My Homily for 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) Our Mission Matters More than Our Popularity Dear friends, today Jesus gives us his mission statement: For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost. In other words, Christs whole life was for others. Everything he did and said was aimed at bringing people back home to the Fathers house, back onto the path of true happiness. That is still his mission today, for the Church, for you(th), for me. He carries it out through his Church, which he has promised to protect and guide until the end of history. And he carries it out through each one of his followers - each one of us. We are his ambassadors, sent into the world to seek out and save what was lost, to bring the light of Christ to everyone who still walks in darkness. Christs life mission has become our life mission. Thats what being a Christian means. If we are to succeed in our mission, which is all that really matters in life, we should carry it out in the same way that Christ did, basing our behavior not on what other people may think, but on what God wants. Jesus had attracted a huge crowd as he made his way to Jerusalem. They lined the streets to get a glimpse of the master. As Jesus passed, someone pointed Zacchaeus out to him, and mentioned what an evil man he was. Tax collectors made money by squeezing the people for more taxes than Rome demanded, and skimming off the excess for themselves. When Jesus decided to spend some time with Zacchaeus, the crowd was shocked. They began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to stay at a sinners house.But Jesus knew his mission. He didnt let gossip and criticism deter him from it. True Christians will do likewise. The Power of Mercy - A Marriage Is Saved Loving people who seem unlovable is one way God shows his mercy. For us, the word mercy has connotations of weakness. But Christian mercy is actually the strongest force in the world, because it overcomes sin Zacchaeus was a sinful man, an unjust man whose greed was causing suffering and misery to an entire region of Palestine. The peoples anger, their threats, their ostracism, their harsh words and actions - none of that changed his heart. But when Jesus treated him with kindness and respect, he rekindled the sense of goodness that Zacchaeus, for whatever reason, had long since buried in the junk drawer of his soul. A couple married for 15 years began having more than usual disagreements, in fact, their marriage was in crisis. They sincerely wanted to work through it and agreed on an idea the wife had. For one month they planned to drop a slip of paper in a Fault box. The boxes would provide a place to let the other know about daily irritations. The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach: leaving the jelly top off the jar, wet towels on the shower floor, dirty socks not in the hamper, on and on until the end of the month. After dinner, at the end of the month, they exchanged boxes. The husband reflected on what he had done wrong. Then the wife opened her box and began reading. They were all the same, the message on each slip was, I love you! The crisis was over. If we learn to be merciful, we will learn to seek and to save what was lost,to retrieve peoples good sides from the junk drawers of their soul. Following Christ Anyway We all want to be better instruments of Gods mercy, so that through us he can continue to seek and save what was lost. But we can only do so if we are willing to be like Christ no matter what other people think. Following Christ in a fallen world inevitably leads us to situations where we have to risk being criticized, laughed at and gossiped about because of our beliefs. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta learned this lesson well. Towards the end of her life, she gave this advice: People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior Motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best youve got anyway. Jesus knew that the crowd would grumble against him, but he reached out to Zacchaeus anyway. Today, the help of Gods grace comes to your heart through your hearing, how like Zacchaeus, you have embezzled public funds and public utilities to the detriment of millions who wantonly wallow in pandemic poverty. Christ, God seeks you out. Christ wants to come into the societal structures meant for the good of over 62.6% of our people who have been made poor by our individual and collective decisions both in low and high places in this nation. Give up that excess for the sake of a higher value, happiness, comfort, security. That extra youre amassing and grabbing for yourself will only set you on a road of damnation as Zacchaeus probably was until he met Christ. But here is something greater than your greed for wealth, position, fame namely, Christs saving grace, help, for you, for me, for the restoration and rediscovery of faith, life. Dont fail to call out to Him, Christ Jesus for help. For those who believe, Christ will come in Holy Communion and during this week, lets promise the Lord that we will do the same. Lets pray...
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 17:44:01 +0000
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