Jun212026
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Our family cat was the most cantankerous pet I ever saw. I would try to get its attention and say, “Here, kitty, kitty, just want to say hi,” and it would bolt. I think I know where she got her bad disposition. My mother used to pick up the cat, give it a bear hug, and say, “Oh, you are soooo cute.” I used to look in the cat’s eyes during these intimate moments and see the hate. One day, I went into the house, and the cat was lying on its back on my brother’s lap, purring, mushy, and loving. Stunted, I said to my brother, “How did you get the cat to do that?” My brother, who suffers from bouts of depression, said, “The cat always seems to know when I am having a bad day.” She will never leave me.” I thought to myself, “If a cat with a personality disorder can be compassionate, imagine how much God can offer compassion.”

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room. If I were Jesus, the first thing I would have done is dump the disciples and get a better batch. It is true that there is always someone who is smarter, better equipped, better trained, better qualified, younger, and more energetic. Do we not always want the best at our side? We can do so much more when we surround ourselves with the highest quality. But that is not what Jesus did. What was the first thing Jesus did when He rose? He appeared to Mary and said, “Tell Peter, he is really upset with himself for denying me. Tell Peter, he thinks I am mad at him. Tell Peter, I want to team up with him and turn the world upside down. Tell Peter, I want to be with him.

When the cat died, naturally, my brother was crushed. This cat had a special gift. So, I asked my father what he was going to do. He said, “I am going to buy him another cat.” A few weeks later, my brother called me, and I asked, “How do you like the new cat?” He said, “Peter, I don’t need to have a bad day for the cat to like me. He likes me all the time.” I thought about what he said after the call, and I realized that God watches over us. It says in the Gospel that God watches every bird in the air, and every hair on our heads. So it is not about our qualifications, IQ, youthful energy, or skill set. It is about God’s compassion.

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