Month: April 2026

A homily for the fourth Sunday in Easter

I’ve preached on this image before. This image of cats in the bathroom, over the sink, perched on the light fixture. What’s going on in this picture is that they’re trying to get away from me. What happened was, last year sometime, I noticed this very thin cat in the patio. So I put out food and then two cats in the patio.

I put out food, and Francisco said, I think they’re kittens. And I said, no, they’re not kittens. They were kittens. It ended up being a lot of cats, probably abandoned cats, people moving sad, but left and they are foraging now. So we trapped them all and took them to the SPCA who neutered them and gave them back. So you have to keep them till they’re healed.

And now. So I brought them in and they freaked out every time they came in the room because they’re, undomesticated. They’re unsocialized, they don’t know what people are. And so I would interact with them and as they got domesticated, socialized, I find new homes for them. We went from 11 down to to finally one. One was just not.

He just wasn’t getting it. Slow learner was, he would be mad at me. He would visit me. He would jump at me. He was not, adoptable, but I would feed him and I would hold, pet him with the stick, and he would hit his at the stick and beat at the stick. But it’s a stick.

And if you want to eat, you have to suffer through this thing. And he did. Eventually. He just ignored the stick. So one day I said, I’m going to feed him and pet him with my hand. I may lose my hand. After reattached at the hospital, I’m going to pet him with my hand instead of the stick. And he took and he accepted the my hand.

And from there he became my friend. He grew to like me. And here’s a shot of him playing with a ribbon. It became a domestic housecat. Adoptable? No, because with everybody else he will take your face off. But with me at least, he likes me and tolerates me. This, I think, is a good image for Jesus, the good Shepherd.

Today’s gospel. He says, my sheep recognize my voice. They hear me and they follow me. And I think, how do we recognize the shepherd’s voice? How do we recognize Jesus as shepherd? But spending quality time that cat got domesticated because I made that cat spend quality time with me. And I think that’s how we get to have recognized Jesus is great Shepherd, and they communicate with Jesus’s good Shepherd and eventually be in his arms as Jesus is good Shepherd

Teresa of Avila writes, “prayer means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.” I think if we don’t take time in relationship with Jesus, in prayer, with Jesus, serving Jesus, being and reading his Word, or sharing his sacraments, we won’t recognize him when we need him. We won’t will be like the cat hiding on top of the the light fixtures in the bathroom instead of in his arms.

So that, I think, is the call of today’s gospel. Jesus is good Shepherd, but are we good listeners? Are we good sheep? Are we his sheep?

A homily for Easter Sunday

As Easter was approaching, I get a call from one of our guys who was very sick and couldn’t handle the parish. I was a teacher then, so I knew I was free and so yes, I’ll handle the parish for Holy Week. Even though I didn’t know the people. So it was Holy Thursday, which can be long. Good Friday, Holy Saturday, which is always very long.

And it was Easter Sunday morning. Three masses at the end of the first one, a family of adult kids comes in and talks to me. Mass had just let out, our father is dying. Can you come and anoint him? Give him last rites. And I looked at them and said, no, I can’t. We have two more masses. I’ve got two more masses.

I cannot come to anoint your father. Maybe this afternoon. Late, but not now. And so they left without, you know, I couldn’t go. I did the next two masses, and when it was over, I just wanted a cup of coffee in the worst way. I wanted a nap in the worst way. It’s a lot of work. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday, Sunday. And so. And I just know I’m not going to go there. I need a nap now. I worked hard. I deserve a break. No. I worked hard, I deserve a cup of coffee. But I thought the best of it. So I get in the car and put their address. They give me the address in my GPS and it takes me far out of town.

And I pull up and the whole family’s there waiting on the street like on the curb. I thought, oh no, he must have died. And they’re waiting for the coroner. But no, the I pull up and they say, oh, we’re waiting for you, father. I’m here. I’m glad I came. And they said, our dad has rallied, is not so near dead.

He’s actually feeling good. He asked to be carried outside. So we carried him and he’s in the backyard in the sun. So we walk around there and we’re just jabbering him, the kids, his adult kids and me. And all of a sudden he says, can I speak to you privately, father? So I said, sure. So I sent all these sons and daughters inside because I think it’s going to be confession.

And he says to me, I’m finally getting what life is all about. It’s about love. It’s not about career or big house or car or or duty or obligation. Only thing that matters is love. And I’ve never told my kids I love them and look at they’re taking good care of me. Yeah, I took care of them, they can presume I love them, but I never said.

And and I think that’s what life is about. Saying it, showing it, doing it, love and nothing else. And I smiled and said, this is living the resurrection now, is what I said to myself. This is what you know what Easter is all about? Easter joy. It’s not about resurrection at the end of life, only it’s not about Jesus’s resurrection, only.

It’s about living that resurrected life and day, living in his grace, his love, his direction, what he asks of us. That’s what I think. Teresa of Avila is getting at when she says to her, to herself, “what is it? oh, soul that you see, saved through love and love again and all on flame with love within. Love on. And turn to love again”. Easter joy. Happy Easter.