NAG, NAG, NAG

[Today’s gospel is considered one of the toughest gospel readings - so I decided to wrestle with it, by writing a story - entitled, “Nag, Nag, Nag.” This could be considered a cop out. It could be. Yet, I’ve preached on this many times - and so too lots and lots of other priests and preachers. The question still remains:  “How could Jesus sound so un-Jesus-like as  he sounds in today’s gospel?” That is the question. So a story entitled, “Nag, Nag, Nag.”]

God nicknamed her, “Nag, Nag, Nag.”

Her friends - her family - never thought about her that way.

She was all smiles - all the time - whenever she was in the public domain - especially when she was in church.

Church? Yes. Most of her life? Yes.

But there were a few times there that she dropped out. She had it with God - but God didn’t  nag her back.

God did his regular thing - sort of like what God does so, so many times - hiding behind his bulletin over there in the corner.

But she nagged God - all the time.

Moreover, she thought she had a right to nag God.

She knew her scriptures. She read her Bible.

“After all:  didn’t Jesus say to be like the widow who bothered the judge till that judge  gave her a hearing and gave a verdict in her favor? Didn’t Jesus tell that story or parable to get people to bother God in prayer?”

“Didn’t Jesus say to ask, to seek and to knock - and to keep on doing that?”

“Didn’t Jesus say to scream outside God’s door and window late in the night - and even throw rocks at his wooden shutters? Then God will finally open up the front door to give the screamer some  bread - to get rid of him or her. This man who knocked or who threw rocks at his neighbors shutters was always doing things like this.  - always saying to strangers, “If you’re ever stuck for a place at night, knock on my door”, but he was never ready to feed surprise guests who showed up at his house long after the marketplace  and the stores were closed? So he’d always go over to his neighbor’s house - even if all were gone to bed over there.

So all her life this lady nagged, nagged, nagged God in prayer.

And it seemed that for her - God kept his shutters shut.

And what - better who - did this woman nag God about?

What was her problem?

It was her daughter.

She had one child - one daughter.

She had one problem: this one daughter - who had many problems.

Her husband was gone a long time ago.

It seemed her daughter had a demon in her.  At least that’s what this mom told God - and told her daughter - what she thought was wrong with her.

“You have a demon in you.”

But her daughter remained silent - totally ignoring her mother - at that and many other comments her mother made at her and to her.

Truth be told: this daughter couldn’t stand her mother’s nagging, nagging, nagging.

This daughter did finish high school. This daughter did work - a bit - on and off - from time to time. This daughter was always on her cellphone - or ear phones - or TV or sleeping - and would come out of her room - mainly when her mom went to bed or went off to work or off to church.

Her mom talked to several priests and a counselor once back there - about her daughter - but nothing worked - especially nagging.

It was Sunday.

She - mom - was at church.

It was the 20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the gospel was all about the Canaanite woman who had a daughter with demons.

She heard that story. She stopped praying long enough to hear that story. She said to herself, “By God, you’re talking to me.”

She heard the priest say that the readings from Isaiah and Matthew were about boundaries. “Go beyond your boundaries.”

“Woof, woof, woof!”

She heard the gospel reading mention that Jesus talked about a dog - throwing food that was meant for your children to your dog or allowing your dog to eat scraps that fall from your table.

She burst into tears.

Those around her in church - put their hands on her shoulder and back - and one person even put her hand on the woman’s head. She was sort of bouncing up and down and back and forth in her bench as she cried.

The priest seeing this out in the benches while preaching got nervous - but also felt a bit of joy - that maybe something he was saying was being heard - and helped challenge someone.

“Hey, you never know.”

After Mass she sat there a while - calmed down a bit.

After Mass she went to the Dog Shelter - thinking it might be closed.

But, why not, why not give it a try?

It was open.

“Do you have any dogs?”

The lady at the shelter said, “Do we have dogs?”

“Do we have dogs?”

And she pointed to this big enclosed area that held about two dozen dogs. 

“Take your pick.”

“Ooops,” the mother said. “Wait. How long are you open till?”

“Till 5 P.M.”

“Great,” she said, “I’ll be right back with my daughter. We need a dog.”

She got home, faster than usual. She woke up her daughter saying, “Hurry, get dressed.”

She barked back at her mom, “Mom, it’s 11:45 and I’m still asleep. Give me a break.”

“Hurry, get dressed. I’ll be waiting outside in the car.”

Mom’s different sounding nagging - must have worked - because out came her daughter - no shower - in 7 minutes.

“Where, are we going mom?”

“You’ll see.”

They pulled into the parking lot of the Dog Shelter.

“What, mom, what are we doing here?”

“You’ll see.”

Then went in.

The lady in charge said, “Wow, you’re back.”

And she took mother and daughter back to the two dozen or more dogs and said, “Pick a winner. Pick the one you want.”

And the daughter spotted a lonely looking half and half - half poodle and half something else - and said with excitement - the most excitement the mom heard from her in 2000 years, “That one. That one.”

And they brought home “Sushi” - a labradoodle. Her daughter named and baptized her “Sushi”  immediately.

And Sushi changed that daughter for the rest of her life. Sushi also changed the relationship of mother and daughter. And that daughter volunteered to work at the dog shelter and ended up going to community college to become a vet. She didn’t finish that - but came close - because she met a vet and married him and she works in their office.

And Sushi - changed as  well - Having the best of both his halves and the best of mom and daughter and her husband - and then their three kids.

And they lived happily ever after.

Woof. Woof. Woof.