You ain't nobody until someone loves you

At least, I think thats what Father Joseph said during the Homily today.
The homily today was probably the best one I’ve heard in a really long time. Instead of Father Tim doing the mass today, Father Joseph from St. Matthew did the mass and it was his last official one before he retired and went home to the Philippines.

He also told a story about a priest being a professor at a university and his athiest student. The student, Tommy, asked if he will ever see God. The professor replied, “No.” Then he asked if he will ever find God. The professor replied with, “No, but He will find you.” A few years later he came back to the priest/professor and told him he had cancer. He also asked him if he will know the time and place in which he will meet God. He replied saying, “Tell the people that mean the most to you that you love them.” Tommy did so and died three months later. The priest was at his fneral and tried to explain those last 3 months of Tommy’s life. He said that he went from becoming an athiest to a believer, and he was transfigured.

He talked about how we misuse the word “love” towards the things we can never love. He also talked about how we use it towards people we don’t love, and how we doubt people when they say “I love you.” He said we shouldn’t doubt, because if we doubt love, we will never be loved. He quoted a line from a song that went “You ain’t nobody until someone loves you.” And that’s so true. You are no one until someone loves you, and that someone includes yourself.

At the end of the homily he told us he loves each and every one of us. Then he instructed us to turn to our left and right and tell the people beside us we love them.