The Peril of Nicodemus

I refer today's little story or poem to the Gospel of John 3:14-21. It is said that Nicodemus was associated with the pharisees in Jerusalem at the time of the Passion. But like Joseph of Arimathea, he was willing to accept the notion that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. In fact, there is reference to a Gospel of Nicodemus or the Acts of Pilate that is not included in the Bible. It is said to include the oldest version of the Veronica story, but that it was written later and has inconsistencies in the writing which suggests several authors. At least that is what I could find out in a quick google search anyway.

Now, to get to my point. It is said that we must turn away from darkness and embrace the light if we are to be found worthy of our reward in heaven. I believe that Nicodemus was willing to accept the light of Christ even though his position and stature disavowed such an idea. This is something we are all called to do; to have faith in something so incredible that we are willing to take a leap beyond our comfort level. To assume that something or someone is out there to catch us in spite of the darkness is a concept most people today would find hard to get a handle on, but we must in order to put aside our sinful past and be fulfilled in a bright new future away from the lures of a secular society. And so, without further explanation, I present the story poem "The Peril of Nicodemus."

Nicodemus is a cat my sister rescued quite a few years ago, in fact, he is at least eighteen years old. He was just a kitten when my sister found him and he has since gone blind. Like all curious felines, Nicodemus wondered out of the house one day and was lost for several hours at best. Now, my big sister is a real Mother Theresa when it comes to stray animals. She cannot resist saving a poor helpless creature along the road or stranded in the yard. I guess you could say she is a Saint Francis of the ASPCA order. So, here goes...

The Peril of Nicodemus

Once, young and agile
Fleet of foot
Always landing so
Orphaned once
Then found
Never to be alone
Amongst the menagerie
Springer, Himalayan
The wild hare
left homeless in the yard.

Then, darkness
Only shadow within
Marking time with other senses
Yet freedom still beckoned
that feline sense of arrogance
Tempting as a kitten
To come out and roam
As the alley cats do
This was the peril of Nicodemus.

A door ajar
seizes opportunity
And thus went Nicodemus
Into a strange new world
Unfamiliar, yet sensing
Smells, sounds so reminiscent
of a time when sight preceded him
A simple length of string entertained
Now, only instinct to guide him
into a cold and formless void.

Yet, she loved him still
Even as the years prolonged her misery
Of knowing her beloved Nicodemus
Would soon succumb to nature’s will
As all our beloved friends will do
But he was special
Her little orphan from the streets
He knew all too well
the meaning of a good meal
A warm place to curl up
in a cruel harsh world
For he was a hardy breed.

And so the hours passed
No sight or sound of him
pawing at the basement door
No purring on the kitchen floor
He was again, alone
Fending in the darkness
Until a friendly hand would find him
And just as fate would have it
Indeed such fortune was apparent
As from out of a cold dark corner
Salvation gathered Nicodemus
And sent him home again.


I'd like to finish this story some time with perhaps a moral or add a little more detail, but for now, it will have to be as is and nothing more. Witt.