Holey Week

Hi Y’All,

It’s Humphrey here again, being asked to write another somethin.

Fr. Dad, as I think you call him, took me for my first-ever road trip into the mountinz of Georgia. I’ve never walked on such paths before. Boy, they wuz steep n slipy, wich made it fun n scary at the same time.

Fr. Dad made me hit the books, learnin to read n write. He says I am a ‘quick study’ cos, like, he says I’m pickin it up quickly. I guess I’m not there yet, but he says the more i read the better I’ll get n I’ll soon have my own style – whatevr that is. Anyways, he n my Uncle Lew (Fr. Lewis to youze all, I guess) were talkin ‘church’ all the time, so i juss listend in. Most of it juss made me fall asleep – I mean it wuz BORIN – but some of it made my ears stand up.

Part of what interested me wuz about something I thought they called ‘Holey Week’. I wuz wunderin why they’d think it spechal to have a week that wuz all about holes. I mean, dogs dig holes n stuff, but we don’t talk about them. Thatz just weird.

But then Fr. Dad told me it wuz spelled different – like ‘Holy’ and ‘Holy’ means somethin spechal – sumethin set aside to God. Big ‘G’ god, too. Whateva.

So, ‘Holy Week’ is a time set aside as something spechal fur youze all to travel with some Jesus guy to his death.

Now Fr. Dad is tryin to introduce me to the Bible stuff, but imma resistin coz I aint no religious type. I see what it did to the previous Dobie, Winston. He got all serious about the world n animals n stuff. I aint got time for that – I need to look after me. And anyways, why do I need to believe in some guy who died a LONG time ago to be bothered about stuff? And why do I need to believe in some invisible ‘creator’? it aint like the dude helped out any, is it? an what about the state of the planet? Thatz all on youze, and god aint lifted a finger to stop you, has it?

I said all of this to Fr. Dad and he kinda agreed with me sayin it is hard for some people to be concerned about anything but themselves, and often many Christians are no different, to the point that many cant even make the effort to spend a week with Jesus wich, it turns out, is the whole point of Holy Week.

And then Fr. Dad (u know, imma gettin board ov spellin two words out – from now on it iz just ‘dad’). Well, then dad said: “Could you not spend one hour with me?”. I thought he’d lost it (tho imma begnin to wonder if he eva had ‘it’ anyways) but he told me he was quotin Jesus.

Jesus told the Apostles, “Could you not spend one hour with me?” in the garden of Gethsemane, whateva that iz, n it seems Jesus is still askin his follwers the same thing today, wich is why Holy Week is such an important time. Or, at least, it should be. It is ment to be a time set aside, a time in all of time wen the things of god are given more focuss.

Wasn’t sure what that ment so I asked. Dad said it means that for at least one small part of the year youze make an extra effort to follow god by following Jesus. An this last week is super important. You should just do it – it is a discipline and that’s what it means to be a disciple.

I guess I’m a disciple then, too, cuz I’m always been told to follow dad around. I’d sooner have him behind me tho, cuz then I get to do what I want to do. But … hey! Mebbe thatz the point of it all, eh? Mebbe youze are supposed to be followers – following in the path of Jesus? I dunno, I guess imma makin stuff up now.

Anyways, that’s enough about that lot. From what I’ve read from my … erm … canine coworker, Winston, youze are more interested in whatz happening with me than anything else, so lets me tellz you.

Things are going really well. I’m almost finished with all the pills i wuz on. My fur is growing and I’m gettin my strenth back. Fr. Dad is tryin to teech me things to wich I says “HA!”. The one thing I knows iz that I’m a Doberman n we dont do beein ‘teeched’ too well.

More from me next month I guess? Keep doin good stuff.

H.