Cuddly Beasts

Mary Lee and Kathryn – two lovely names attached to summer visitors tracked year-round through acoustic tags as part of the Division of Marine Fisheries Shark Research Program.   They are tourist attractions and sought-after by children as stuffed animals and cuddly creatures.  Who would have thought the great white shark would no longer be a Jaws-feared beast roaming the seas and waiting to chomp an unsuspecting swimmer?  

The shark’s image has transformed.    Fear has been replaced with awe and respect – not for everyone of course, but the media has shifted emphasis away from horror to intrigue and curiosity for most of us, even us many Cape Cod beachgoers with an eye on the water.

In a way, we’re all tagged and tracked by Christ who wants to know our daily whereabouts.  Where are we, and not just on Cape Cod.  Where are we with our personal transformations from lay-on-the-beach do-nothings to jump-in-the-water, save-the-threatened swimmers?

We know people in deep water and at risk.  We know people struggling in the shallows.    Whether they are drowning in sorrow or imperiled (e.g., battered women and abused children), it’s up to us to rescue them before they are swallowed up by the “sharks” in their lives.

Deacon David Pierce