them to the essential heart of their way of living: 'We say a lot, we do a lot, we endure a tremendous lot, which would make us so much richer in virtue, so much more fruitful in merit, if only charity abounded in our hearts, directing and ordering everything towards our proper goal, which is God' (Letter of May 1233).