Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68 Tuesday, 19 November 2013 Tuesday of the Thirty-third week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Mechtildis of Helfta (13th century) Saint Catherine of Siena : Zacchaeus was seeking to see who Jesus was 2nd book of Maccabees 6:18-31. Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes, a man of advanced age and noble appearance, was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork. But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement, he spat out the meat, and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture, as men ought to do who have the courage to reject the food which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life. Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately, because of their long acquaintance with him, and urged him to bring meat of his own providing, such as he could legitimately eat, and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice prescribed by the king; in this way he would escape the death penalty, and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him. But he made up his mind in a noble manner, worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God. He told them to send him at once to the abode of the dead, explaining: At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young men would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion. Should I thus dissimulate for the sake of a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age. Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men, I shall never, whether alive or dead, escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will prove myself worthy of my old age, and I will leave to the young a noble example of how to die willingly and generously for the revered and holy laws. He spoke thus, and went immediately to the instrument of torture. Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed, now became hostile toward him because what he had said seemed to them utter madness. When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned and said: The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that, although I could have escaped death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging, but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my devotion to him. This is how he died, leaving in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 19:1-10. At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house. And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner. But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over. And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost. Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day : Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Dominican tertiary, Doctor of the Church, co-patron of Europe Letter 119, to the prior of the Olivetan monks Zacchaeus was seeking to see who Jesus was Im writing with the desire to see you, a bold and good shepherd, pasturing and guiding the sheep entrusted to you with perfect zeal, and thus imitating the sweet Master of truth who gave his life for us who are his sheep, who have strayed away from the path of grace. True..., we cant do this without God and we cant possess God while remaining on earth. But here is a sweet remedy: when our hearts are reduced to nothing and feeling small, we must do as Zacchaeus, did. He was not tall and he climbed a tree to see God. This zeal of his allowed him to hear these sweet words: “Zacchaeus, go home, for I must dine with you today.” We must do this too when we are feeling low, when our hearts are constricted and lacking in charity. We must climb the tree of the most holy Cross and there we shall see, we shall touch God. There we shall find the fire of his inexpressible charity, the love that propelled him even to the humiliation of the Cross that raised him up and made him desire his Fathers honor and our salvation with the craving of a hunger and thirst... If this is what we want, if our carelessness doesnt get in the way, we can, in mounting the tree of the Cross, fulfill in ourselves this word issuing from the mouth of Truth: “When I am lifted up from the earth I shall draw all things to myself” (Jn 12,32 Vg). Indeed, when the soul is thus raised up, it sees the blessings of the Fathers goodness and power..., it sees the mercy and lavishness of the Holy Spirit, that is to say the inexpressible love holding Jesus bound to the wood of the Cross. Nails and bonds cannot hold him there; only charity... O climb this most holy tree where hang the ripe fruits of all the virtues that the body of the Son of God bears; ardently hasten. Dwell within the holy and sweet love of God. O sweet Jesus, Jesus love.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 07:37:14 +0000
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