Sunday, November 3, 2013 Thirtieth-first Sunday in Ordinary Time SALVATION HAS COME TO THIS HOUSE TODAY… Luke 19:1-10 (Good News Translation) 1 Jesus went on into Jericho and was passing through. 2 There was a chief tax collector there named Zacchaeus, who was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was a little man and could not see Jesus because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus, who was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to Zacchaeus, “Hurry down, Zacchaeus, because I must stay in your house today.” 6 Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed him with great joy. 7 All the people who saw it started grumbling, “This man has gone as a guest to the home of a sinner!” 8 Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Listen, sir! I will give half my belongings to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Salvation has come to this house today, for this man, also, is a descendant of Abraham. 10 The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. ” Other Readings: Wisdom 11:22 – 12:1; Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11,13, 14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11 – 2:2; Lectio “As the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind and set out on his way to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Those are the words that signalled the beginning of Jesus’ long journey that ends immediately after his encounter with Zacchaeus. And the last words of that section are extremely significant: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (19:10). From this moment on, the rest of his mission will take place in the holy city. His ascension, his being “taken up into heaven” (24:51) will mean the fulfilment of all the promises of salvation for his people and for all nations. Curiously, today’s passage has also a very important link with the one we read last week. In both cases, we find a character who represents the opposite of the “holy people” of Israel, a “chief tax collector,” a public sinner, despised for his cooperation with the Romans, prone to bribes and extortion, someone whose company would be avoided by any pious and observant Jew. The character we saw last week stayed in a dark corner in the temple and did not dare “raise his face to heaven” (Luke 18:13). By way of contrast, Zacchaeus will try to see Jesus, even if that means climbing a tree, as his short stature and the crowd prevent him from getting a glimpse of the Lord. Whether it was out of curiosity or because he had a feeling that Jesus could bring about something important in his life, the fact is that Zacchaeus not only could see Jesus, but was also seen and unexpectedly urged to become Jesus’ host. Just as it had happened when Jesus was anointed by the “sinner woman” in the house of a Pharisee, Jesus’ entering Zacchaeus’ house provokes a reaction among the people. In that case, his silence cast doubts on his condition as a man of God: “If this man really were a prophet…” (Luke 7:39). On this occasion, the crowd grumbles at Jesus’ action. Entering the house of a sinner implies accepting and sharing the sinful condition of the host. However, the visit to Zacchaeus’ house conveys a set of different messages for the onlookers… and for us. Salvation is always possible for a sinner, but even though is a gift from God, it nevertheless requires action on our part: “climbing a tree” and becoming “seen,” discovering the paradox that our search is in itself an answer to God’s mysterious calling. It implies accepting the Savior who “knocks at our door” inviting himself to share our table (Revelation 3:20) and changing our way of life: “I will give half my belongings … I will pay back.” (Luke 19:8). What could have been a moment of censure or blame for a sinner becomes a sign of God’s mercy: “Salvation has come to this house.” And, in the eyes of those who claimed to be the real heirs of Abraham, Jesus fulfils what John the Baptist had announced: “God can take these rocks and make descendants for Abraham!” (Luke 3:8). In a roundabout way, the text of the Gospel takes us back to the first reading: God “overlook[s] our sins and give[s] us time to repent…so that [sinners] may abandon their evil ways and put their trust in [the] Lord” (Wisdom 11:23, 12:2). Meditatio Although it may seem a poetical or symbolic approach to today’s Gospel, it could be a good idea to compare ourselves, not with Zacchaeus, but with the crowd surrounding him. To what extent do we, the people of God, prevent others (whether they are “sinners,” non-believers or simply people who are trying to discover the Lord) from seeing Jesus? Do we really feel happy when someone around us turns back to the Lord, or do we feel scandalized and ”grumble” in front of converts? Let us be poetical one more time: how much of our money, time, leisure or comfort would we be ready and willing to “give up” if Jesus invited himself to our house? Which “trees” would we dare climb to see the Lord face to face? Oratio Let us pray for ourselves: that we may overcome the obstacles which hinder our seeing Jesus - our spiritual laziness; our conformity to the routine of our Christian lives; our lack of interest in new approaches to the Gospel and its message; our prejudices; our greed. Pray for those who are looking for Jesus but feel disappointed by the lack of truthful examples of Christian life around them: that we who call ourselves members of his Body may be living witnesses to Jesus and transmit his message of mercy and hope. Contemplatio Sometimes, it is the political opinions of others, or their religious or even Christian trend, or their marital status … for whatever reasons, we all tend to create our own “official public sinners,” those we underestimate or avoid. Let us be honest and try to identify them and the reasons why we look down on them. Is there any way to overcome those feelings, to become a sign of reconciliation? What steps could we take to “share our table” with them? Reflections written by Rev. Fr. Mariano Perrón Roman Catholic priest Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 01:15:14 +0000
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