The Doctor and His Cat by Sustines Laplana

One day I saw a doctor playing a cat with a plastic fish. I went closer and told the doctor, "You have a nice cat, Doc."

The doctor answered, "Oh! Sel… I enjoyed playing my cat with this toy." He showed the plastic fish to me and said, “Yesterday morning, I fed this cat with a real fish. The cat immediately eat the fish alive. In the afternoon, I made this toy smell like a real fish and give it to the cat, but the cat didn’t responded. He only threw a weird look into this toy, and then after a while the cat played it."

I only smiled at him to show my agreement with him.

"Now I realized," the doctor continued, "that cats are really intelligent. We couldn't fool them. They knew if the food we fed them is real or not."

"Yes doc. Cats are really intelligent." I agreed. "They’re even smarter than you Doc. Cat’s didn’t study to learn what’s the real fish and what's not, isn’t it? And you studied several years just to earn the title and profession as a Doctor, but then you didn't noticed that the one you are kneeling and praying to is just an idol."

The doctor blushed and wanted to say something to me, but then I continued, "if I will bring you a piece of wood and told you to kneel down before it and pray, would you do that Doc? I think you would not do it instead you would say, 'am I fool to do it?' But if I will form that wood into Sto. Niño and bring it to you and tell you to kiss it, kneel before it and pray, I think you'll do it sincerely, isn't it?"

Then I got my Bible and said, "You know Doc, it was already written on the Scriptures…"

13 The carpenter measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in the form of man,
of man in all his glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine. (Isaiah 44:13, NIV)
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
"Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?” (Isaiah 44:19,NIV)

"You see Doc? You’re at the peak of your education but then you never realized that half of that Sto. Nino was used to cook food and to other purposes, and you bow and pray before it." I said.

"Christ’s told us that worshipping God should be done in Spirit and in Truth,

24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24, NIV)

not through the images.

I wish you’ve learn a lesson from your cat, Doc."

About The Author

Sustines E. Laplana (SELaplana: http://www.selaplana.com) is the first Pinoy Blogger and EMarketer in Southern Leyte, Philippines who blogs on Technology, Society and Reviews/Promotions of products and owns the Cellphones For Sale blog ( http://cellphones-for-sale.blogspot.com ). Writing articles is his passion. And writing religious articles is his love, so that everyone will learn the truth taught by the Bible.