It seems a young aspirant to holiness once came to visit the hermitage of an old holy man who was sitting in the doorway of his quarters at sunset.  The old man’s dog stretched out across the threshold as the young spiritual seeker presented his problem to the holy man.

“Why is it, Abba, that some who seek God come to the desert and are zealous in prayer but leave after a year or so, while others, like you, remain faithful to the quest for a lifetime?”

The old man smiled and replied, “let me tell you a story:

“One day I was sitting here quietly in the sun with my dog. Suddenly, a large white rabbit ran across in front of us. Well, my dog jumped up, barking loudly, and took off after that big rabbit. Soon, other dogs joined him, attracted by his barking. What a sight it was, as the pack of dogs ran barking across the creeks, up stony embankments and through thickets and thorns! Gradually, however, one by one, the other dogs dropped out of the pursuit, discouraged by the course and frustrated by the chase. Only my dog continued to hotly pursue the white rabbit.”

The young man sat in confused silence. Finally he said, “Abba, I don’t understand. What is the connection between the rabbit chase and the quest for holiness?”

“You fail to understand,” answered the old hermit, “because you failed to ask the obvious question. Why didn’t the other dogs continue on the chase? They had not seen the rabbit. They were only attracted by the barking of the dog.”