The Journey 159

Read: Acts 18

Never call a man a dog- It’s a shame to the dog. This was one of the funny quotes that I found on the net. Your comments on this statement may vary. But give an ear to this news brought out by Yahoo news. They  have  reported that a  dog is now a hero in Ghana. The reason for this the dog had protected a new born baby by keeping the baby snuggled against him. I am thankful to Prince John of Christos Marthoma Church, Philadelphia for bringing to my attention this news item which is published on Yahoo News. It was actually  Madam Rosemary Azure, Director of Health for the Talensi-Nabdam District, in Ghana that shared the remarkable story with Ghana News Agency at a ceremony for a different occasion entirely – the launch of two vaccines that will help prevent diarrhea and pneumonia. What happened was that a  search party had been convened to look for the dog and not the baby, when the dog’s worried owner got concerned that her pet hadn't returned home in the evening. Searchers spent most of the night tracking the hound through nearby fields and woods, and came upon the unlikely pair of the dog and the baby, quite some time later; finally locating him under the bridge near the farm and that is when they were surprised to find the dog curled around a human infant. The baby himself is in relatively fine fettle after his ordeal. His umbilical cord had not been cut, and had gotten infected, but the little one was otherwise unharmed; he's had all his vaccinations, and is currently in the custody of a local health directorate until new, arrangements can be made for him. The police are investigating as to what led to the baby’s desertion. What is unique about the news is the human values of concern, that a dog shows, when these qualities are now becoming rare in human beings “ who are called the crown of creation”. Why these qualities are becoming rare is because we don't tend to inculcate these qualities in our family nor try to transmit to the next generation. That makes all the difference in the transformation that needs to happen in our family through our Lord.  This week we are meditating on the theme “ Transformation in our family” based on a  missionary couple Aquila and Priscilla. Here is a couple who are  not very rich. They have a profession of tent making. Here is a story of a couple who helps us understand how to grow in the grace and in knowledge of the Lord and also how one can be a help in the Lord’s work.  It seems Aquila and Priscilla were already Christians when they met Paul in Corinth, and moreover they seemed to share same trade of tent making or it can also be called as leatherworking. One of the unique aspects of both Aquila and Priscilla is that they had an eagerness to grow in the Lord and also in whatever ways, support the Lord’s work through their profession.  They had only little yet they were concerned about the Lord’s work. Often in our parish and family life, we are always recipients of somebody’s labour and we don't care to support the Lord’s work nor do we set model to our children to show how the family can support Lord’s work in whatever ways we can. The dog in the yahoo news had no responsibility towards the new born child, yet did something noble, but what about people like us. Are we able to show the same concern and support that the canine showed to the new born baby, to our fellow brothers and sisters or even to God’s work. It is these qualities that brings transformation in our family and in our personal life. The capacity to distinguish between who has been created as a dog and as a man…makes all the difference