Year 2: June 7, 2020
The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street by Ann Redisch Stampler
(Written for ages 3-8)
Comment: The book of Job is meant to be taken as a parable or fable, rather than a historical account. This is clear from the Hebrew construction of the opening lines: “A man there was from the land of Uz…” (equivalent to our “Once upon a time…”). Older children may have a better ability to appreciate that distinction. The wager between Satan and God is meant to determine whether Job loves God because of all the good, comfortable things in his life (what God can do for him) or because he is truly faithful. This could be a powerful lesson for children and adults alike. Do we come to worship, pray, read scripture, do acts of service because we think it will inoculate us against misfortune? Or do we do these things out of love for God and one another? In Stampler’s book, Mr. Modiano is a fishmonger who doesn’t really like the cats that hang around. His neighbor, Mrs. Spiegel, loves the cats and is devastated when one goes missing. Mr. Modiano (somewhat grudgingly) sets off on his motorcycle to find and return the missing cat. This is an example of how we are meant to love one another – not based on what we get out of it (Mr. Modiano would be just as happy if Ketzie were never to return!) but based on our appreciation for the other person. This is how Job loves God, and it is a model for how we ought to love God and our neighbors.
Thanks to Union Presbyterian Seminary alumnus Joshua Andrzejewski for writing the Year 2 Narrative Lectionary Links.