Parables of the Pastor’s Cats

Never Alone

She isn’t the mother.

But she was there when the kittens were born.

She stepped into the box and sat beside the mother cat through each birth, even though the real mother was quite capable of taking care of her family. 

But just in case, there was Max. 

Max is our tortoise-shell female that I once confused with a possum on a dark night.  She has a marvelous disposition, for a cat. And she has proven to be a wonderful mother.  

Max would wash the kittens, cuddle them, and protect them. When the real mother would step out of the box, Max would collect the little ones around her.

And if we tried to peek in on them, she would stretch out a paw to keep her kittens safe from strangers. 

She would lay in the box with the kittens draped all over her, and her eyes would narrow to little slits in a look of inexpressible satisfaction.

We have a few nicknames for her. We call her the nanny or the day care cat.

My wife called her shadow mom, because she would materialize whenever the box was unattended. The mother cat would step out, and Max would step in.

As a result, for the first few weeks, the kittens were always with one mother or the other. We watched the box. In every situation, someone was there with them.

The kittens were never alone.

When Jesus was about to end his time with the disciples, he promised that he would not leave them alone. That was a big deal, because there he was, right there with them, ready to help or teach or just talk.

I have to go away, he said, but I will send someone else to be with you.

Just as every litter needs only one mother cat, apparently we need only one comforter. Or at least, one at a time.

If I don’t leave, Jesus said, I can’t send the replacement. I can’t send another comforter to you.

And that’s what we have today.

When our shadow mom steps back among the kittens, they run to her. They love the sound of her voice and the softness of her fur.

She isn’t a replacement. She’s another original.

If I go, Jesus said, I will send another Comforter.

Relax.

You are never alone.